Specifications
CHEMICAL
BALANCE
POOL
AND SPA
WATER
It ls
important lo
your
heaiet
Your
Tropic lsle
pool
heater
was designed specilically
for
your
spa or
pool
and will
give you
many
years
ot
trouble
free service
provided
you
keep
your
water chemistry
in
pro'
oer
condition.
The three
maior items that
can cause
problems
with
your
gool
heater are
pH,
Chlorine
Residual and Total
Alkalinity.
These things
if
not kept in
proper
balance
will cause
your
pool
heater to
torm
calcium
or lime
in
the tubes
ot the heat
exchanger
which can shorten
the lile of the
heater and
create
damage.
WHAT CHLORINE
DOES
Two
pool guests
you
do
not want are
algae and bacteria.
To
get
rid
ot them
and make
pool
water
sanitary
tor
swim'
ming
-
as well
as to improve the
water's taste,
odor and
clarity
-
some sort
of diainfectenl
must be used.
Chlorine,
universally
approved by
health authorities,
is the
accepted disinfecting
agent
for
bacteria.
And, by
maintain'
ing
a
free chlorine
residual or
no less than 0.6
ppm (parts
per
million), algae
can also
be
prevented.
WHAT IS CHLORINE
RESIDUAL?
When
you
add
chlorine to
the
pool
water, a
portion
of
the
chlorine
will be consumed
in the
process
ol deslroying
bacteria,
algae
and othet
oxidizable
materials.
The
chlorine
remaining
is
called
chloline
residual.
You can
determine the
chlorine
residual ot
your pool
water with
a
reliable test
kit, available
lrom
your
Guardex
dealer.
You
musl mainlain
a lree chlorine
residual
level adequale
enough
to assute
a continuous
kill ot bacteria
or virus
in-
troduced
into
pool
water by swimmers,
through
the air,
from dust,
rain or other
sources. Since
chlorine
residual
is
lowered
by sunlight
(ils
ultraviolet
rays decompose
chlorine)
it is impossible
to mainlain
a constant
residual
tevel with
most
torms of chlorine
unless a
mechanical
device
-
a
Hypochlorinator
-
is
used
to
feed
the
chlorine
compound
coniinuouslY.
Whether or
not
you
have such
a
device,
it is wise to test
pool
water regularly,
never
allowing
chlorine
residual to
dtop
below
0.6
ppm (parts
per
million), the
minimum
level
lor ef f ective chlorinaiion.
RULE:
Maintain a chlorine
residual
no lower than 0.6
ppm
CONTROL
pH
The term DH
tefers to the acid alkaline
balance ot
water ex-
pressed
on
a
numerical scale
from 0 to
14. A
test
kit for
measuring
pH
balance of
your
pool
water
is available
from
your
swimming
pool
dealer.
pH
CHART
Acid
Neutral
Stronolv Alkaline
o12345678910
11 12 13 14
Muriatic Acid has a
pH
of about
0. Pure
water is 7
(neutral).
Weak Lye solutions have a
pH
of
13-14.
RULE: 7.4
to
7.6 is a desirable
pH
range.
It is
essential
to maintain
correct
pH.
lf
pH
becomes too
high
(over
alkaline)
it has these etfects.
1. Greatly
lowers the ability of chlorine
to destroy
bacteria
and algae,
2. Water becomes cloudy.
3. There
is more danger of scale
formalion on
the
plaster
or in the coils ot the
heater.
4. Filter may become
blocked.
lf
pH
is
too
low
(over
acid) there
may be:
1.
Excessive
eye burn or
skin irritation.
2. Etching ot the
plaster.
3. Corrosion ot
metal fixtures
in the
tiltration and recircul-
ation system,
which may create
brown, blue,
green,
or
som'etimes
almost black
slains on the
plaster.
4. Corrosion of copper
in the heater,
which may cause
leaks.
5.
lf
you
have a sand and
gravel
filter, the alum
used as a
filter aid may dissolve
and
pass
through
the filter.
CAUTION:
Do
not
test
for
pH
when the chlorine
residual
is 0.8 or
higher, to avoid a
false reading. Some
test kits,
such as
the Guardex
4-in-1 Test
Kit,
contain
a de-
chlorinator to enable
you
to check
pH
in the
presence
ol
higher chlorine
residuals.
RULE: Chemicals that
are acid
lower
pH.
Chemicals
that are
alkaline raise
pH.
ALKALINITY
High
-
Low
"Total
alkalinity"
is a measurement
of the total
amount of
alkaline chemicals
in the water
and controls
pH
to
a
greal
degree.
(lt
is
not the same
as
pH
which
reters merely to the
relative alkalinity
acidity
balance.)
Your
pool
water's tolal
atkaliniiy
should
be adiusted
to
80-100
ppm
to
permit
easier oH
control.
A total alkalinity
test
is
simple
to
pertorm,
using
the
Guardex
4-in-1
Test Kii. You
will need
to test about once
a
week until alkalinity
is in the
proper
range. Then, only once
every
month or so to
be sure
it is being
maintained.
pH
CONTROL
CHART