Why Are Chlorine Tablet Prices So High Right Now
Kate McShane of Goldman Sachs warns in a recent research report released Monday that the chlorine shortage in the United States has not improved. Shortages and price increases stem from an enormous fire at the BioLab factory, one of the countrys largest chlorine tablet manufacturers. The fire put an additional stress on already dwindling supplies.
McShane indicated that prices for chlorine have gone up roughly 37% year over year due to the ongoing shortages. Prices are expected to spike 58% year over year through June to August. This coincides likely enough with the height of pool season. Homeowners are sure to be looking at much higher prices than in previous years.
Of the 26 pool shops we spoke to, 15 expressed uncertainty or doubt when asked about whether they will have enough chlorine for pool season. Adding to the pressure created by the chlorine shortage, respondents called out a plastic bucket shortage, driven by COVID-related manufacturing slowdowns, which has made procuring certain volume sizes of chlorine more difficult for retailers, and has led suppliers to deliver chlorine in either bags or in buckets with different colored lids, according to respondents, McShane said.
McShane continued, When asked about whether the cost and availability of chlorine have improved in the last month or so, several respondents noted that while the supply of chlorine has improved somewhat, cost has not.
What Should You Know About Pool Skimmers
It is essential to keep the pool water filtered at all times. The skimmer only does a small part of the work involved during the filtration process. Mostly, the pool filter does the main work. But this does not mean that a pool skimmer is not essential. In fact, pools cannot survive without pool skimmers.
The entire filtration system is crucial for the proper functioning of the pool. It is the reason why pools are clean and safe. The filtration system also facilitates the mixture of water and pool chemicals.
Founder and COO of Americas Swimming Pool Company, Stewart Vernon
Usually, contractors install pool skimmers during the initial construction of the pool. So, it would be impossible to purchase it and conduct a DIY installation. The pool skimmer has a basket that often carries all the dirt particles filtered out from the pool. You should empty this basket from time to time, at least once a week if the pool is frequently used.
Cyanuric Acid Reducer: How To Get Your Levels Down
A far more common problem pool owners face when they use cyanuric acid is how to keep the chemical below the 50 ppm level. This is because, unlike with many other chemicals, cyanuric acid isnt used up. It just continues to accumulate.;
The only way it leaves the pool is by, well, leaving the pool.
What does that mean?; ; ;
Thats right. You have to physically remove cyanuric acid from your pool by switching out the water in order to lower the levels to where you want them. Worse, some of the cyanuric acid is almost guaranteed to cling to the pool basin, filtration system, and piping, so getting rid of a high amount can be quite difficult.
At least, that has been the case until recently.
There is now a product on the market called cyanuric acid reducer that works on a molecular level to break down and destroy the cyanuric acid in your pool. Even better, it is designed to get cyanuric acid down to the correct level and then stop, leaving you with a perfectly balanced swimming pool.
With cyanuric acid reducer, you can save water, avoid draining the cyanuric acid into waterways and spend less money replacing chemicals after you refill your pool. It can also reduce the amount of the time you spent tinkering and worrying about your pool water.
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Fiberglass Resin Shortage Affecting Manufacturers
The global covid-19 pandemic brought about many changes in the pool industry. Currently, there is shortage of many essential parts and supplies for swimming pools. More aspiring pool owners are getting disappointed by the day. Manufacturers have enormous backlogs of pending orders. But why has their been such dramatic and sudden slow-downs of inground pool construction during the height of the season? One of leading causes among fiberglass builders this season has been slow delivery of shells which has a direct correlation to ongoing resin shortages.
Lets Take The Confusion Out Of This Water Treatment Product Once And For All
A common household name, cyanuric acid now is in the toolbox of most residential and commercial service professionals who maintain outdoor pools.
Since its invention in 1829, CYA has been revered as invaluable and essential to keeping chlorinated pools clean and sanitary. At the same time, scientists and lawmakers are pointing out that cyanuric acids dangerous misrepresentation and overuse in pools can lead to serious public health and pool-maintenance issues. To further complicate the issue, some health inspectors insist on the use of cyanuric acid, while others restrict its presence in public pools. Why the industry polarization? Lets take a deeper dive on the benefits and misconceptions of CYA.
Cyanuric acid technically is an acid but is dissimilar to muriatic acid, which the pool industry uses to manage and adjust pool pH levels. It is sold as a standalone product or can be purchased as a convenient additive to chlorine tablets. It is able to dissolve in water and has little overall effect on pH, alkalinity or hardness. Unlike other acids, it is commonly referred to as a chlorine stabilizer or conditioner, forming a chemically weak and temporary bond with chlorine. This means it will hold onto free chlorine in the water, reduce chlorines strength and, most importantly, protect chlorine from the sun until the chlorine is consumed for oxidation or disinfection of material in the pool.
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The Effect Of Natural Calamities On Fiberglass Resin Shortage
This year, the winter storm in Texas disoriented a broad spectrum of activities in the pool industry. The freezing weather conditions forced the chemical manufacturing plants in Houston to shut down. Moreover, the storm forced Hexion Inc and Olin Corp., the biggest epoxy producers, to stop operating.
Manufacturers report that once they finally get a truckload of resin, it doesnt stick around very long. Its already earmarked for a back-order. In fact, in most instances, all the resin coming in has already been pre-sold. This has been the situation for the past few months.
What Is Cyanuric Acid
Cyanuric Acid is commonly marketed as pool stabilizer, pool conditioner or pool sunscreen. Its produced as a white, odorless, solid, and granular or powder compound that is fairly safe to handle, however, we always recommend wearing gloves with pool chemicals and washing your hands afterwards.
Chlorine is a highly reactive element and dissipates rapidly in water. Pool stabilizer works by binding to the free chlorine in water and slowing down the reaction of chlorine to extend its chemical lifespan.
In the summer the sun is hot and ultra-violet radiation peaks. Free chlorine can be rapidly burned away, in a matter of hours, leaving the water unsanitized. Unstabilized chlorine can evaporate away in a morning leaving the pool unsafe for swimming in the afternoon.
It is essential to add cyanuric acid to the water to stabilize and extend the chlorines useful life in the pool. Stabilized chlorine will last 3 to 4 times longer than unstabilized chlorine.
Note: Do not add cyanuric acid to hot tubs or spa pools that are sanitized with bromine. Bromine is not able to be stabilized.; Bromine is only recommended for spas and hot tubs because it works well at higher temperatures. Adding Bromine to a pool doesnt work well as it would quickly burn off in the sun.
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How To Lower Cyanuric Acid In Pool
If youve just tested your pool water and found high cyanuric acid levels and youre not sure how to lower cyanuric acid in your pool, Ive got you covered in this article. And if youre having a problem where the cyanuric acid level keeps going up or stays high, Ill help you solve that too.;
If you dont know what cyanuric acid is, its a chemical used to stabilize the chlorine in your pool. Without it, you would be spending a lot more money buying chlorine and constantly adding it.
Cyanuric acid is also known as pool stabilizer and pool sunscreen. It can be purchased as a separate chemical or it can be found as an additive in some chlorine and shock products.
Cyanuric Acid: Is That Whats Missing From Your Pool
To save a little money, you decided to go the DIY route with your pool. You did the cleaning. You handled the maintenance issues. You mixed in the chlorine and other chemicals to keep the pool pristine.
At first, it seemed to work pretty well. The kids had lots of fun, and you got to enjoy not paying for a service, putting a small chunk of change back into your pocket. Not too bad.
After a little time passed, though, you noticed that you were starting to get some algae growth. Later, you discovered that the pool was kind of green and cloudy. Then, after a bunch of kids came over and swam for the afternoon, several of them got sickincluding yours.
What was going on? Werent the pool chemicals supposed to be stopping those kinds of things from happening?
They are, provided that you make sure youre using the right chemicals in the right amounts.
This scenario unfolds countless times across the United States each day during swimming season. A homeowner takes over the maintenance of their pool, does everything right and ends up experiencing dirt, grime, and sickness after swimming.
The cause could be a few different things, but one of the most common issues pool service professionals run across is chlorine degradation. Most people dont know this, but when pools are hit by bright sunlight, it can cause most of the chlorine to degrade shockingly fast.
How fast?
What can you do to stop this? Add cyanuric acid.
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What Does Too Much Cyanuric Acid Look Like
The nice thing is that the signs are pretty obvious if your pool has too much cyanuric acid. You will be able to see changes in the water structure which will ward you with caution.
One of the main concerns you would likely see is a decrease in the transparency of the water, meaning it would begin to appear more foggy and cloudy than it naturally or typically would.
If you notice this change in your pool, you would be wise to take swift action to resolve the issue before it increases in intensity.
The second change in your pool that might not be as clear to see is the effectiveness of the cyanuric acid itself. As more and more cyanuric acid is present, it begins to become less effective as a whole, thus limiting the power it has to properly do its job as required.
How Does Cyanuric Acid Work
The suns UV rays break down chlorine at an alarming rate. Within 2 hours, sunlight can actually destroy 75 90% of your pools chlorine. When in direct sunlight, the half-life of chlorine is a measly 45 minutes .
As you well know, chlorine is essential to the hygiene of your pool. Without it, youd be swimming in an E. Coli bath.
No, thank you!
Without getting into too much of the chemistry, cyanuric acid works on the molecular level by attaching to 3 chlorine atoms through a weak nitrogen-chlorine bond. While the chlorine is attached to the CYA, its protected from sunlight. However, the weak nitrogen bond allows the chlorine to let go when it needs to kill bacteria and other pathogens.
Without a stabilizer like cyanuric acid, youd be having to constantly add chlorine to the pool. In fact, before it was introduced to the pool industry in 1956, thats what people had to do. Imagine adding up to 8 times more chlorine that what youre already adding. Thats a lot of money.
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After How Long To Shock My Swimming Pool And Spa
A good and recommended practice is to test your FC level every evening and raise it back to recommended levels if lower. Remember that the hot water in a spa will make hot tub chemicals work and deplete faster than a pool without a water heater.;
What duration to shock your pool or spa will largely depend on the type of chlorine you are using to shock your pool, and they include granular, liquid, trichlor, or dichlor.
If you use liquid chlorine, you will shock your pool or spa at least once a day if the pool or spa is busy.
If you use granular chlorine, trichlor, and dichlor, you will shock your pool every week.
How To Raise Cyanuric Acid Levels In A Pool
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You’re probably aware that your pool needs regular chlorine adjustments, but it’s also important to balance cyanuric acid levels. Cyanuric acid is often sold as a conditioner or stabilizer because it prevents chlorine in the pool from weakening in the sunlight. Use test kits or strips designed to measure cyanuric acid, so you can determine how much acid to add to your pool. To significantly raise levels, dissolve powdered cyanuric acid or add a liquid version. You can also add stabilized chlorine for regular maintenance.
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Using A Cyanuric Acid Reducer
Why You Have High Cyanuric Acid
Its chlorines job to keep your pool water clean, but depending on which type of chlorine you use, it may or may not contain cyanuric acid. Stabilized chlorine has CYA built-in, whereas unstabilized chlorine doesnt.
Heads up: Dichlor and trichlor are stabilized types of chlorine, and sodium hypochlorite , lithium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite are unstabilized.
The main reason for high CYA levels in your pool is from using too much stabilized chlorine. When the pool water evaporates, CYA remains in the water, much like other chemicals such as salt and calcium.
As an example, 1 lb. of trichlor in a 10,000 gallon pool will raise the CYA level by 6 ppm. With the ideal range for pool CYA being 30 ppm to 50 ppm, its easy to see how this level can quickly spike.
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Maintain Balance With A Cyanuric Acid Test
Keeping the right level of cyanuric acid in your pool starts with actually knowing what that level is. Thankfully, there are test strips and kits that you can use for just such a purpose.
Make sure you choose a kit that is able to measure from 0 to 100 ppm. Begin on a regular schedule so that you can conduct testing at least once a week. As we already mentioned, youll want to keep the optimal amount of cyanuric acid between 30 and 50 ppm.
Below, were going to discuss what you can do if you discover that your levels of cyanuric acid are either too low or too high.
What Are Some Safety Precautions When Using Cyanuric Acid
However, other experts disagree, saying that at least a small amount of CYA is good for indoor pools, especially those that may be surrounded by windows that let in a lot of sunlight. It can also tame the degrading effects of chlorine on hair, skin, and swimwear. For those who are sensitive to nitrogen trichloride, CYA reduces the amount that becomes airborne, so it cant be breathed in. But then again, this could be better for pools that dont have heavy traffic and therefore have less pathogen load.
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