Raising Chlorine With Dichlor Granules
Use dichlor chlorine for indoor pools and spas.
Dichlor, or Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate, is also popular, but is used more for above-ground pools and spas.
Some advantages of dichlor:
- Fast dissolving. Great for times when a quick dose of chlorine is needed prior to using the pool.
- Only a slight affect on pH, which is about 6.7, and is also good for spas where pH is notoriously hard to control.
- Does not have any effect on total alkalinity.
A few disadvantages of using dichlor:
- More expensive than trichlor.
- Not recommended for chlorinators, feeders, or floaters as it dissolves too fast.
Using Bleach In A Kiddie Pool
We already know the concentration of Chlorine is lesser in the bleaching agents. Therefore, adding Bleach to your kiddie pool is safe. Keep in mind that you only need to use basic or original Bleach instead of scented Bleach in your kiddie pool.
Most of the kiddie pools are made of plastic. Clorox Regular Bleach is widely used as a basic bleaching agent for pools. It is also safe for plastic pools. You need to add cup or 1 ounce of Bleach with every 100 gallons of water.
Why Do Others Warn About Chlorine Levels That Tfp Recommends
The problem is, the “harshness of chlorine” depends on the HOCl level mostly and so basing recommendations on FC without considering CYA is illogical and why the industry has such a poor track record at helping people maintain clean and clear swimming pools.
Active chlorine levels are different than Free Chlorine levels. As long as your FC/CYA ratio is between 5% and 40%, the water is safe to swim in from a chlorine perspective. Considering the FC/CYA ratio is important because we do not have a direct way of measuring the Active chlorine.
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Which Types Of Chlorine Are Being Tested
Free chlorine is an aggregate value of three distinct forms of chlorine –
FC = + + Free chlorine = “chlorine bound to CYA” + Hypochlorous acid + Hypochlorite anion
When CYA is present in pool water above 30ppm or so, almost 95% of the chlorine in the water is bound to the CYA molecule where it is not reacting with anything. The test of the chlorine splits up into hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite anion . Those two chlorine species are often called “active chlorine” as they are the chemical agents responsible for oxidation and disinfection. HOCl is what kills algae & bacteria and inactivates viruses, and it is also responsible for the oxidation of organic compounds. Hypochlorite anion is a weak oxidizer and disinfectant but sit strongly reacts with UV light and is reduced to oxygen gas and chloride ion . As the HOCl and OCl- get used up, more chlorine is released from the CYA to maintain an equilibrium balance. So chlorine bound to CYA is often referred to as “reserve chlorine”. So in this way, CYA acts as a buffer for chlorine’s reactive species.
Because of the chemistry involved, the DPD dye reacts to all three forms of “active chlorine” and so you are measuring an aggregate value. There is no way to measure the three species separately outside of a very sophisticated chemistry lab, so the simpler value of FC is what is used.
How To Physically Reduce Combined Chlorine
Secondary disinfection systems like UV and Ozone are quite popular in commercial pools. Ultra Violet systems can destroy formed chloramines, but not nitrogen compounds themselves. UV itself is not an oxidizerit is a sanitizer. That said, UV is capable of breaking down monochloramine and dichloramine. Once trichloramine is formed and off-gassed, UV can no longer touch it…for obvious reasons. This means UV has a limited impact on indoor air quality. But we are told that if trichloramine does stay waterborne and passes through a UV chamber, it will be destroyed.
Related: Comparison of the Best Secondary Systems for Swimming Pools
Ozone is also a point-of-contact system, like UV, so ozone also has a limited impact on indoor air quality. One advantage ozone has over UV, however, is that ozone will oxidize and destroy just about anything. Yes, that includes nitrogen compounds, organic bather waste, and waterborne chloramines. Ozone is also a powerful sanitizer that can kill germs and diseases. Ozone is the clear favorite for outdoor pools, mainly because a major contaminant in outdoor pools is sunscreen. UV systems have a hard time shining through a substance that is designed to block UV. Ozone does not have such an issue.
Advanced Oxidation Process is similar to Ozone, in that it is a point-of-contact oxidizer. It has the ability to destroy pathogens and oxidize nitrogen compounds too.
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Shocking Your Pool Faq
When is it time to shock your pool?
- Every couple of weeks during the swimming season.
- When your pool is outside of the recommended free chlorine levels of 1-3 ppm. Shocking your pool will raise the chlorine level.
What about a salt pool?
Yes, even salt pools need a little help once in a while. Salt water pools utilize a chlorine generator to convert salt into chlorine. You can adjust the generator to increase the level of chlorine produced to counteract higher chlorine demands caused by contaminants. However, even salt water pools need to be shocked when the generator cannot keep up with a heavy load of contamination.
When should you shock your pool?
Regular pool maintenance is essential for healthy, efficient, and economical pool operation. For best results, experts recommend shocking your pool when these circumstances occur:
How do I shock my pool?
Shocking your pool is a fairly simple process. Before you begin, uncover your pool, skim the pool, vacuum the sediment, and brush the walls, floor and coves. Before adding shock, youll want to protect yourself with the appropriate gear which includes protective goggles, gloves, and work clothes.
When water tests okay, you are ready to go dive right in!
Pool Chemical Monitoring Systems
There are a wide variety of pool monitoring systems that you can use to make sure that the water in your pool is clean from impurities. Its important to monitor the water quality in your pool because the buildup of impurities can lead to the development of harmful algae that can make it unsafe to swim in the pool.
The main systems that you can use to monitor your pool include:
- Automatic pool chemical monitoring systems
- Smart pool monitoring devices with wireless functionality
- DIY monitoring with an electronic meter
- DIY monitoring with standard pool test kits
Here at Sensorex, we can provide you with the sensors and testing equipment that you need to consistently monitor the quality of your pool water. Contact us today if you need help identifying which products are right for you.
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How To Tell If Your Pool Has Too Much Chlorine
The chlorine in your pool is made up of two types of chlorine compounds. Free chlorine is the âgoodâ type of chlorine that is still available to eliminate bacteria and microorganisms. Combined chlorine, also known as chloramines, is what happens after the chlorine has combined with organic matter and is responsible for the characteristic smell associated with chlorinated pools.
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot smell how much chlorine is in your pool. Dry hair, sensitive skin and irritated eyes are all indicators of an over-chlorinated pool, but there is a less inconvenient and safer way to find out whether your pool has too much chlorine.
A DPD testing kit measures free and combined chlorine levels to give a total chlorine count. You could also use an OTO kit, but this only measures the free chlorine available in your pool. These types of titration tests are the most accurate method for determining the chlorine levels in your pool and help you better assess how to lower the chlorine levels in your pool if necessary.
To use the DPD testing kit, measure out a small amount of pool water and add buffered DPD powder to the water, which turns pink. Next, add a specialized FAS compound one drop at a time until the water transforms from pink to clear. Each drop of FAS compound is equivalent to 0.2 ppm of chlorine.
How To Determine The Correct Swcg Percentage Setting
To know the right SWCG percentage setting to produce the ideal level of chlorine for your pool, you have to be aware of few things and they are:-
1). Determine the right FC level for your pool. FCL in your water goes hand in hand with the level of Cyanuric acid in your water.
2). Measure the actual FCL in your water and compare it with the appropriate FCL in your SWCG. Testing FC level should be done in the evening so that when it’s low, you adjust your chlorine generator percentage setting appropriately.
3). If the level of FC in your water is low, increase the percentage of your SWCG to produce more chlorine and reduce the percentage if the FCL is high.
4). If the FC level is not balanced within an hour, wait for 48 hours and repeat steps 2 and 3 until your FCL is balanced with the Cyanuric acid level in your water.
Read Also: Pool Balance Calculator
How To Raise Free Chlorine In Pool Tutorial
The effort that were going to do to raise the free chlorine in your swimming pool is shocking. Some of you may have known this kind of maintenance process which simply means super-chlorinating the pool or adding chlorine in a more extreme way safely.
- Rubber gloves
- Eye goggles
Those are the supplies that you have to prepare once you know that the free chlorine of your pool water is below the ideal range.
Your Disinfection Team: Chlorine & Ph
Chlorine and pH, your disinfection team, are the first defense against germs that can make swimmers sick. As a residential pool or hot tub/spa owner, it is your responsibility to regularly check the chlorine concentration and pH of the pool or hot tub/spa water to help protect yourself and your family and friends from recreational water illnesses.
Chlorine is added to the water to kill germs. But it does not work right away. If used properly, free chlorine* can kill most germs within a few minutes. CDC recommends pH 7.27.8 and a free chlorine concentration of at least 1 ppm in pools and at least 3 ppm in hot tubs/spas.
If using cyanuric acid, a chlorine stabilizer, or chlorine products with cyanuric acid , CDC recommends pH 7.27.8 and a free available chlorine concentration of at least 2 ppm in pools. CDC recommends not using cyanuric acid or chlorine products with cyanuric acid in hot tubs/spas.
* Free available chlorine is the more active form of chlorine that kills germs.
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How Can I Raise The Chlorine In My Swimming Pool
SKIMMER NOTES: To raise the chlorine in your swimming pool, pour shock directly into the pool water, in the main area of your swimming pool.
How do I raise the chlorine level in my pool? Or, how do I raise the FREE available chlorine in my swimming pool?
If your pool water test kit shows that your free available chlorine level is low, youll want to increase the chlorine in your pool to be right between 1 and 4 ppm for ideal swimming conditions. Adding shock to your pool will destroy bacteria, algae and body waste in your pool water. Shock also helps to raise the free available chlorine level of your swimming pool.
How do you raise the free chlorine in a salt-water pool?
Raise the free available chlorine in your saltwater pool the same way you would in a pool with a traditional chlorine system: Add shock
1) Just pop on your gloves and your protective eyewear
2) Wait until evening or night time
3) Turn on your filter
4) Drop or pour in your shock depending on the kind of shock product youre using
You can use granular shock or shock pods in your saltwater pool. Just make sure that you use your long-handled pool brush to disperse any shock that settles to the bottom.
The only difference with salt water pool maintenance is that there must be enough salt in the water for the salt chlorine generator to convert the salt to chlorine.
How do you test the chlorine in a saltwater pool?
For more on saltwater pools, check out our article on Are saltwater pools better?
When Do I Need To Shock My Pool
On average it is recommended that a pool owner shock their pool at least once a week during peak swimming season. However, it should be noted that the need to shock your pool should really be dictated by how often and how many bathers use your pool in direct correlation to weather conditions such as long periods of sun or rain.
As a general guide, you should shock your pool when:
- Algae begins to grow in your pool
- The free chlorine level of your pool measures zero
- The combined chlorine level rises above 0.5
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What Exactly Is Free Chlorine
Most people, when they test their pool water chemistry, they make sure they look at the chlorine level in the pool. They often dont pay any attention to free chlorine at all. As a matter of fact, some test kits do not even test for free chlorine. This is not good for several reasons.
When you test a sample of your pool water and check the total chlorine level, it can be misleading. Thats because that reading includes all of the types of chlorine found in your swimming pool.
The problem is, some of that chlorine that the test kit indicates is in the pool is actually useless . Thats why you need to test for free chlorine. Its an actual measurement of the amount of chlorine in your backyard pool that is still available to act as a sanitizer.
Free chlorine is a measurement of what is called hypochlorous acid and the hypochlorite. These are the good parts of chlorine that are active and able to change chemically to sanitize your pool. Why do you want to measure free chlorine as opposed to total chlorine? Its because free chlorine is 25 times more effective at sanitizing pool water than used up combined chlorine is.
What Is Combined Chlorine
Combined chlorine develops when free chlorine binds to contaminants during sanitization. The presence of combined chlorine indicates that contaminants are present and that they are actively being neutralized. A clean, sanitized pool contains zero combined chlorine. Consistently maintaining the proper level of free chlorine in the pool water greatly reduces the likelihood of detecting measurable combined chlorine levels.
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Why Is Too Much Chlorine In A Pool Bad
Having too much chlorine in your pool water can be dangerous. Exposure to high levels of chlorine can cause lung irritation, skin and eye damage, and provoke asthma. High chlorine levels decrease the pH of your pools water, making it more acidic. The more acidic the water, the higher the likelihood of corrosion.
Use A Stabilizer Only If Necessary
If possible, always avoid stabilizers unless you have an outdoor pool in a hot and humid climate. Stabilizer is mainly used to help keep free chlorine stable by protecting it from exhaustion by sunlight and high water temperatures. The recommended levels of a stabilizer is between 40 and 80 ppm for saltwater pools.
The correct value of cyanuric may also differ with geographic locations, depending on temperature and how much sunlight is available during the day. This explains why a saltwater pool in Canada will need between 40 and 60 ppm and one in the USA may need up to 80 ppm of cyanuric acid during the summer. Also, the amount of cyanuric acid you need will depend on the amount of free available chlorine. Very high levels of cyanuric acid will reduce the levels of free chlorine you can use the CYA/Chlorine chart linked above to determine the correct level to add at given level of free chlorine.
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Get Rid Of Algal Blooms
As mentioned earlier, pool water is ideal for microorganisms, and algae are among the most prominent pollutants. If the chlorine level is low, the algae can speed up their reproduction.
So what? Why would you bother, right? It is worrisome because algae are very hazardous, unhygienic, and risky to your health. People who use the pool will be at potential risk of getting sick.
Is It Okay To Go To The Pool While Pregnant
Even if youve never exercised before, swimming is safe to take up during pregnancy. Swimming in a chlorinated pool is not harmful to you or your baby. Its usually safe for you to swim throughout your pregnancy, right up until your babys birth, although you shouldnt swim after your waters have broken.
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How To Maintain A Trouble
Maintaining a trouble-free saltwater swimming pool is not rocket science its all about monitoring chemicals used in the pool regularly and maintenance of chlorine via a regulating chlorine generator.
From my own experience with a saltwater pool for more than five years now, the major problems you will encounter in a saltwater pool are calcium buildups that come in your pool as white flakes, low chlorine levels that cause cloudiness, low salinity, salt chlorinator maintenance, and corrosion issues.
What Are The Best Ways To Increase Free Chlorine In A Pool
Recommended ways to raise FC include:
- household bleach
- liquid chlorine
- salt water chlorine generators .
Non-Recommended ways to raise FC:
- solid, stabilized chlorine compounds such as calcium hypochlorite
- lithium hypochlorite
- sodium dichloroisocyanurate
- trichloroisocyanuric acid
These solid compounds will all add extra stuff that you do not want too much of in your water .
- For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine added by Trichlor, it also increases Cyanuric Acid by 6 ppm.
- For every 10 ppm FC added by Dichlor, it also increases CYA by 9 ppm.
- For every 10 ppm FC added by Cal-Hypo, it also increases Calcium Hardness by 7 ppm.
Even at a very low chlorine usage of 1 ppm FC per day, using Trichlor as your only source of chlorine will increase CYA by over 100 ppm in just 6 months, unless there is significant dilution of the water. At 2 ppm FC per day usage, the CYA increases by over 100 ppm in just 3 months.
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