pH vs. Total Alkalinity, and Their Roles in Pool Chemistry

Cement Cures Ugly | Orenda Startup Philosophy: Why is Orenda doing something so radically different than it has been done for so long? And why is it working? Eric and Jarred talk about the philosophy of the Orenda Startup in the first of a two-part series. by Rule Your Pool

36 min listen

Hindsight is 2020: Eric and Jarred wax nostalgiac about the dumpster fire of a year that was 2020, and give a few reasons why this year might be better. by Rule Your Pool

22 min listen

The LSI | Total Dissolved Solids: "Man, let's just get real. That's a pretty sexy way of saying I have metals. Agree?" The boys are back in town and spilling the Tea on TDS (total dissolved solids). No feelings are spared as Eric and Jared cover such frequently Googled and Search Engine Optimized Topics as, "What is Total Dissolved Solids?," "total dissolved solids in water limit," "how to remove TDS," "total dissolved solids meters," "how to measure total dissolved solids in water," and more! by Rule Your Pool

28 min listen

The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI): If you divide up pool chemistry, there's really two subcategories of it. There is sanitization (which is water, clarity, cleanliness, and safety) and there is balance. Is your pool scaling, etching, filled with calcium dust or crystals? All of those problems are LSI violations. They can be completely prevented simply by balancing the LSI and keeping it balanced. Following the conventional wisdom of range chemistry doesn't guarantee that you will have balanced water. But following the Langelier Saturation Index does. In the first three episodes, Eric and Jarred covered Total Alkalinity and pH. Those are two of the six factors of the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI). In Episode four, they cover the rest of the LSI and what you need to know about it. The LSI is the objective measure of water balance. Eric and Jarred will talk about what that means. There are six factors, and they will tell you what you need to know about all of them. by Rule Your Pool

20 min listen

Introduction to Rule Your Pool Podcast by Orenda Technologies: Rule Your Pool is a podcast by Orenda Technologies. This show was created for pool owners, operators, and service pros who want the best water quality possible. If you want to know what's really going on with your swimming pool chemistry, this might be the podcast for you. Each week, we'll cover a new topic related to swimming pools, water chemistry, or indoor air quality. With our help, you'll be able to rule your pool without over-treating it with chemicals and wasting money. Connect with Orenda Technologies Website: https://www.orendatech.com Blog: https://blog.orendatech.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OrendaTechnologies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orendatech/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orendatechnologies/ by Rule Your Pool

3 min listen

pH vs. Total Alkalinity, and Their Roles in Pool Chemistry: pH and total alkalinity are important water chemistry factors that are often confused and misunderstood. This episode explains in detail what each of them are, what they do, and how they interact with other pool chemistry. Since pH impacts just about every other chemistry in water, it is important to manage it properly, according to the physics of water. Too often, pool owners and operators try to control pH, but it is a futile, costly effort. https://www.orendatech.com Show-Notes: [01:32] What is ph? [02:30] pH is an equilibrium [07:58] Negative logarithm of hydrogen [08:43] Let's not try to control pH. Physics is going to raise the pH in swimming pools. [09:50] Henry's Law of the Solubility of Gases [12:23] Buy a ph probe to find out your exact ph. [12:37] Your ph can raise from algae, vanishing edge pools, spas, spillover, or salt cell. [17:17] ph is the most impactful factor to the Langelier Saturation Index [18:53] Pro by Rule Your Pool

30 min listen

The LSI | Calcium Hardness: In the swimming pool and spa industry, calcium is treated like it's a four-letter word. But if managed correctly, calcium hardness can be your best friend. So, what is calcium hardness anyway? According to the Rule Your Pool Guys, it’s the concentration of calcium in your pool, and the most stable factor of the LSI. Calcium is so stable, that Orenda bases their LSI management strategy around it. In this episode, Eric and Jarred discuss the benefits of calcium hardness, some misconceptions surrounding calcium, calcium hardness increasers, and how to lower calcium hardness in a pool. They also get into the weeds on the Orenda Academy exclusive hat, calcium testing issues, calcite crystals, and a whole lot more. by Rule Your Pool

37 min listen

Pillar 2: Non-living Organics | Orenda's Four Pillars: Especially relevant amidst the current chlorine shortage, Orenda's second pillar is about supplementing chlorine. The bulk of contaminants in swimming pools are non-living organics. Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant, but a comparatively weak oxidizer. It is not designed to remove non-living organics from water. Enzymes and secondary oxidizer systems do a much better job. by Rule Your Pool

20 min listen

6 Bad Habits | Part 2: Rule Your Pool is a podcast by Orenda Technologies. This show was created for pool owners, operators, and service pros who want the best water quality possible. If you want to know what's really going on with your swimming pool chemistry, this might be the podcast for you. Each week, we'll cover a new topic related to swimming pools, water chemistry, or indoor air quality. With our help, you'll be able to rule your pool without over-treating it with chemicals and wasting money. Connect with Orenda Technologies Website: https://www.orendatech.com Blog: https://blog.orendatech.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OrendaTechnologies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orendatech/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orendatechnologies/ by Rule Your Pool

26 min listen

Understanding Alkalinity: Most people in the swimming pool and spa industry know how to measure alkalinity, but they don't actually understand what it does. This episode explains what alkalinity is and how it's measured, why it slows down the change of pH, how pH determines the type of alkalinity present in a pool, and how alkalinity impacts the LSI in particular with something called carbonate alkalinity. by Rule Your Pool

34 min listen

The LSI | Cyanuric Acid (CYA): Keeping CYA regulated is Orenda's fourth pillar of proactive pool care. CYA can wreak havoc on your pool chemistry if it isn't regulated - and that's especially true for the LSI. In this episode, Eric and Jared discuss: how CYA affects the LSI, how CYA and alkalinity are related, where CYA comes from, why you shouldn't put chlorine tabs in a skimmer, and how you reduce CYA. by Rule Your Pool

21 min listen

Winter Is Coming: It's November and winter is coming. In fact, in some parts of the country, it's already here. In this episode, Eric and Jarred cover how your geographic location affects winterization, how the type of pool cover you have can affect your chemistry, and how different types of pool surfaces react differently to bad LSI balance and cold water. by Rule Your Pool

31 min listen

Understanding pH: If you get the folks at Orenda talking about pH, they could go for hours. Fortunately, this 40ish-minute-episode boils pH and how it affects pool chemistry down into three main points: The role that carbon dioxide plays in controlling the pH of water, the factors that both lower and raise pH, and how to manage pH in a proactive way so that you're not chasing it. Many pool operators struggle with how to manage pH. Eric and Jarred are here to make it easy. by Rule Your Pool

37 min listen

Combined Chlorine 101: What are chloramines?: Does your pool have combined chlorine? Combined chlorine only happens when the water has nitrogen compounds in it. Chlorine combines with them in the oxidation process. This episode explains more about chloramines, organic and inorganic nitrogen. by Rule Your Pool

30 min listen

Pool Party Chemistry: Eric and Jarred talk about the challenges of hosting a pool party. The chlorine demand surges, and is often overwhelmed. So being proactive and also cleaning up after-the-fact are important strategies. by Rule Your Pool

25 min listen

6 Bad Habits | Part 1: Rule Your Pool is a podcast by Orenda Technologies. This show was created for pool owners, operators, and service pros who want the best water quality possible. If you want to know what's really going on with your swimming pool chemistry, this might be the podcast for you. Each week, we'll cover a new topic related to swimming pools, water chemistry, or indoor air quality. With our help, you'll be able to rule your pool without over-treating it with chemicals and wasting money. Connect with Orenda Technologies Website: https://www.orendatech.com Blog: https://blog.orendatech.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OrendaTechnologies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orendatech/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orendatechnologies/ by Rule Your Pool

19 min listen

Pillar 3: Phosphate Removal | Orenda's Four Pillars: Let's talk about phosphates, and why you should remove them from your water. Phosphates cannot be oxidized by chlorine, and they accumulate over time. Phosphates get into our pools via the tap water, sequestering agents, and nature. They accumulate over time. Remove phosphates and keep your level below 500 parts per billion (ppb). by Rule Your Pool

19 min listen

PPM and PPB: Eric explains what parts-per-million (PPM) and parts-per-billion (PPB) mean. They are standard units of measurement for water chemistry, telling the density of a dissolved substance in water. And the measurement is rooted in the metric system. by Rule Your Pool

14 min listen

4 Types of Chlorine | Liquid Chlorine/Sodium Hypochlorite: Liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) is a mainstay of the pool business, and what most people think of when saying the word “Chlorine." In this episode of Rule Your Pool, Eric and Jarred discuss the ebbs and flows of liquid chlorine as a sanitizer. DISCLAIMER: Different types of chlorine are volatile if exposed to each other. They can cause fires and literally explode. Never store two different types of chlorine in the same enclosed area. Always handle with care and caution. by Rule Your Pool

22 min listen

The LSI | Water Temperature: How can a pool with textbook chemistry on closing be filled with crystals or dust when it opens back up? An analogy is to think of that swimming pool as a grizzly bear. You better feed it because if it has to wake up in the middle of the winter to eat, it's not going to be pretty. In this episode, Eric and Jarred give you a read on water temperature. Water temperature is the easiest factor of the LSI to measure, and yet it is the most neglected (or would ignored be a better word?). Unfortunately, folks just don't know how much temperature affects chemistry - and even the ability to test the water accurately. Almost all damage to a swimming pool happens during the winter. The reason? The lower the temperature, the lower your LSI. by Rule Your Pool

38 min listen

The Orenda Startup Procedure: There are a ton of scenarios that can come into play when you're starting up a pool. The chemistry can be radically different even between pools across the street from one another. In this episode, Eric and Jarred go in-depth on the Orenda startup procedure, and how you can use it to prevent scale and etching on a freshly plastered pool. by Rule Your Pool

50 min listen

How to Use Less Acid: Stop Chasing pH: In a solo episode, Eric discusses the impending acid shortage, and how we can use less acid. Acid is overused in the pool business for several reasons discussed in this episode. Eric also dives into Henry's Law of physics, and explains why pH naturally rises, and how we must abandon attempts to 'control' pH, and instead 'contain' pH. by Rule Your Pool

33 min listen

Muriatic acid alternatives: Sulfuric Acid, Sodium Bisulfate and CO2: The 2021 chlorine shortage has (not surprisingly) led to a muriatic acid shortage too. So what are the alternatives to muriatic acid? Eric and Joe introduce sulfuric acid, sodium bisulfate, and injecting CO2. by Rule Your Pool

29 min listen

Calcium Flakes in Saltwater Pools: If you have a saltwater pool, you have probably seen calcium flakes or other calcium deposits in your pool. Eric and Jarred explain why this happens, and how to prevent it. by Rule Your Pool

32 min listen

Containing pH vs. Controlling pH: This episode expands on Episode 29. It's a paradigm shift to think of pH as predictable, but it is, thanks to Henry's Law of physics. Eric drives home the points that pH does not need to be reduced to 7.4-7.6 each week, especially if there is any CYA in the water. Focus on containing pH instead, letting it rise naturally, and accounting for that rise with the LSI. by Rule Your Pool

32 min listen

4 Types of Chlorine | Trichlor and Dichlor: In our fourth (and final) episode about different chlorine types, Eric covers the two stabilized chlorine types: Trichlor and Dichlor. Neither was originally meant to be primary chlorine types, but Trichlor, over the years, has been incredibly popular for its ease of use, affordability, and simplicity. But all that comes at a cost: CYA overstabilization. by Rule Your Pool

17 min listen

Organic Staining and Tannins: Water can become discolored and stains can occur even if metals are not involved. In this episode, Eric talks about organic staining and discoloration, thanks to Tannins. They're relatively easy to manage if you regularly clean organic material out of your pool (leaves, pine needles, acorns, berries, etc.). If you let decaying organics stay in your pool or on your mesh safety cover, tannins can be a real problem. by Rule Your Pool

22 min listen

Pillar 1: LSI Balance | Orenda's Four Pillars: Introducing Orenda's Four Pillars of proactive pool care. This episode is the first of a four-part series, in which we discuss the importance of the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI). It is the unbiased metric of water balance, and the Orenda calculator app is helping us understand how to use it and why it is so critically important in water chemistry. by Rule Your Pool

27 min listen

Minimalist Pool Care, with Harold Evans: Harold Evans is a man of vast experience in the swimming pool business, and a penchant for blunt honesty. In this episode, we dissect his philosophy of minimalism in pool chemistry. We talk about why Orenda is contrarian in some aspects of education, but we always have the truth and the big picture in mind...even when it's inconvenient. by Rule Your Pool

43 min listen

4 Types of Chlorine | Intro: It's a short episode this week as we dive into a new topic: different kinds of chlorine. The next few episodes will focus on liquid chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, trichlor, and salt generated chlorine in that order. As a point of order, we should also tell you this: NEVER mix or store different kinds of chlorine together. by Rule Your Pool

10 min listen

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pH vs. Total Alkalinity, and Their Roles in Pool Chemistry

pH vs. Total Alkalinity, and Their Roles in Pool Chemistry

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