What Pool Chemicals Do I Need And How Much
When it comes to sanitizing your pool water, you have a few different options:
Chlorine Tablets
Each 3-inch chlorine tablet can add up to 5 ppm of free chlorine per 10,000 gallons of water.
Directions: Use 2 chlorine tablets for every 10,000 gallons, per week
Example chlorine tablet dosages:
- 2 chlorine tablets per week
Pool Shock
A single 1 lb. bag of pool shock can increase your pools free chlorine by 8-10 ppm, per 10,000 gallons.
Directions: Use 1 bag of pool shock for every 10,000 gallons of water, per week
Example pool shock dosages :
- 10,000 gallon pool
Biguanide
This is a non-chlorine, hydrogen peroxide based alternative to chlorine tablets. Although gentler on the skin, it can only be used with Baquacil pool chemicals, so its not compatible with any of the other chemicals in this list.
Directions: Add enough biguanide to reach a sanitizer level of 30 50 ppm
Bromine
Bromine is another gentle alternative to chlorine. But unlike chlorine, its not stabilized. This makes bromine best suited for indoor use, where sunlight wont burn it away.
Directions: Add enough bromine to reach a sanitizer level of 3 5 ppm
Salt
If you own a salt water pool, this section is for you.
Two pounds of pool salt increases your salinity level by 1,000 ppm for every 10,000 gallons of water. The ideal pool salinity level is around 3200 ppm.
Pool salt dosages:
Can You Use Pool Bromine Tablets In A Hot Tub
You can use pool bromine tablets in a hot tub and you can use hot tub bromine tablets in a pool too. This is because bromine is not categorized by concentration.
Bromine sanitizer comes in tablet form. Unlike chlorine that comes in different forms, bromine only comes in tablets. So to add bromine to the water, you just need to add a specific amount of tablets to the water by using a floater or tablet feeder.
The required amount of bromine tablets will be put inside a floater or tablet feeder and placed on the water. The bromine tablets in the floater will gradually dissolve in the water over time and sanitize the water.
So with bromine, you can use the same tablets for both the pool and the hot tub. What changes is the amount of bromine tablets you will need. For pools, you will need to add 17 tablets for 10,000 gallons of water, and for hot tubs, you need 3 tablets for every 300 gallons of water.
Bromine sanitizer is also very good in high water temperatures. This makes bromine tablets very ideal for hot tubs. It also makes bromine tablets ideal if your pool is located in hot areas.
Since you can use pool bromine tablets in a hot tub, can you also use pool chlorine in a hot tub? Is pool chlorine the same as hot tub chlorine? Lets take a closer look.
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How To Store Pool Chemicals Safety First
If you are new to owning a swimming pool, you may be wondering how to store pool chemicals. You might be tempted to buy different containers to hold the chemicals but for the most part, pool chemicals should be stored in their original container.
Pouring chemicals into different bottles can be messy and dangerous even, so new pool owners beware. You may want to buy attractive containers to store the chemicals but the safest option is to leave the chemicals in their store-bought containers or original containers.
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Stain Removal And Prevention
Stains and ugly water lines are another issue that most pool owners have to deal with. Pool Stain Removal & Stain Prevention Chemicals effectively remove and prevent stains that can be caused by metals such as copper, iron, lead, silver, nickel, manganese, and cobalt. These metals are a major cause for discoloration and scaling in your pool water pool stain removers disperse these metals from your water leaving it clear and clean. By using stain prevention chemicals on regular basis, the need for backbreaking scrubbing and cleaning will be greatly reduced and it will be far easier to maintain a beautifully clean pool environment.
How Soon Can I Vacuum Pools After Adding Chemicals
Maybe not for everyone, but pools are every bit a part of recreational activities, especially during summer. Talk about making a hot day seem cool. They help us relax and when the weather is hot and you need something to keep your skin cool, definitely a time in the pool comes to mind, and you know it will do the magic. This is a great way to relax, but I doubt if this will be as attractive and relaxing as it should be if the pool is dirty or full of algae. That is why you have to run proper maintenance regularly to keep the pool clean, and this includes vacuuming and adding certain chemicals which will help to keep the pool clean. The process can be unavoidably tedious, but it does have a lot of advantages. At least you have a cleaner and healthier pool when you do it. Now, many people already know that they should vacuum and add chemicals to their pools but, the issue is that they dont know how to go about it or which one should come first. If youre also one of the people asking, can I vacuum pools after adding chemicals? then, read on to find out.
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A Beginners Guide To Pool Maintenance
Your swimming pool needs regular upkeep. Thats why it pays to develop a strong basic understanding of pool maintenance essentials.
When you know how your pool works, the best ways to care for it, and how to plan for it, youll be ready to solve just about any potential pool problem that floats your way.
What Chemicals Are Needed To Close An Inground Pool
Before you start adding pool chemicals for winter closing, you need to figure out the condition of your water. Use a home test kit such as a liquid testing kit or easy-to-use test strips. For a more precise analysis, you can bring a water sample to your local pool store for professional testing.
Pool chemical levels should be at these desired levels:
- pH should be between 7.2 7.4
- Total Alkalinity should range between 80-120 ppm
- Calcium Hardness should range between 200-400 ppm
- Free chlorine should range between 1.5-2.5 ppm
After you test your water, add chlorine and acidic or alkaline substances to get chemical levels in the desired range. Before adding winter pool chemicals, be sure to vacuum, remove leaves and debris, and scrub your pool thoroughly in order to assist chemicals in working effectively.
When basic pool chemistry is balanced, you want to shock your pool. You dont have to spend extra money on stabilized pool shock unless you have an old or flimsy pool cover. A sturdy pool cover will protect the water from sunlight, so unstabilized chlorine works perfectly.
Other pool closing chemicals include optional chemicals for your specific water needs:
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Is Pool Chlorine The Same As Hot Tub Chlorine
Pool chlorine is not the same as hot tub chlorine. Pool chlorine is usually more concentrated and potent than hot tub chlorine and it usually comes in liquid form which is the most potent of all the chlorine forms. Hot tub chlorine on the other hand usually comes in tablet or powder form.
You will only be advised to use liquid chlorine in your hot tub if you have a severe algae problem or when you want to shock the hot tub.
Pool chlorine is stronger than hot tub chlorine and this is due to several reasons.
For starters, pools are common for parties and social events which means there would be a lot of scum in the water. Hot tubs dont have as many contaminants as pools. So hot tub chlorine is usually weaker than pool chlorine.
Pools are also larger than hot tubs. The larger size means more water to sanitize and stronger chlorine is needed.
Pool chlorine also has additional chemicals that help with balancing and dispersing the chemical in the pool. Pools have a lot of action that can affect the water pH level. People coming in and out of the pool frequently means pool water chemistry is often unbalanced.
So pool chlorine had additional chemicals that help the chlorine remain stable in the water despite the heavy action.
Hot tubs on the other hand dont have as much action as bathers just sit inside the water for hours. So your hot tub chlorine is easily balanced and dispersed in the water without much effect on the pH level of the water.
Can You Open Your Pool With Last Years Pool Chemicals
SKIMMER NOTES: As a general rule, most pool chemicals, including pool shock and balancers, should be used within two pool seasons. BUT if you use chlorine and bromine oxidizers and sanitizers, its best to use them within one season. How you store the chemicals can also impact their longevity, so always store them in a cool, dry, secure and well-ventilated area.
Its pool opening season, so if youre like many pool owners, youll mosey into the garage, peruse the shelves for any leftover pool shock and some balancers, and then Google whether its safe to use last years pool chemicals for this years pool water.
So here, well talk about pool chemical storage and effectiveness so you know exactly whats safe, and what will work to clear up that winter-green pool for swim season.
How long can you store pool chemicals before they go bad? And by bad, we really mean less effective. The type of pool chemical in combination with how you stored it will determine how long it lasts. As a general rule, most pool chemicals, including pool shock and balancers, should be used within two pool seasons. BUT if you use chlorine and bromine oxidizers and sanitizers, its best to use them within one season during the season you buy them especially when it comes to liquid chlorine or calcium hypochlorite .
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What Chemicals Should Be Kept On
As a minimum, the average pool will want to keep the following chemicals on hand even if you use a salt chlorinator, you will need these other pool chemicals from time to time:
- Chlorine tablets and pool shock
- Pool pH Up and/or pH Down
- Test strips or test kit
Every pool will also need other chemicals to raise calcium, cyanuric or alkalinity levels, usually once per year and clarifiers, enzymes, algaecides can be an important part of the overall routine, or are especially handy when youre in a pinch!
Theres lots to learn, with 12 categories of pool chemicals you wont need them all but its important to understand what they do, so that when you do need them, you know which chemical to use!
Safe swimming!
Turn On The Pool Filter And Test The Water
Youre almost there! All you have to do now is get the filter up and running. Turn on the filter and run it for 12 to 24 hours to mix up the old and new water before testing or adding chemicals .
Dont feel comfortable testing the water yourself? You can always bring a water sample to a pool professional for proper analysis. Your pool professional will provide you with instructions for balancing your pool water. They can test the waters pH level, the alkalinity, the calcium hardness, and the chlorine content. In addition to shocking the pool, they may be able to also recommend that you add a stabilizer, conditioner or algaecide to your pool before its ready for the warm weather.
Continue to run the filter for a few days, vacuuming out any debris that has settled. When the water is clear and the chlorine levels have come down, your pool is ready for swimming! Enjoy your pool!
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Can I Store My Swimming Pool Chemicals Inside
You may be wondering if you should store your chemicals inside or outside. The first thing to note is that it is recommended that you keep your pool chemicals at a location no warmer than 95º.
The pool chemicals are reactive to sunlight so the chemicals should never be stored in direct sunlight or be near any type of heat source.
With the temperature in mind, you may now be considering if you should store your chemicals inside or outside. The best choice though for safe storage of pool chemicals is in a well-ventilated area and dry location, like a locked cabinet.
You may want to store them in the house or the garage but this can cause chemicals to build-up due to the lack of ventilation.
Also, pool chemicals will corrode metal and cause damage to your vehicle or the other things in your garage.
Storing them in a closed area should be avoided, if possible. Depending on your climate, you may only have the option to store them in the garage. If this is the case, store them in a tightly sealed storage container that will keep them locked away and prevent metal corrosion. Make sure you use a separate container for each type of pool chemical.
You might be assuming that you can just tighten the lids well and be okay. But the pool chemicals are intentionally made to be kept in breathable containers, so fumes will escape from the containers, even with the lid tightened.
Fumes escaping are not only unhealthy, but they are also destructive to the surrounding area.
What Happens If You Use Pool Chlorine In Your Hot Tub
If you use pool chlorine in your hot tub, the chlorine chemical will be too strong for the hot tub to handle. The liquid pool chlorine will disrupt the water chemistry of the water, lower the pH levels, put the total alkalinity off, and cause deterioration and corrosion of the hot tub components in the long run.
When you add liquid pool chlorine to the hot tub, the first thing you will notice is that the chlorine level in the hot tub is very high. Liquid pool chlorine can raise the chlorine level in the hot tub over 10 ppm and hot tubs arent meant to have more than 5 ppm of chlorine in the water.
The high chlorine levels will lead to a lower pH level in the water. It will also offset the total alkalinity and water chemistry of the water. When the water chemistry and pH levels are off-balance, the hot tub components will get damaged.
The rubber seals around the hot tub components like the o-ring will harden and begin to break off. The shell of the hot tub will become stained and discolored. Three will be acidic water in the hot tub which will eventually eat away at the metal parts of the hot tub like the jets, circulation pump, and heater.
The hot tub water will also become very uncomfortable for users. So whatever you do, never use liquid chlorine or pool chlorine in your hot tub. Always read the instructions to know which is for a hot tub and which is for a pool.
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What Swimming Pool Chemicals Do I Need
Maintaining the chemistry of your swimming pool is key not only to its longevity but to your enjoyment of it. Knowing how to keep your water balanced and clean will protect you and your family from harmful bacteria that can grow in untreated water. To help you keep on top of water maintenance, weve crafted a checklist of all the pool chemicals youll need. Read on to discover what you should stock up on for the coming pool season.
Youre A Pool Chemistry Wiz
Hey, no one ever said having a pool would be easy. But it also doesnt have to be difficult. Knowledge and the right pool chemicals make all the difference in the world.
Dont let your pool intimidate you. Youre supposed to manage it, not the other way around. Just remember that no one expects you to know everything overnight. Even more important than having the right tools is knowing where to find the right information. And youve already done that, so youre on your way!
Happy Swimming!
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How Long Does It Take To Balance Pool Chemicals
It may take up to 24 hours to balance pool chemicals properly. The time required can increase or decrease depending on factors like the size and volume of the pool, the quality and condition of the water, whether youre shocking the pool and how many adjustments need to be made using chemicals like sodium bisulfate or calcium chloride. For instance, if you raise the pools alkalinity by adding baking soda, you should wait a minimum of six hours before retesting alkalinity levels.
A Beginners Guide To Pool Chemistry
If youve recently bought a pool or are thinking about doing so, youve no doubt heard a lot about pool chemistry.
And with good reason.
Maintaining the right chemistry in your pool water could be the most important job youll have as a pool owner.
That along with proper sanitization is how you keep it crystal clear and safe for swimmers.
But what is pool chemistry, you ask?
It does feel a little science-y with the cool little beakers and test strips, but truthfully, its really not that hard.
In fact, with a little help from us, youll be the Bill Nye of your back yard in no time!
Before you know what all these fancy chemistry terms are, its important you know how to test them.
Check out our infographic and guide to help you get started!
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