Balance Your Pool Water
Excluding chlorine, are the remaining chemicals in your pool balanced? Balancing your water is an important step that pool owners sometimes forget. The very first thing you want to do is get an accurate reading of your chemical levels.
If you dont have a home testing kit, we recommend either purchasing one or taking a water sample to a local pool store and testing it there. Getting the most recent and the most accurate chemical readings is imperative before adding any additional chemicals.
Why Is My Pool Still Green After Adding Chlorine
by Teserra Outdoors | Sep 21, 2020 | Swimming Pool Maintenance
Is your pool still green after shock? A common DIY issue. Normally a pool cleaning service or the next step of DIY will tackle these next three things to take your pool back to its crystal clear shape: the filtration system, the correct chemicals, and patience. We recommend a professional to clean the pool or teach the techniques, especially when dealing with pool chemicals. Here are some guidelines for taking your pool from green to refreshing clear.
How To Add Pool Stabilizer
Some pool chemical instructions tell you to add them at the filter, while others may be poured straight into the pool water. When it comes to pool stabilizer, you dont want to do either of those, even if the instructions say its okay.
Remember that pool stabilizer is an acid. The chemical dissolves very slowly. In fact, that the acidity can damage your pool surfaces or skimmer if left to sit there and dissolve in its own time.
We recommend buying a five-gallon bucket, filling it with water, then dissolving the stabilizer in that water. This way, whether it takes ten minutes or an hour to dissolve, you wont be damaging expensive pool surfaces or delicate circulation parts by leaving an undiluted acid lying around on them.
Note: Never add chemicals to your skimmer and through your pool filter. This can be very dangerous and could damage your pool filter system.
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Lower The Level Of Pool Chlorine
It is much more difficult to reduce the amount of total chlorine within an above ground swimming pool than it is to increase it. One of the only ways bring it down is to leave your pool uncovered and in direct sunlight. Sunlight eats away the total chlorine within the pool. That is the same reason that it is important to test your pool water more frequently during hot weather as your pool is more likely to turn green from lack of chlorine. The only other way to reduce chlorine is to drain some of the water and add fresh water. This will dilute your current water and the chlorine levels along with it.
Performing Chlorine Shock Treatment
If you want to enjoy your swimming pool for the first time or start up the pool again after the winter, you have to get the chlorine content up to the right level. N.B.: Before you do this, it is best to first check the pH and chlorine values.
If the chlorine value is 0, it is best to carry out chlorine shock treatment.
What is a chlorine shock?
A chlorine shock is the adding of an extra dose of chlorine to the swimming pool to get the chlorine content back to the right level.
When should you carry out chlorine shock treatment?
- When using a swimming pool for the very first time
- After the winter period
- After a holiday period in which the water quality has not been checked
- After a busy weekend of swimming with a lot of people in the pool.
The chlorine level in the swimming pool drops during these periods. In that case, you cannot increase the chlorine content by adding the normal dose of chlorine. The chlorine content will recover quickest by carrying out chlorine shock treatment.
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Less Chlorine: Mineral Systems
A mineral system sounds as natural as can bebut it actually does require a small amount of chlorine to work. But most of a pool mineral system involves silver and copper to prevent bacteria and algae from setting up shop in your pool. Silver has antibacterial properties and copper is often used as an algaecidebut get ready for some pesky metal stains.
Mineral System Pros: In addition to silver and copper, mineral systems can also include zinc for its antibacterial properties, and limestone to absorb chloric acid and maintain your waters pH. Plus, they keep your water softer, keep chloramines or bromamines low, and reduce wear on your greater circulation system.
Mineral System Cons: A mineral system needs to be supplemented with chlorine or bromine, though you will need less. And buying two chemicals will cost. Plus, you might have to deal with some serious oxidized metal stains, which arent always easy to remove.
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The Effects Of High Chlorine Levels
If youve been handling your own chemical balance for a while, you probably know that many of the issues that we associate with chlorine are usually caused by the byproducts of chlorine, chloramines.
Chloramines are responsible for that strong chlorine smell that you might encounter at a public pool, and a good indicator that the waters arent safe for swimming. Chloramines hinder chlorine from working in the first place, which means that where increased chloramines are, there will also be increased levels of bacteria over time. They also are irritable to the skin to the point of causing rashes. And theyre no walk in the park for your eyes, either. If youve taken a dive in a smelly pool at some point in your life, you can probably vouch for this.
But ultra-high concentrations of chlorine are still a no-go.
This is mostly because of the vapors that a over-chlorinated pool can emit. These vapors can be highly dangerous to swimmers. And I mean highly dangerous: super-high concentrations of chlorine gas were actually used as a chemical weapon in World War I.
Chlorine vapors are the reason why public swimming pools will close when theyre in the process of being chlorinated. According to the New York State Department of Health, inhaling large amounts of this gas is poisonous and can cause fluid buildup in the lungs.
Basically, dont aim high with this chemical. Overdoing it presents a pretty serious health risk.
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Cyanuric Acid Or Stabilizer
Most chlorine products you add to the water will be stabilized chlorine. However, if you start with fresh water, you might want to add some cyanuric acid as a stabilizer base so that the chlorine doesnt get burned off by the suns UV rays so quickly. This chemical will protect your chlorine from the sun.
The Different Types Of Chlorine
Whether you choose to go with tablet, powdered or liquid chlorine, know that these come in either unstabilized and stabilized variants.
Without turning this into a chemistry lesson, Id like to cover the basics when it comes to the different types of chlorine, and more importantly what each one means for you as a swimming pool owner.
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Re: Can’t Keep Chlorine In Our Perfectly Balanced Pool
Postby jent»Wed 29 May, 2019 16:28
- Posts: 2338
- Joined: Tue 06 Sep, 2011 05:48
- My Pool: 10k inground fibreglass, Telescopic Cover, Hayward Powerline pump, Quality filter with glass media, 27kw output heat pump, K-2006C test kit
- Location: United Kingdom
Postby Denniswiseman»Wed 29 May, 2019 16:56
FCCYAFor 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 at least 7 ppmLiquid chlorine Muriatic acid to lower pH and TABicarbonate of soda to raise TAAeration will raise pH onlySoda ash will raise pH and TA
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon 03 Jul, 2017 11:00
- My Pool: 30,000 gallon in ground plaster pool with integrated spa. Chlorine , 3 skimmers total, 2 in pool, 1 in spa. Built in 1993.
First Make Sure Your Water Is Balanced
You need to make sure you have balanced water in your swimming pool before expecting to get a good sanitizing ability from chlorine added to your pool. The pH, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness all need to be within their ideal ranges. Once your water is balanced, you do not need to test all levels as often, with the exception of pH, which should be tested every couple days during your peak pool season or after adding any chemicals.
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What Is The Stabilizer In A Pool
In the simplest of terms, a pool conditioner or stabilizer helps your chlorine stay in the water longer. In other words, it prevents drastic chlorine loss. More specifically, it binds to chlorite ions , making them impervious to the suns rays.
Without it, ultraviolet rays would break apart the chlorite ions, allowing the chlorine to evaporate into the air. It literally stabilizes the ion. Your free chlorine will then be available for sanitizing three to five times longer than it would be without using a stabilizer.
But that longer lifespan comes with a bit of a catch. When stabilizer forms a bond with chlorine, its sanitizing ability, which goes by the fancy name Oxidation Reduction Potenial , is somewhat hindered. In other words, it takes stabilized chlorine longer to kill bacteria than it takes chlorine without stabilizer.
In fact, if you also have a hot tub, this is the reason you absolutely should not add a stabilizer to your spa. The bacteria that cause folliculitis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, takes 100 times longer to be eliminated from a spa with stabilized chlorine, leaving you and your hot tub guests vulnerable to infection.
The good news is as long as you maintain proper free chlorine levels, the stabilizer is incredibly helpful in extending the life of your chlorine, helping maintain proper pool chemistry, and saving you money.
Shock The Pool After A Party
If you have had a lot of people in your pool in one day it is always a good idea to shock your pool overnight. This will give your pool a high chlorine reading and allow the chlorine to oxidize and clean the water. Generally after shocking your pool you should wait to swim at least 8-12 hours until chlorine levels come back to normal . This is one of the few times that having a high chlorine level is a good thing. Always test your water before swimming again to make sure your chlorine levels are safe.
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Uv Light And Active Oxygen
Ultraviolet light is used in many areas of application to kill germs. Suitable systems are also available from pool shops.
In principle, the UVC clarifier works like the ozone generator: The water that has already been filtered in the sand filter system flows through the UVC clarifier, and the UV rays kill microbes and other germs.
The disinfection of the pool water also takes place here in a closed system. But that only happens when your pool pump is running.
For this reason, in addition to disinfecting the pool with UV rays, another disinfectant such as active oxygen must be used.
This is important because otherwise, your pool water will be cloudy if the pool pump is inactive.
The problem, however, is that you still have to control the water levels for the oxygen or bromine. At the same time, with the salt electrolysis system, the dosage takes place automatically, and controls are less necessary.
How To Help Pool Chlorine Last Longer
Boost your pool chemical performance and help your chlorine last longer.
Bacteria, algae and microscopic contaminants, such as urine, sweat, sunscreen and beauty products, take a toll on your swimming pools water chemistry. These substances, when present in your pool water, accelerate chlorine demand and can affect your chlorines ability to maintain properly sanitized water.
Maintaining a weekly preventative maintenance routine, that includes algaecides, clarifiers and balancers, allows your chlorine to last longer and more efficiently kill bacteria. Take these steps to protect your pool from chlorine loss and help your chlorine last longer.
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The Effects Of Hot Weather
High temperatures have an indirect effect on chlorine loss.
Why? Many species of bacteria grow better in warmer water. When the bacteria multiply, your free chlorine is used up as it kills up.
What can you do? Generally, you can add twice as much chlorine to your pool to maintain and adequate level of free chlorine.
More Swimmers In The Pool Than Itll Usually Carry
Events like pool parties and shows typically mean that the pool will get large swimmer loads. Scenarios like this can hugely reduce the chlorine levels of your pool. Therefore, the next time your pool test results show lack of chlorine, it could be because of a party you recently had in it. The thing is that your pool typically adjusts to a capacity that can carry you and your family. The adjustment of the pool would result in less chlorine loss under normal conditions. However, when you expose the pool to more swimmers, things get different.With more swimmers come more contaminants. Your chlorine would be left to fight against more than it is used to fighting, forcing it to get used up faster.
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What Is Chlorine Lock
Theres a theory flying around out there that chlorine can be inhibited from doing its job by cyanuric acid. The theory goes that, when this happens, the chlorine wont be able to function as a sanitizer because its locked up.
This is not a real thing. Theres a reason cyanuric acid is also known as chlorine stabilizer. Its because it actually helps chlorine to do its job by preventing it from breaking down as quickly in sunlight as it would if it werent stabilized.
Can you have too much stabilizer in the pool? Of course. You can have too much of any chemical in your pool. Just follow the manufacturers instructions when you use it, perform regular pool water testing to see whats going on and keep the water balanced.
Drastic Solutions To Lower The Chlorine Level
Replace Some Of The Water
If the above techniques are not sufficient, you can renew part of the pool water with non-chlorinated water. This method is very effective and will considerably reduce the concentration of chlorine in the water. However, it can be slow and expensive depending on the size of your pool. Also, remember to check the pool water balance parameters once the pool is filled with new water.
Use A Neutralizer
Sodium thiosulfate is used to neutralize the chlorine in the water. However, this solution carries many risks and dangers and should only be used in case of extreme overdose.
When using this type of product, it is essential to follow the suppliers recommendations for use.
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Eliminate Organics In The Pool
The final way to save your chlorine dollars is by eliminating organics. Organics are products such as sunscreen, body oils, cosmetics, hair products, sweat, urine , and pollen. Chlorine is not effective at breaking up organics they take a long time and are inefficient and expensive.
Natural Chemistry has been making enzyme based products since the 1980s. Enzymes are formulated to attach to an organic and break it down to carbon dioxide and water. In each bottle of Natural Chemistry there are thousands of different enzymes, are all specially formulated to pair up with, and destroy, a specific type of organic compound.
Now for the even more unbelievable part, these products are all natural and some of the safest chemicals anywhere. Their first product is still their number one seller Pool Perfect, and it really does make your pool perfect. Natural Chemistry supports environmental responsibility with pool chemicals.Try it for yourself and I guarantee you will be coming back for more.
Calculate The Volume Of Your Pool
Generally, this should be easy for most people, considering that it is a common practice to know this beforehand. Dont panic if you dont. Measure the length and width of the pool, as well as its average depth. Multiply these numbers together, then convert whatever result you get into gallons. Typically, one cubic foot is equal to 7½ gallons.
I have a great artice with an easy to use calculator that will easily caclulate the volume of water in you swimming pool.
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Ways To Extend Your Chlorine Dollar
In these tough economic times we are all looking for different ways to save money. The pool area shouldnt be exempt from these cost cutting measures.
Would you like to know ways to maintain your pool and stretch your chlorine dollar? Heres 5 ways to reduce your chlorine costs -and- your work load.
Uv Rays From Sunlight
Chlorine and sunlight do not get along. This is a fact.
In short, the UV rays produced by the sun have a major effect on chlorine. When exposed to UV rays, chlorine ions begin to separate, which eventually destroys them. And as your chlorine burns away, your sanitizer level drops.
This is the very reason why CYA , or chlorine stabilizer, exists. Its a chemical added to chlorine that keeps it active longer, and shields against harmful UV rays.
But with or without CYA, the sun still takes a toll on your chlorine levels. Fortunately, the best way to prevent that is by shielding your entire pool from the sun itself.
How?
A solar cover acts as a barrier between your water and outside, reducing the exposure your chlorine gets to the sun. In doing this, the cover also helps to improve your pools heat retention while reducing water loss.
TIP: The more opaque the color of your solar cover is, the better the UV protection.
Even if the sun is nowhere to be found, hot weather is enough to mess with your chlorine.
But how could that be? If the sun isnt out, then shouldnt your chlorine work just fine?
Not exactly. When solar rays arent messing with your chlorine, the suns heat stays busy by evaporating water out of your pool.
And naturally, with any pool water loss comes chemical loss.
Luckily, the solution here once again is simple: use a cover.
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