If you are inviting others to enjoy your pool, it is your responsibility to keep your pool safe and healthy for your guests! The first and best thing you can do to prevent recreational water illnesses is regularly check chlorine and pH levels in the pool.
Chlorine is your main germ-fighter. It kills off germs that get into the pool water, but it takes time to work. Your chlorine levels should be somewhere between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million, and you need to test your levels daily. Why? Because things like dirt and debris in the water and even sunlight can reduce the chlorine levels in the water.
The pH level in the water affects the germ-killing power of the chlorine. If the pH levels are too high, the chlorine becomes less effective. If the pH levels are too low, the chlorine can cause eye and skin irritations for swimmers and even corrode the pipes that cycle water through your pool.
Your body has a pH level between 7.2 and 7.8 — anything above or below will irritate your skin and eyes. Keeping your pH levels in this range will balance out the chlorine in the water so your guests don’t go home with red eyes.
If your pool gets a lot of use, you should be checking chlorine and pH levels daily and adjusting accordingly. If your pool is not in use every day, you can probably get away with just checking the levels a few times a week. Make sure to check after a rain or wind storm — extra water and debris in the pool can dramatically affect the chlorine and pH levels.
Ask your guests to practice healthy swimming behaviors — don’t drink pool water, don’t pee in the pool, don’t swim if you have diarrhea, and wash thoroughly before swimming. This will help keep germs out of the water… and help keep germs that are in the water out of your guests’ bodies.