Best Practices for Chlorine
Your swimming pool should be the centerpiece of your backyard and a relaxing place to enjoy water and sun during warm summer months. However, an improperly maintained pool can turn this backyard oasis into a nightmare. The first step of owning a chlorinated pool is learning how to effectively chlorinate the water to ensure it is clean, balanced, and swimmer-friendly. Here are our best tips and tricks for using chlorine in pools.
How to Choose Chlorine Tablets
Chlorine is available in a variety of forms for a range of prices, but upon close inspection, you will notice that the active ingredients in pool chlorine are identical. It is the concentration of active ingredients and the form of chlorine that differs. The most common type of chlorine is 3-inch tablets, which are both cost effective and dissolve slowly, requiring little maintenance. Most beginners in pool chlorine will want to start with these. Granular chlorine works just as well as tablets, but must be pre-dissolved before it is added to the water, and it also must be done nearly every day.
Adding Chlorine Tablets to the Pool
If, like most pool owners, you choose chlorine tablets, you will need to purchase either an automatic chlorine feeder or a floating chlorine feeder. Floating feeders slowly dissolve the chlorine tablets over the course of about a week and float around the pool to distribute chlorine evenly. Automatic feeders are more precise, and measure the exact amount of how much chlorine to add to the pool water and release it over time. Whichever type of feeder you choose, it is important to never drop a chlorine tablet directly in the pool or in the filter basket, as it will not allow the chlorine to be properly circulated in the water and may erode the pool’s filtration system, causing it to need replacement prematurely.
Do a Weekly Chlorine Shock
In addition to maintaining proper levels of chlorine in pools, it is important to do weekly chlorine shocks to keep the water well balanced. Typically, 3 lbs. of chlorine shock once a week is enough to keep bacteria and algae at bay. This is also a good time to check the water’s pH balance to make sure there aren’t additional treatments needed.
Although pool maintenance may seem daunting at first, learning the ins and outs of using chlorine in your pool is the first step to becoming an expert! Following these tips will soon become a second nature, and a beautifully clean pool is the best payoff!
