Adding Pool Shock Through Your Skimmer
Some pool maintenance mistakes are relatively minor. But since making this one can literally blow up your pools filter system, we recommend avoiding it at all costs.
Combining calcium hypochlorite or dichlor pool shock and chlorine creates a deadly gas. If you have an automatic chlorinator attached to your filter system and you pour the shock into the skimmer, the two chemicals will combine in a very small space.
The result?
Tiny chamber + deadly gas expansion = BOOM.
Inventory Your Pool Chemicals
Youll want to have all of your chemicals ready to go before you start opening your pool. Check the expiration dates on all of your pool chemicals, and replace any that are past their prime. . You should also replace any chemicals that werent properly sealed before they were stored.
Chemicals Checklist: Everything You Need to Open Your Pool
Need to do a pre-opening pool chemical supply run? Heres what youll need to get the job done right:
- A good test kit or test strips for checking your pools pH, calcium hardness, total alkalinity,and chlorine levels
- Chlorine granules or tablets
- Stain treatment
A Floating Chlorine Dispenser
A floating chlorine dispenser is a little container for chlorine pucks that floats around the surface of your pool, slowly dissolving and releasing the chlorine into the water.
This is the cheapest and easiest way to add chlorine to your pool, but you guessed it, its also the least effective way. Since it floats on the surface, the lack of circulation means it doesnt disperse very well and ultimately leads to poor sanitation.
These things also tend to get stuck behind pool ladders or steps, at which point the chlorine being released starts to build up in one area of the pool. In fact, this high concentration near the edges can bleach your pool liners. As you can imagine, theyre not ideal to have in the pool when people are using it, either.
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How Do I Make My Pool Water Crystal Clear
How to Make Your Pool Crystal Clear Again Keep Up with pH and Chlorine Levels. Do you have a water testing device in your supply kit? Run That Filter. Its recommended that you run your filter for 8 to 10 hours a day when using your pool. Skim, Skim, Skim. Yes, something that simple can be the trick to clear water. Shock the Pool Once a Week.
How Much Chlorine To Add To Pool
The basic chlorine to pool water balance is supposed to range between 1 to 3 PPM. To achieve this pool chemistry balance, you will need about 0.00013 ounces of chlorine per gallon of pool water.
Different swimming pools feature varying sizes. Hence, you will need to perform some simple calculations to figure out the amount of chlorine you need to shock your swimming pool.
To determine exactly how much chlorine to add to the pool, you need to calculate the size of the pool. On average, a round ring pool 15 feet across and 48 inches tall will hold approximately 4,978 gallons of water. On the other hand, an in-ground pool can hold over 31,000 gallons of water.
To determine the number of gallons in the swimming pool, measure and multiply the width, average depth and, length, then multiply the value you get by 5.9 for around pool, 6.7 for an oval pool, and 7.5 for a rectangular pool.
After determining the number of gallons in the swimming pool, the next step is to figure how much chlorine to add to the pool to bring the level to a healthy point. To do this, you will need to use a pool test kit. If you find that the chlorine level is already 1 ppm and you prefer it higher, you will need to add 0.00013 ounces per gallon to raise the level by 1 ppm.
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After Adding Muriatic Acid
Muriatic acid creates hot spots in the pool water and can burn or irritate your skin. It is best to wait for about 30 minutes or one hour to allow the acid to mix in water.
Pool salt is essential to maintain your backyard swimming pool. Most of the manufacturers recommend waiting for some time before using the pool. After adding salt to the pool before swimming, the waiting period is not that long and not mandatory. Canada Salt is the supplier of pure pool salt all over North America. Contact us for more information.
Pool Closing Chemicals: Best Order To Add
When closing a pool for fall, what is the best order to add winter pool chemicals? Is there such a thing, and does it even matter? Yes, and yes!
Pool closing chemicals are designed to work slowly over winter, and are formulated to stay viable in cold water temperatures.
Add winterizing chemicals in the wrong order however, and you can end up deactivating or degrading them!
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Salt Water Pool Start Up
Salt water pool startup chemicals are not that much different from any other pool opening procedure. You still need to balance your water chemistry, you still need a Stain & Scale chemical, and will benefit from using a Clarifier and Algaecide.
Start the pool filter and circulate the pool water for 24/7 for a few days, but dont turn on the salt cell yet. For a salt water pool start up, leave the salt cell off until you establish good water conditions.
Step 1 – Water Balance First! To improve the efficacy of your chlorine and reduce the workload required of your salt cell, test and adjust pH, Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness levels. A minimum level of 40 ppm of Cyanuric Acid prevents the sun from depleting the chlorine rapidly, which also protects your salt cell from over work.
Step 2 Check Salt Levels: Many saltwater chlorinators have a sensor to measure salinity level in the pool, and will alert you when additional salt is needed. Sensors should be cleaned regularly to prevent a false reading, and can be calibrated by using Salt Test Strips. Most salt pools will need to add make-up salt each spring. Be sure to use only salt labeled as Pool Salt.
Step 4 Shock the Pool: Many saltwater chlorinators have a shock feature, but they are slow to raise chlorine level, and it puts a strain on the salt cell. For this reason, many salt water pool openings use pool shock for salt pools during pool opening, closing or for algae blooms.
Some Steps You Should Keep In Mind
Before any pool is shocked you must check on the cyanuric acid and pH concentrations. The pH levels should be brought down to the range of 7.2 to 7.8. A range
can-i-add-shock-and-chlorine-at-the-same-time
close to 7.2 will be quite good. Cyanuric acid levels should range from 10 to 40 PPM. This will prevent the chlorine from degrading. Late afternoon is the best time to add chlorine because it has the entire night to work.
You should also vacuum sediments, and brush the sides of the pool. Use the right quantity of chlorine for shocking purposes.
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How To Chlorinate Your Pool
Your pool must be protected from germs, bacteria, algae and a variety of other organics. Without reservation, chlorine is simply the best sanitizer for your outdoor pool. There are other sanitizers available but, in one way or another, they all fall short of chlorine. Adding chlorine to your pool can be done by using household bleach in your pool, liquid pool shock, or many other forms. Lets take a few minutes to learn more about adding chlorine to your pool.
Okay, youre convinced. Now, lets get some chlorine in your pool. It is important to understand that chlorine is a consumable item that is constantly being consumed and must constantly be replenished. Usually you must add about 2-3 ppm daily to keep the pool properly sanitized. Here are the various ways you can do that:
How To Shock A Swimming Pool
What Is Free Chlorine?
It is unbound chlorine that is “free” to sanitize.
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How To Choose The Right Chlorine Tablets For Your Pool
Chlorine tablets come in one-inch and three-inch sizes. We recommend the three-inch tablets because theyre easier to handle and, depending on their popularity in your area, might even be less expensive than the one-inch version.
We also recommend the three-inch chlorine tablets because they provide sanitation for 5,000 gallons of water per tablet, meaning you can use fewer of them, which can also save you money.
To know how many tablets to use, youll need to know your pools volume. If you dont already know how much water your pool holds, use this pool calculator to quickly and easily figure it out.
To use the right number of tablets, always round your pool volume up to the nearest unit of 5,000 gallons. For instance, your pool has a capacity of 20,000 gallons, you would add four chlorine tablets. But if your pool holds just 16,000 gallons, youd still use four, three-inch chlorine tablets. Its that easy.
Allow For Overnight Chlorine Action
Leave the cover open and the pump working overnight. That will help to further dissolve the liquid chlorine throughout the pool. You can check in the morning to ascertain whether the chlorine reading is above the normal range.
Next Steps
So, have you just installed a pool in your backyard and are looking on how to add liquid chlorine to pool? To add liquid chlorine, first put on protective gloves, closed shoes and eyewear. Do it at night, so the chlorine doesnt burn off from UV rays. Keep the bottle far from your body while pouring liquid chlorine into the pool water, and brush the pool floor after that. Leave the pump running overnight and check in the morning. If you need additional help, dont hesitate reaching out to a professional.
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Way #: Floating Dispenser
A floating chlorine dispenser is another way to slowly add chlorine to the pool. Also known as a chlorine floatie or chlorine feeder, this is an inexpensive accessory at under $20.
After filling up the unit with tablets, you put the lid on it and place it in the pool. It naturally floats around, slowly dispensing chlorine as it goes.
Its another convenient distributor, but it has two major drawbacks that prevent most people from using it.
First, it can get stuck behind things such as ladders, steps, or in corners of the pool, leading to a massive dose of chlorine in that area if no ones around to monitor it.
Second, as its constantly moving around and brushing up against the pool walls, the chlorine can bleach them. This is especially true for vinyl liners, so steer of this option if thats the type of pool you have.
Pros:
- Not recommended for vinyl liner pools
Note: A floating chlorine dispenser is only good for tablets, and not to be used with liquid chlorine or granules.
What Should The Chlorine Level Be In A Biguanide Pool
When shocking the pool to treat white water mold, regular shock treatment will not be enough. Quadruple the shock to three to four pounds per 10,000 gallons. This should bring the chlorine level up to 5 parts per million . You cannot use a regular shock in a biguanide pool, so adding an Oxidizer will be the best option.
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Not Leveraging The Calcium Hardness In Your Pool Water
As with pH, balancing your waters calcium hardness is essential to a clear, clean, and safe swimming pool. And while you dont want too much because itll cloud the water, a little hardness is actually a good thing.
It helps extend the lifespan of things like vinyl liners, concrete, plaster, fiberglass, and filters.
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.
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When Pool Water Temperature Rises
Bacteria and other organisms such as algae thrive in warm water. In addition, the amount of free chlorine decreases with rising temperatures.
Most pools are kept at a comfortable level of 86-88 °F. The temperature should be lowered to a range of 78-84 °F if there are a lot of swimmers or if the pool is used for athletic activities. You can use a pool thermometer to measure water temperature.
If the temperature rises above the recommended levels, you should shock your pool.
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How Do I Add Chlorine To My Pool
Wondering how to add chlorine to your pool? Then read the following guide and clear all your doubts. The full step-by-step guide to adding chlorine to any pool.
When it comes to sanitizing a swimming pool, there are very few substances that can beat the likes of chlorine.
At once an oxidizer, sanitizer and disinfectant, a good quantity of chlorine in your pool can help preserve the water quality. This not only ensures that your pool remains clean and free from microorganism growth, but at the same time helps to protect the health of swimmers.
However, theres a catch. Chlorine is a highly volatile chemical, and mixing different types of chlorine together can have disastrous consequences. Thats why, to help you add chlorine to your pool safely, weve gone ahead and curated this comprehensive guide.
Going through the following will give you a clear idea of how to add chlorine to your swimming pool. At the same time, youll also get to know what precautions you need to take while undertaking the task.
So, lets not dally and get going.
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Why Is The Ph Always Going Up In Pools What Is The Correct Total Alkalinity
Total alkalinity and CYA together create of the buffering systems in pool water they keep the pH from changing too quickly and by how much. They are better at keeping the pH from drifting low or going down. But total alkalinity is causing the pH of the water to go up. If you have high alkalinity , it will continually raise the pH, which requires frequent acid additions to lower pH. If you dont lower the total alkalinity, the pH will go up between visits.
The real proper total alkalinity for pools is 90 ppm. If you are experiencing the pH drifting up to high levels between weekly visits, you should lower the alkalinity by 10 ppm and use that as your new target alkalinity. So if you have a pool in which the pH in one week goes from 7.5 to 7.8 or 8, and the alkalinity is 90 ppm, you should lower alkalinity to 80 ppm and maintain that level as your new target alkalinity. If 80 ppm doesnt work, change the target to 70 ppm. You should adjust the total alkalinity for each pool so that the weekly pH change is minimal. You may have to add a small amount of acid each weekly visit. This would be normal. But if you are having to add large amounts of acid each week, your alkalinity is way too high.
Common Pool Maintenance Mistakes
Making pool maintenance mistakes ranks on our personal scale of fun somewhere between tripping on a rake and getting kicked in the tender bits. Owning a swimming pool brings plenty of chances to make pool care mistakes, big or small.
But mistakes are really just opportunities to learn. Educating yourself on the most common pool maintenance mistakes helps you keep your pool safer, cleaner, and running efficiently with less mess and frustration.
Also, if you want to avoid making any of these pool maintenance mistakes in the future, invest in our pool care video course. Youll learn how to keep your pool consistently clean with proper skimming, vacuuming, and brushing techniques. And well also show you how to keep a simple, regular schedule so your pool will always be clean and clear.
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