Does anyone know what makes chlorinated pool water taste salty? The pool operator said it had to do with ph - that it ought to be 7.0, and it will taste salty. What is the ideal ph, and what would that have to do with the taste of the water? It's the only pool where I've ever experienced this and wonder if he's right.
Unless the operator is actually adding salt to the pool to create chlorine (this takes very specialized equipment) the most likely culprit is high levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). These can be tested for. Generally accepted wisdom in the industry is to keep these levels no higher than 1500 ppm for proper water balance. However, there are some experts that say the levels don't matter and use sea water pools as an example where levels are over 25,000 ppm. The only way to lower TDS is to dilute the water, i.e. partially drain the water and add fresh (assummining the source water is low in TDS).
As for pH, 7.0 would be brutal to swim in. It should be kept between 7.4 and 7.6 matching the chemistry of the human body. 7.0 will not only wreck havoc on your body, it will quickly destroy the pool's mechanical system.
Rich
Unless the operator is actually adding salt to the pool to create chlorine (this takes very specialized equipment) the most likely culprit is high levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). These can be tested for. Generally accepted wisdom in the industry is to keep these levels no higher than 1500 ppm for proper water balance. However, there are some experts that say the levels don't matter and use sea water pools as an example where levels are over 25,000 ppm. The only way to lower TDS is to dilute the water, i.e. partially drain the water and add fresh (assummining the source water is low in TDS).
As for pH, 7.0 would be brutal to swim in. It should be kept between 7.4 and 7.6 matching the chemistry of the human body. 7.0 will not only wreck havoc on your body, it will quickly destroy the pool's mechanical system.
Rich
