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If you do not know the chemistry of the source water, making decisions about how to treat your pool become more difficult. This article covers the importance of knowing the chemistry from the tap.

I have never plastered a pool in my life. In fact, until this week, I had never even seen pool plaster being applied. To be honest, I did not even know the difference between plaster, cement, gunite, concrete, shotcrete, or any other type of -crete. Because of this utter lack of knowledge and experience, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at this year's National Plasterers Council (NPC) annual conference in New Orleans.

Calcium hardness is one of the most important factors in water chemistry, and swimming pool chemistry especially. It is one of the six LSI factors, and because it does not fluctuate much, we love using calcium hardness as a foundation for water balance. Let's discuss why.

The Pool and Hot Tub Alliance

In January 2019, the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF) merged with the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP) and became the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance. 

We have revised this article, which was originally written as a guest blog by the NSPF itself. Now we want to showcase the new organization and what it offers the industry. And as far as we can tell, both the NSPF and APSP still maintain their original websites and content, including guest articles from Orenda and others.

Can a fouled sand filter be cleaned enough that replacing the sand becomes unnecessary? Challenge accepted.

The organization referred to in this article is NSF International, formerly the National Sanitation Foundation. It is separate from the National Science Foundation. Founded in 1944, it exists to provide third-party testing and validation of products available to the public. Directly from their website:

Today, we're diving deep into the fascinating world of Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP). Whether you're a swimmer, a pool owner, or just someone with a thirst for knowledge, understanding ORP can shed light on the science behind maintaining clean and safe swimming pools.

The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) is a cornerstone of the Orenda program. The LSI is the unbiased measurement of water balance, as defined by calcium carbonate saturation. It determines if our water is aggressive/corrosive (low LSI), balanced, or scale-forming (high LSI). It sounds simple enough, but let's dive in and show you just how much it matters to other aspects of water chemistry.

Swimmers pee in the pool

Not only is peeing in the pool disgusting, it also results in harmful disinfectant byproducts (DBPs) being off-gassed from the water. Examples of these DBPs are chloramines (specifically the airborne NCl₃, Nitrogen Trichloride), chloroform, cyanogen chloride, and other gases. They are harmful and cause swimmers like me to develop asthma and lifeguard lung. Ironically, our urine is one of the root causes of the harmful air we breathe. One would think that would be enough to stop swimmers from peeing in the pool. But there are valid reasons why swimmers pee.

Pool builders, plaster applicators, and service techs know that a pool startup can be a real pain. Plaster dust is just the tip of the iceberg. For residential pools especially, most pools have water filling them within hours of finishing the plaster. That means the tap water and its chemistry is immensely important in the curing process (hydration) of new pool plaster.

In the event of an Accidental Fecal Release (AFR), the CDC has published a recommended limit of Cyanuric Acid (CYA) at 15 ppm for commercial swimming pools. The vast majority of outdoor pools in America have far more than 15 ppm of CYA already, so what can be done?