Blog

Understanding Metal Corrosion in Pools

eric@orendatech.com (Eric Knight) — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 14:00:00 GMT

Metal corrosion is common in and around swimming pools, but what is corrosion? This article explains the chemistry and offers some examples. For a deeper dive into the science, you can read the full article here, where the focus is on indoor swimming pools and stainless steel corrosion.

Understanding Calcium Phosphate Scale

eric@orendatech.com (Eric Knight) — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 13:00:00 GMT

In swimming pools and spas, calcium phosphate scale is rare. But in the right conditions, it can form scale deposits that are harder to manage (and remove) than calcium carbonate. This article explains calcium phosphate, how it forms and precipitates, and how you can prevent it.

Saharan Dust Clouds and Swimming Pools

eric@orendatech.com (Eric Knight) — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 12:00:00 GMT

Every year, dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa travels across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas, and it is vitally important to our global ecosystem. The nutrient-rich Saharan dust, abundant in phosphorus, nourishes the ocean's phytoplankton and algae, while also acting as a natural fertilizer for the lush Amazon rainforest. That same dust also gets into swimming pools.

Sunlight's UV Rays on Cloudy Days

eric@orendatech.com (Eric Knight) — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:00:00 GMT

It's a common belief that bright, sunny days lead to more chlorine loss in swimming pools than cloudy, rainy days. But is this really the case? We set out to investigate this theory. This article explains what UV does to chlorine, and the impact of clouds and cyanuric acid on chlorine photolysis.

Understanding Cyanurate Alkalinity

eric@orendatech.com (Eric Knight) — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 15:13:20 GMT

For swimming pool owners and service professionals, understanding the role of Cyanuric Acid (CYA) goes beyond its basic function of protecting chlorine from sunlight degradation. This article explores the role of cyanurate alkalinity as a pH buffering system and how it influences the overall water balance.

Understanding pKa Values and pH Buffering Systems in Water Chemistry

eric@orendatech.com (Eric Knight) — Tue, 21 May 2024 23:53:50 GMT

In this article, we explain how alkalinity buffers pH. We focus specifically on the significance of pK_a values in water chemistry and how they impact the buffering capacity against changes in pH.

Does chlorine affect pH?

eric@orendatech.com (Eric Knight) — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 23:22:38 GMT

Chlorine products have different pH values when dissolved in water, but their impact on the pH of a swimming pool is not always significant. This article discusses how each chlorine type impacts pH and why.

Understanding the Mole: Molecular Weights in Chemistry

eric@orendatech.com (Eric Knight) — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 14:48:43 GMT

In this article, we will discuss the significance of the mole in chemistry and how it is applied to chemical reactions and products.

Pool Test Kits and Cold Water

jarred@orendatech.com (Orenda Technologies) — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 22:16:58 GMT

One of the most common mistakes in pool chemistry testing is testing a water sample that is too cold. Let's discuss why.

Understanding Fiberglass Pools

jarred@orendatech.com (Orenda Technologies) — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 18:04:54 GMT

Of the three most common types of in-ground swimming pools (concrete, vinyl liner, and fiberglass), fiberglass pools are sold as having the least maintenance and risk of problems. For the most part, that's true. But as we will learn in this article, water chemistry still matters in fiberglass pools. Especially calcium hardness and overall LSI balance.