Taking care of your swimming pool water is not limited to the use of a filter. While the filter does the hard work of eliminating particles, it's the pool chemicals that fine tune the water quality. Maintaining the correct balance of chemicals is an ongoing but necessary process.

The proper use of pool chemicals results in many benefits. Here are just a few of them:

• Gentle to skin and eyes - Water that is properly balanced through the use of them will not irritate the skin or eyes of swimmers.

• Control of bacteria - Bacteria can and will grow in untreated water, making it unsafe to swim in. Diseases can be transferred from person to person in swimming pools that are left untreated. Substances such as chlorine are used to kill these pathogens.

• Algae control - Bacteria is not the only thing that grows in untreated water. Black algae are a common problem in swimming pools and pool chemicals can eliminate them. Black algae tend to grow in the cracks and crevices especially on plaster surfaces. Mustard algae can look like sand or dirt on the bottom of the pool. You will know it is mustard slime if it clouds when you try to brush it up. Use the product that is specifically designed to target your problem.

• Elimination of stains and scale - Improperly balanced water can develop unsightly staining.  Copper is the common culprit. Scale can build up in the pipes, plumbing and filter and cause problems. Both of these issues can be addressed through the chemicals designed to fight them.