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The Importance of Having Your Pool Phosphate Levels Tested
In Woodstock, GA, swimming is a must in the scorching summer months. It is the only effective way to relax in dangerous levels of heat without having to rely on dusty and stale indoor air. Unfortunately, your pool is not without its flaws. It is standing water, after all. If you have seen a dirty puddle by the curb of your street, then you know what can happen to standing water outdoors: fungi, insects, grime, and even animals can be attracted to it.
What Are Phosphates?
Phosphates are the name for a group of natural compounds consisting of some combination of sodium, phosphorus, and oxygen. They are completely natural and can be found just about anywhere you go in the world. Though pool contractors rarely include phosphates when they install or fill pools, phosphates will find their way into your water on their own.Where Do They Come From?
Phosphates can be introduced to your pool via a number of substances, many of which involve no effort on your part. These include:
Vegetation like leaves, sticks, and grass falling in your pool
Tap water spilling into the pool via irrigation systems or in trace amounts via wet clothing
Cosmetics, including lotion and sunscreen
Pool cleaning chemicals
Fertilizers in your yard
Pets entering the pool
What Are the Risks of Excess Phosphates in Pools?
While trace amounts of phosphorus are acceptable and will go unnoticed, high levels can have a series of negative effects on your pool, such as:
Discoloring your pool water
Attracting algae that feeds on phosphorus, spiking their levels, which can make swimming unsafe
Disrupting salt systems like Pentair Intellichlors, which use ordinary table salt to chlorinate your pool
Harming other pool equipment and systems because of phosphates’ tendency to cling to metals
While your pool is usually safe from any of the above risks under ordinary circumstances, high levels of phosphates are clearly a danger to your pool and even to swimmers.
So What Should I Do about Phosphates?
First, you should know the difference between healthy and unhealthy phosphate levels. Researchers have determined that phosphates are safe for pools under levels of 100 ppb (parts per billion). Any more, and your swimming pool can be at risk of the complications in the previous category.Secondly, have your pool water tested regularly. Pool companies in Woodstock can visit your pool on a regular basis—not for a gentle swim, but to test the phosphate levels in your pool. They can also provide you with testing strips, phosphate-free pool chemicals, helpful advice, and other tools for keeping your phosphate levels safely low. We recommend that you contact a pool company as soon as possible to keep your pool and its component parts running smoothly and to prevent phosphates from ruining your summer.
We have had the privilege of being awarded more than 60 Design Awards in every award category, including custom residential concrete pools, commercial concrete pools, in-ground vinyl liner pools, and major renovations. Hilltop was named one of the “Top 50 Pool Builders in the USA” by Pool and Spa News in 2013-2017. Pool builders across the United States were evaluated in several areas, including the total number of pools built, customer service, certifications, industry involvement, employee retention, as well as advertising and social media presence. Our company was also nationally recognized for customer service and social media. We were the only Georgia company on the list in 2016 and 2017!
We would consider it a privilege to design and construct your project and have you as a member of our “Hilltop Family.”
Hilltop Pools and Spas, Inc
