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Muriatic acid
A liquid acid that is most commonly used to reduce pH and total alkalinity levels.
It tends to be very strong and is not recommended for use in spas.
ORP
ORP stands for Oxidation-Reduction Potential. In practical terms, it is a measure-
ment to oxidize contaminants. ORP is the only practical method to electronically
monitor pool sanitizer effectiveness.
pH
The scale of relative acidity or alkalinity, expressed in logarithmic numbers from
0 - 14, with 7.0 being neutral. What's really being measured is the hydrogen ion
concentration.
Pool “Shocking”
Adding a large dose of chlorine or other chemicals to quickly increase the amount
of free available sanitizers compared with the less effective, "combined" form of
the sanitizer.
Sanitizer
A chemical agent used to remove unwanted contaminants.
Soda Ash
A base, used to counteract an acidic condition by raising pH.
Sodium Bicarbonate
Another base, however its properties will increase alkalinity more than pH. Used
to raise Total Alkalinity levels.
Sodium Bisulfate
A granular form of acid, used to counteract a scaling condition by lowering pH
and/or alkalinity.
Sodium Dichlor
A granular form of chlorine that is stabilized with cyanuric acid. Used for shocking
and super-chlorination.
Test strips
Chemically treated strips that have the appropriate amounts of reagents on them
which you must dip into water and then interpret the reactions.
Total alkalinity
Works in a buffering capacity, protecting the water from dramatic pH changes.
Total dissolved solids
The total amount of dissolved materials in pool or spa water. The ideal range is
from 1,000 to 2,000 ppm in pools and 1,500 ppm above the start-up TDS in spas.
Water balance
Balanced water is the result of all your chemical parameters being where they
should be and thus balance each other. The key components of water balance are
pH, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and Temperature.
