If you want your swimming pool water to sparkle, you need to know a few key facts about the chemicals that are needed to treat it. The following top tips will explain the most important basics so that you don’t need to pay a packet for professional care.
The Importance of Chlorine
The chemical chlorine is the primary weapon you need to keep your pool in great condition since it effectively kills contaminants. It works by combining with bacteria and other unsanitary organics in the water so that they can then be removed by your pool filtration system. Once the chlorine has bonded to the contaminants it becomes inactive, this means if you want to continue destroying harmful bacteria in the pool water you will need to add more of this chemical each week.
These days chlorine is sold in many forms to the public – in sticks, granules, 1 inch tablets and 3 inch tablets. You’re best advised to opt for the slow release tablets which have binders and fillers that keep them together as they dissolve for maximum effectiveness. The ultra cheap chlorine tabs and sticks tend to crumble or fall apart within 2 – 3 days which reduces their ability to bind with contaminants.
When shopping around, another crucial factor to look out for is the concentration of the active ingredients in the chlorine product. It’s a good idea to choose a concentration of 90% Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione in chlorine tablets or sticks and 56% to 62% Sodium Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione in the granular version. Granular chlorine also comes in the form of Calcium Hypochlorite and is normally only available in volumes of up to 65%.
How Best to Add Chlorine to Your Pool Water
It’s important that the chlorine be introduced to your pool water in the correct way for maximum effectiveness and so that you don’t end up causing damage. You can buy a floating chlorine feeder or automatic chemical feeder from most pool supply distributors to dissolve 1 inch chlorine tablets, 3 inch chlorine tablets or chlorine sticks into your swimming pool. Chemical feeders automatically ration out precise amounts of chlorine into the water so that just the right dose is introduced, which is crucial. Do not simply throw chlorine tablets or chlorine sticks directly into the pool, or place them in the skimmer basket. The reason this is a bad idea is because if a chlorine tablet dissolves directly in your skimmer basket, all of the water passing through your pool plumbing and circulation system will carry a high chlorine level and this will slowly eat away at the inside of your pool’s circulation system, causing a premature failure of your pool pump and filter components.
Understand Water pH Levels
The correct pool water pH level is just as important as having balanced chlorine amounts, because this in fact determines to a large extent how effective the chlorine will be. The pH level of your swimming pool should be between 7.2 – 7.6, the ideal being 7.2 which is the same pH as human tears. With this balance, the chlorine you add will be approximately 10 times more effective at sanitising the pool water. If you find the water pH level is too high, you can most effectively lower it by carefully pouring Muriatic Acid (otherwise known as Hydrochloric Acid) directly into the deep end of the pool while the pool pump is on and the water circulating. This chemical can cause painful burns if it accidentally gets on your skin however, so if you’re worried about any mishaps then Granular Acid or pH Minus is a safer alternative.
Maintaining the Right pH
Monitoring the correct pH levels in your swimming pool water is important not only to ensure the chlorine works effectively – if the pH is either too high or too low it can cause red, irritated eyes while swimming. There are two main ways you can measure your swimming pool water’s pH level – by using a ‘drop test’ or a ‘test strip’. The former is most recommended since test strips can sometimes be easy to misread. Whether you need to increase or decrease the pH level to get it at the correct balance, the best way to do this is to add a small amount of chemicals, let them take effect, then retest after about 6 hours of continuous filtration. This prevents fluctuations in the readings of the levels, otherwise known as “bouncing”. Be aware that if you have a true pH bounce problem, it is often due to low alkaline levels in the water.
Conclusion
The above information lets you get to grips with the key pool chemicals and their correct levels so that you can maintain the hygiene and appeal of your swimming pool water without any fuss or the need to pay for an expensive professional service.
Andrew Astonville is a retailer of Pool chemicals.