Balanced water is neither corrosive nor scaling. Corrosive water is hungry in that it seeks "food" from the pool shell and its plumbing, and scaling water has too many ingredients, which results in residue. But if the pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness are kept within the recommended ranges, a pool or spa will have balanced, trouble-free water.

If, however, pool or spa water is suspected of being out of balance, the chemical values relating to water balance can be plugged in to a simple calculator or chart , or you can simply do the math on the chart. A saturation index will tell you if your pool is aggressive or scale-forming. You should adjust your pool or spa to keep the water balance as close to zero as possible on this scale.

If you have what many call a "funky" or "bouncing" pool, or if your pool water is just "out of whack," it probably needs balancing. You definitely won't need a test kit to tell you this. So what is a funky, bouncing, or wacky pool? It's a pool that constantly changes. One day it's crystal clear, the next day it's cloudy. One day it's green and the next day brown. The pH levels are all over the place. If this is happening to your water, it is unbalanced. Just grab your test kit to determine which chemicals need to be adjusted to balance the pool.

Water Chemistry • Popular Disinfectants • Chorine • Calcium Hypochorite • Sodium Hypochlorite • Stabilized Chlorines •
Bromine • Other Disinfectants • Water Balance • pH • Total Alkalinity • Calcium Hardness • Total Dissolved Solids •
Balancing Pool Water • Water Testing • Pool Vacs & Sweepers

Pool Maintenance • Daily Chores • Weekly Chores • Solving Common Problems • Cloudy, Milky Water • Malodorous, Irritating Water
Green Water • Red or Brown Water • Blue - Green Water • Blue or Black Water • Pump Problems • Sand in Pool •
Excessive Water Loss • Excessive Foaming