How To Add Clarifier To Pool

The Beginner’s Guide To Pool Flocculants

The following is a guest post from Mike Harper, aka The Pool Care Guy.

Flocculant may sound like the white fluffy stuff you spray on your fake tree at Christmas, but it’s actually a really useful chemical you can use to clean up a cloudy pool.

In fact, it’s probably the fastest way to clear up a pool that you cant seem to get clean with your filtration system.

But in case thats not enough information for you, lets talk about it a little more.

How Often Can You Add Clarifier To A Pool

When should Pool Clarifiers be Used? Pool Clarifiers are not meant to be used all season long, but are quite helpful at pool opening, after an algae bloom, or battles with cloudy pool water. Follow label directions, but most pools can be retreated after 5-7 days, with a lower dosage than initially used.

Pool Clarifiers What Are They

The most common type of pool clarifier chemical sold and used is known as a PolyDADMAC, an ammonium chloride with a highly positive charge density. Different concentrations of 10% to 40% are useful for nearly any negatively charged colloidal particles.

Another common and very effective type of pool clarifier makes use of the natural cations known as Chitosan, or Chitin. Extracted from crab shells, chitosan is bottled in low concentrations of around 10% and are usually labeled as a Natural clarifier.

Another natural chemical used as a pool clarifier are Enzymes, positively charged particles that actually do consume organic and inorganic colloids, or suspended material. Especially useful for oils and organics.

A group of clarifying agents known as Polyacrylamides, or PAM, makes another fine ionic polymer. For pools, youll find these packaged in the form of a Gel or Cube. Long lasting and easy to use, but the gel can clog the fine pores of DE or cartridge filters.

And there are Aluminum Sulfate products, called simply Alum by those in the know. Alum is used as a flocculant, as it can clog pool filters. After adding a Pool Floc product the filter is shut off, to allow the heavy particles to sink to the pool floor, usually overnight. A slow vacuuming to waste the following day will expel the gel-like material, which has the consistency of wet toilet paper.

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Hth 67012 Super Clarifier Swimming Pool Cleaner 32 Fl Oz

• Make sure this fitsby entering your model number.
• BENEFITS: Clarifies water Improves pool filter efficiency
• USE: Follow included instructions 1 fluid ounce for each 6,000 gallons of pool water Works in skimmer or applied directly to pool Need pool vacuum
• COMPATIBILITY: Fresh and saltwater pools
• FEATURES: Concentrated formula Does not affect pH balance
• POST SHOCK TREATMENT: 4-12 hours after shocking your pool, this clarifier can remove dead algae and organic debris from the water that makes it cloudy

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Can You Put Too Much Clarifier Or Flocculant In A Pool

The simple answer to this question is yes, and that is why it is so important to read the instructions on any brand of pool clarifier or flocculant you use. Too much clarifier can compound your water problems and cause murky water that becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. You can reuse a clarifier after 5-7 days, but if youre constantly seeing cloudy water, there may be other problems.

Adding too much flocculant can cause its own issues. Flocculant is aluminum sulfate, which is designed to clump with the particles youre trying to remove. But if you add too much, the flocculant will start to agglomerate with itself instead of those particles. These flocculant clumps will not drop to the pool floor and can clog up your filter. Too much of this product can also cause damage to your pools surface and may even injure your skin.

Can You Swim With A Flocculant Or Clarifier In The Pool

One of the more common questions we come across is whether its safe to swim after adding a flocculant or clarifier to a pool. The answer is: It depends.

If youve added flocculant, swimming in the pool is not recommended because it reduces the flocculants effectiveness. You should only swim after the particles have sunk and been removed from your pool floor. The entire process of adding flocculant will likely just take one day but if you or your children are dying to get in the pool, a clarifier will be your best choice. A clarifier is a swim-safe chemical, and you can swim 20 minutes after adding it to your pool.

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How To Use A Pool Clarifier

In order to achieve the best possible results with your pool clarifier, follow these simple steps:

It is very common to experience cloudy pool water every now and then. With Dohenys selection of fast-acting pool clarifiers and enzymes, you will have clean, clear water that is ready for your next pool party in no time at all. If you are constantly struggling with cloudy pool water, you may have a larger problem, like poor filtration issues or improper chlorine levels. Contact our pool experts, and we can help you get to the bottom of your cloudy pool water problem or any of your other pool issues. Give us a call at 800-574-7665 or visit our website at doheny.com.

Why Should You Use Clarifier At All

It may not seem like the worst idea to swim in a cloudy pool but it actually could be dangerous .

Depending on what is causing the murkiness in your pool, there are some very good reasons to clear it up before your next pool party:

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What Does A Clarifier Do To Pool Water

Use A Pool Clarifier Pool clarifiers work to gather the tiny particles that are making your pool water cloudy and bring them together to create bigger particles so that your filter will have a better chance of picking it up. This is called a coagulant which is a term used when describing blood clots.

Is It Bad To Put Too Much Clarifier In Your Pool

It sure is! Not just because it messed up your pool party or your weekend swimming plans. Not just because your pool looks terrible.

Too much pool clarifier is bad for your wallet too! A cloudy or milky pool as a result of overuse of the pool clarifier makes your filter work extra hard and for longer hours.

To be fair, the extra pool clarifier has not added to the quantity of solids.

It has just coagulated them into bigger pieces. Your pool is milky or cloudier, because the filter pump has been overwhelmed by the filtration demand.

The sudden influx of solid particles, that are now big enough to get trapped in the filter, starts clogging up the filter medium. The pressure on the pump starts rising. To bring this pressure down to standard operating level you will need to backwash or clean .

Backwashing a sand or DE filter or cleaning the cartridge, by itself is not a bad thing. In fact you must do it regularly as part of your routine pool maintenance. It is bad because you have to do it several times, in the course of a few days.

Apart from the extra work, backwashing leads to a loss of pool water along with the costly pool chemicals in it.

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Whats The Difference Between Pool Clarifier And Pool Flocculant

Pool clarifier coagulates tiny particles into small clumps so they can be removed by the pool filter. Its effective, but it may be days before it clears the pool water. Pool Flocculant combines debris into large clumps that sinks to the bottom of the pool. Then, it has to be removed manually with a pool vacuum. Floc is faster but it requires more work.

Shock Your Pool At Night

To get rid of all the gross and dangerous crud in your cloudy pool water, shock your pool. This mega-dose of chlorine will help eliminate cloudiness caused by bacteria, organic contaminants, and algae.

Note: If the cloudy water in your pool is due to a pool algae bloom, youll have to double or triple shock depending on the type of algae thats invaded your pool. And always shock your pool at dusk or night for maximum effectiveness. Read more about that here.

Why is my pool cloudy after shocking?Adding pool shock to an otherwise perfectly clean and balanced pool can even cause temporary cloudiness. But if you add the proper dose of shock, it can clear your pool right away if your pool water filtration and circulation are working properly.

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How To Use Pool Clarifier

Its easy to use, but its important to follow the correct steps to avoid making the problem worse.

Important: If, in addition to cloudiness, you also have algae in your pool, address that problem first before using trying to clear the water. No amount of clarifier is going to get rid of algae.

Top Versus Bottom Simple As That

The main difference comes in when you have to get those clumps out of your pool. Whereas clarifier brings the particle clumps to the top and leaves your pool filter to do the heavy-lifting, floc requires some elbow grease on your part.

Once youve added flocculant to your pool, youre left with a ton of clumpy gunk on the floor of your gorgeous pool. Yuck. From here, it has to be vacuumed up. By you. Yep, thats where we come to the downside of floc.

Flocculant works really fast, but it requires a bit more effort on your part. In fact, you actually cant even use an automatic vacuum for this one. You have to do it manually on waste mode, which means youll be removing water from your pool.

The real advantage of flocculant is its speed in de-clouding your pool. If you dont have days to wait for clarifier to work, you should definitely give floc a try. Whether youre planning a pool party for the next day or just dont like to wait, using floc will be your best bet.

There you have it: fast-acting flocculant with added manual labor versus slower-acting clarifier with no work on your part. The choice is yours.

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How Often Can You Put Clarifier In Your Pool

When should Pool Clarifiers be Used? Pool Clarifiers are not meant to be used all season long, but are quite helpful at pool opening, after an algae bloom, or battles with cloudy pool water. Follow label directions, but most pools can be retreated after 5-7 days, with a lower dosage than initially used.

How Do You Add Clarifier To A Pool

How to Use Pool Clarifier

People also ask, how do you use pool clarifier?

Dilute clarifier into a bucket of water and pour around the edge of the pool. Backwash or clean the filter only after the pressure gauge rises 7-8 psi. In days to follow, maintain good water balance and high chlorine levels. If needed, vacuum or brush the pool daily to remove settled particles.

Additionally, can you put too much clarifier in a swimming pool? When using a swimming pool clarifier, always follow the instructions on the bottle. Adding too much clarifier can make your pool cloudier. If your pool clouds up during this process, take a small break to allow the particles to settle again. Once your pool is clear, backwash and rinse your filter thoroughly.

Also, how long does clarifier take to work in pool?

Pool clarifiers take a few days to work, so if you have a pool party coming up and you want to get your pool ready, you may want to treat the water at least a week in advance. It also requires that you run the pump and filter for 24 hours at least through the first few days of the treatment or as often as possible.

How often can you add clarifier to a pool?

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Whats The Difference Between Flocculant And Clarifier

Flocculant and clarifier have similar functions so there may be some confusion here. Lets clarify:

• Both of them bind to suspended debris, oils, scum, and excess metals that may be lurking in your pool.
• Clarifier clumps them together and leaves them floating on top to be absorbed by the pools filter.
• Flocculant grabs all the cloudy-causing particles in your pool, bundles them together, and sinks them to the bottom.

Can You Add Too Much Clarifier To A Pool

Yes, you can put too much clarifier in the pool, and about the only way to get rid of it is to filter it out or drain& refill alternately. Youll need to watch your filter pressure and also check your filter media to see if it needs to be replaced as too much clarifier can gum up your sand or DE.

Similarly, How do I get my pool crystal clear?

Even if you maintain proper chlorine and pH levels in your pool, the water may need a little boost to keep it clear and sparkling. Once a week, you should shock or super-chlorinate your pool to kill any lingering bacteria or algae that may be growing.

Also, How long does it take pool clarifier to work? Pool clarifiers take a few days to work, so if you have a pool party coming up and you want to get your pool ready, you may want to treat the water at least a week in advance. It also requires that you run the pump and filter for 24 hours at least through the first few days of the treatment or as often as possible.

22 Related Questions and Answers Found ?

• Can you add shock and chlorine at the same time?

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Why Your Pool Water May Be Cloudy

But I take such good care of my pool! You might say, I dont know why its cloudy help!

Dont panic, its only natural that pool water will become cloudy on occasion. Its not the end of the world and there are many reasons why it may have happened, through no fault of your own.

Often, cloudiness in pools is caused by a lack of water sanitizers, like chlorine. So if youve tested your chlorine and ruled that out, it could be due to all sorts of particles introduced to your pool in a variety of ways:

• Sunscreen or body lotion from swimmers
• Pet dander from your family dog swimming in the pool
• Algae growth
• Dirt, mud, or dust particles in the air
• Organic material
• Recent rains or water runoff

If its not any of these, there may be other reasons your pool water isnt clear and sparkling:

• A chemical imbalance: The pH of your pool water might be off due to an excess or lack of chemicals.
• A broken, clogged, or malfunctioning pool filter: If your pool filter is clogged, worn out, or just plain broken, the water in your pool is not being cleaned or circulated properly.

So now that weve ruled out all of the possible reasons for cloudy pool water