Unnaturally Natural

What if everything you thought you knew about "natural" pool water was wrong? In this eye-opening episode of Rule Your Pool, host Eric Knight challenges conventional wisdom with a revolutionary concept he calls "Unnaturally Natural" – a philosophy that could transform how you approach pool chemistry in 2024 and beyond.

The Natural State of Water Isn't What You Think

Here's a reality check that might surprise you: clean, sanitized pool water is anything but natural. Knight breaks down this fundamental truth with a simple thought experiment.

If you were to abandon your swimming pool for say a month in the summer, what would that pool look like? It would probably look like my pool this past year before I did the green pool cleanup. It'll look like a pond because water returned to its natural state.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This abandoned pool scenario reveals a crucial insight about water chemistry. When left to its own devices, water doesn't naturally maintain the crystal-clear, sanitized condition we expect from swimming pools. Instead, it transforms into something resembling a natural pond – complete with algae, high pH levels, and zero disinfection properties.

Knight discovered something fascinating when he tested his own abandoned pool: despite looking terrible, the water had actually achieved LSI (Langelier Saturation Index) balance naturally. The pH had climbed to 10.4 due to algae consuming CO2, but the water had found its own equilibrium. This natural balance, however, came at the cost of everything we actually want in a swimming pool.

The Two Critical Disciplines of Pool Chemistry

Understanding pool chemistry requires mastering two distinct but interconnected disciplines: water balance and water quality. These aren't interchangeable concepts, and confusing them can lead to serious problems.

Water Balance encompasses the LSI, physics principles like Henry's Law, and the mathematical relationships between pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, temperature, and total dissolved solids. This is the realm of chemistry equations and precise calculations.

Water Quality focuses on what humans do to water to make it safe for swimming: disinfection, sanitation, filtration, and maintaining clarity. This is about health, safety, and the practical aspects of pool maintenance.

We don't just need water balance. We need water quality. We need both. We really do. Now if you were to prioritize one or the other, water quality is more important because it's a health thing.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

While both disciplines are essential, Knight emphasizes that water quality takes precedence when forced to choose, simply because it directly impacts swimmer health and safety.

The pH Problem: Why 8.3 Is Your Critical Threshold

One of the most actionable insights from this episode revolves around pH management. While Knight has previously advocated for allowing pH to rise higher in stabilized pools, he provides important clarification about the 8.3 pH threshold.

When pH exceeds 8.3, two significant problems emerge:

1. Scaling Issues: Bicarbonate ions transform into carbonate ions, which readily bind with calcium to create clouding and scale formation. This represents an LSI violation that can damage pool surfaces and equipment.

2. Chlorine Efficiency Loss: More critically for water quality, chlorine begins breaking away from cyanuric acid (CYA) and converting to the less stable hypochlorite ion form.

Over 8.3 you start to notice that chlorine is leaving CYA in the hypoclorite ion form... It starts to break away and it'll get destroyed by sunlight. And if that happens, you won't be able to maintain chlorine.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This chlorine instability creates a cascade of problems. Without stable chlorine, maintaining proper disinfection becomes nearly impossible, potentially compromising swimmer safety.

Implementing the "Unnaturally Natural" Philosophy

So how do you achieve this "unnaturally natural" state? Knight's approach involves working with water's natural tendencies while using human intervention to maintain the conditions we actually want.

The key is achieving LSI balance on your terms rather than letting water balance itself naturally. This means:

• Manipulating the six LSI factors (pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, temperature, TDS, and CYA) in controlled combinations
• Maintaining pH ceiling below 8.3 to preserve chlorine stability
• Using acid judiciously to prevent overcorrection
• Ensuring compliance with both LSI requirements and Henry's Law

When done correctly, water remains in its preferred balanced state while maintaining the disinfection properties essential for safe swimming.

The Four Pillars: Your Action Plan for 2024

Knight distills his entire philosophy into four actionable pillars that form the foundation of proper pool chemistry management:

Pillar 1: Maintain LSI Balance Year-Round
This isn't seasonal – consistent LSI management prevents the constant battle between aggressive water and scaling conditions.

Pillar 2: Supplement Chlorine Against Oxidant Demand
Knight emphasizes an important distinction about chlorine's primary function.

Chlorine was not made to oxidize it will but it wasn't made to it was made to kill it was made to sanitize and disinfect it's really good at that. Not so great at oxidizing though it'll do it.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

Chlorine excels at sanitization but struggles with oxidizing contaminants like sunscreen, lotions, and organic matter. Supplemental oxidizers help chlorine focus on its primary job.

Pillar 3: Keep Phosphates Below 500 PPB
Phosphate management prevents algae nutrition while supporting overall water quality.

Pillar 4: Maintain Appropriate CYA Levels
Keep CYA at 50 ppm or less for residential pools, 15 ppm or less for commercial properties. This protects chlorine from UV degradation without over-stabilizing the water.

The Technology Integration Revolution

Looking ahead to 2024, Knight announces significant technological advances that will make implementing these principles easier than ever. Orenda is integrating their LSI calculator with multiple routing and management software platforms, allowing pool professionals to access accurate chemistry calculations within their existing workflows.

This integration represents a major step forward for the industry, enabling better forecasting, improved water balance management, and the ability to store and track readings over time. While Knight maintains neutrality about which software to choose, he strongly advocates for using technology to enhance service quality and accuracy.

Conclusion: Working With Water, Not Against It

The "Unnaturally Natural" philosophy represents a fundamental shift in thinking about pool chemistry. Instead of fighting against water's natural tendencies, this approach acknowledges them while using scientific intervention to achieve the results we actually want.

If you want to win let's go unnaturally natural and we'll show you how to do it on this podcast and in our website.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

Success in pool chemistry isn't about choosing between water balance and water quality – it's about achieving both through informed, strategic intervention. By understanding that water will always try to return to its natural state, pool professionals can work with these forces rather than against them.

The four pillars provide a clear roadmap for implementation, while emerging technology integrations will make precise chemistry management more accessible than ever. As we move into 2024, the pools that thrive will be those managed with this unnaturally natural approach – balanced by physics, protected by chemistry, and maintained with science.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Unnaturally Natural Philosophy
• 03:15 Water's Natural State vs. Pool Requirements
• 08:30 Water Balance vs. Water Quality Disciplines
• 12:45 The Critical 8.3 pH Threshold Explained
• 18:20 The Four Pillars Action Plan
• 25:10 Technology Integration for 2024
• 28:45 Wrap-up and Looking Ahead