Benefits And Drawbacks Of Pool Clarifier
When you decide on the right solution for your cloudy pool, you need to understand the positives and negatives of each product. The first benefit of pool clarifiers is that it involves a simple and straightforward process that creates minimal work for you. All you need to do is pour the clarifier into the water and be patient for it to work for you.
Pool clarifier is also an ideal solution for a pool that is slightly cloudy. When you are on the fence about whether it needs to be cleared, the clarifier usually provides you the optimal amount of solution to help get it back to normal. Pool clarifier also helps your filter operate much more efficiently, so you can save on water and not have to remove it. Clarifiers can also get used any time when you want a boost for the pool.
There are a couple of downsides to pool clarifier, however. First, the process is somewhat slow and takes up to two or three days before you see 100% clarity in your swimming pool. The other drawback is that you will need to clean the pool filter thoroughly afterward. After the clumps are formed from the clarifiers duties, the filter will be gunky after doing its job.
Clearing Cloudy Water With Pool Clarifier Long Answer
There are several things you should investigate before using clarifier to clear up cloudy pool water. You want to fix the underlying issue before turning to clarifier.Cloudy water is usually caused by a chemical imbalance, environmental causes such as heavy rain, dust or pollen in the air, swimming in the pool, algae or not enough filtering and cleaning.
If you dont think any of these things are the cause of cloudy water or you need a quick-ish fix, go ahead and use clarifier.
How Does A Hot Tub Clarifier Work
The fact is that some of the contaminants that make your hot tub cloudy are too tiny to be captured by the hot tub filter. As earlier stated, hot tub filters capture easily larger particles.
When the particles are too tiny they can easily pass through the filter system right back into the spa water. This is where the hot tub clarifier comes in.
Some clarifiers are polymeric and function like magnets. They act as coagulants on charged particles. So when a clarifier is used in the cloudy hot tub water, it clumps all the tiny particles together and makes them into larger particles. These larger clumps can easily be captured by the filters.
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What Is A Pool Flocculant & What Does It Do
Often simply called a pool floc, a pool flocculant is a chemical that is added to the pool water to clump together the microscopic pieces of dirt into larger clumps that can be removed at the bottom of the pool.
Often, the pool filter pump system removes dirt from the water but the tiny ones such as microorganisms and others can easily escape the pool filter. with a flocculant in the water, these tiny pieces of dirt are attracted to each other forming larger and more visible pieces of dirt. In the end, the larger pieces of dirt can be removed with ease from the pool as they settle at the bottom.
Some Common Pool Flocculants include
Jump to our review of the best flocculants
Can I Put Algaecide In With Clarifier
GETTING RID OF ALGAE
Please note that our liquid algaecides are compatible with alkalizing and flocculating agents used in other pool maintenance products. Our Liquid Algaecides are patented formulas that not only work as preventatives but as a pool clarifiers that inhibit algae growth of all types.
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Pool Flocculant: How Does It Work And Is It Better Than Pool Clarifier
If youve got cloudy pool water and you want to clear it up fast, pool flocculant can help. Its fast and effective at clearing up cloudy water. But it wont work in every cloudy pool situation. So when should you use flocculant? And when should you use a clarifier instead?
Heres a quick guide on the difference between flocculant and clarifier and how to use flocculant to clear cloudy water. You can watch the quick video below. Or keep reading for the complete pool flocculant tutorial.
Types Of Hot Tub Clarifier Products To Buy
There are numerous hot tub clarifier products out there in the market. But the most suitable types are these two types. When you intend to get your clarifier products you should consider these two types:
The flocculation or coagulation types
These clarifier products help to trap the small particles together until they are large enough to be captured by the filter. So go for a clarifier product that is either a flocculant or coagulant. They are a lot more effective when it comes to clearing cloudy hot tub water.
Enzymes filled clarifiers
You should also consider buying clarifier products that contain enzymes. Enzyme-filled clarifiers take up inorganic and organic particles that make the hot tub cloudy. These clarifier products are made from a natural source.
They track and consume these particles in no time. These enzyme-filled clarifiers will eliminate contaminants such as your body lotion, sweat, oils, and other cosmetic products.
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What Are Pool Flocculants
Think of your flocculants as your clarifiers on steroids! They not only bind with the tiny particles in your pool, but they clump them together, making them sink to the bottom of your pool so you can vacuum them out. This is great for all levels of pool murkiness and it works very fast! So if you need a clear pool fast, or if you just went through a flooded pool then flocculants are the way to go.
Of course, all this efficiency comes at a price. Flocculants cannot be used with a cartridge filter because they can wreak havoc on your filter elements. Flocculants also waste a lot of water since you will be vacuuming those clumped up particles to waste. And with that water waste comes with it the lowering of your pool chemical levels so youll have to re-test and re-balance your chemical levels after floccing your pool. So essentially, we’ll only use flocculants as a last resort!
Clorox Pool & Spa Super Water Clarifier
Clorox is a well-known brand people trust and their clarifier product is no different.
Just like the other clarifiers listed here, this one will treat 5,000 gallons of water with one ounce and is liquid concentrated for economic value.
A lot of people like it because it works just as well as the other big-name pool products for a fraction of the price.
We also love how easy it is to use and how quickly you see results.
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Difference Between Pool Clarifier And Flocculant
A pool clarifier and pool flocculant are similar, they both act as coagulants to coalesce small particles into larger clumps.
The difference between clarifier and floc, is that clarifiers work over several days to grow particle sizes large enough for your filter to remove. Flocculants work much faster and quickly grow into very large clumps that will clog a pool filter, so they must be used differently.
Clarifiers work with your pool filter running, all night if possible. With flocculants however, after adding the floc, you shut the pump off overnight. The coagulated clumps become so heavy that they sink to the pool floor. The following day, the pool is very slowly vacuumed to waste. In order to use pool floc, you must be able to vacuum to waste.
Aluminum Sulfate, or Alum is a granular flocculant, also used for garden soil pH amendment. Use 4 lbs per 10,000 gallons, broadcasted across the surface with the pump off, and vacuum to waste the following day. Alum can also be used with sand filters as a filter aid, to dramatically improve filtration temporarily, until the next backwash.
Cloudy pool water can be a hazardous condition divers cannot see the pool floor and can mis-judge the depth, and pool owners cannot see if something is lying on the bottom of the pool. Cloudy pool water may also be harboring harmful bacteria.
What Causes Cloudy Pool Water
There are a number of reasons your pool water can become cloudy, and understanding the potential cause will not only help you fix it, but also prevent it in future.
So lets talk about ways to fix the root of the problem before treating the symptoms because were not about to slap on a bandaid and call it day.
Here we go
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Top Versus Bottom Simple As That
The main difference comes in when you have to get those clumps out of your pool. Whereas clarifier brings the particle clumps to the top and leaves your pool filter to do the heavy-lifting, floc requires some elbow grease on your part.
Once youve added flocculant to your pool, youre left with a ton of clumpy gunk on the floor of your gorgeous pool. Yuck. From here, it has to be vacuumed up. By you. Yep, thats where we come to the downside of floc.
Flocculant works really fast, but it requires a bit more effort on your part. In fact, you actually cant even use an automatic vacuum for this one. You have to do it manually on waste mode, which means youll be removing water from your pool.
The real advantage of flocculant is its speed in de-clouding your pool. If you dont have days to wait for clarifier to work, you should definitely give floc a try. Whether youre planning a pool party for the next day or just dont like to wait, using floc will be your best bet.
There you have it: fast-acting flocculant with added manual labor versus slower-acting clarifier with no work on your part. The choice is yours.
How To Clear Up Cloudy Pool Water
Test Equipment & Pool Water
Start with the obvious and scoop out any branches or leaves from the pool. Next, make sure the pump and filter are working properly and not clogged or damaged. Finally, test and balance your water, paying close attention to chlorine levels.
Shock Your Pool
If chlorine levels are below 1 part per million, brush the pool bottom to stir up any settled contaminants. Then, with the pump running, broadcast the HTH® shock treatment evenly over a wide area in the deepest part of your pool. If granules settle at the bottom, brush again to disperse them. Water is ready for swimming when chlorine levels are between 1 and 4 ppm.
Use HTH® Super Clarifier
If chlorine levels are between 1 – 4 parts per million and the water is hazybut you can still see the bottom of the pool use HTH® Super Clarifier. Dilute the product in a bucket of pool water and then pour along the sides of the pool and into the skimmer. Run the pump filter for 8 hours and then vacuum the pool. Be sure to clean or backwash your filter.
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When Is It Best To Use Pool Clarifier Vs Pool Flocculant
There are many differences between a pool clarifier and a pool flocculant.
Apart from the way they are used, pool clarifier and floc differ fundamentally in the amount of time they take to clean a pool. If you want to open the pool for the summer in a day or two, get a clarifier. But if you want to get your pool ready in a hurry you go for a floc.
A pool clarifier is usually best when the water is just a bit cloudy whereas floc is used if you want aggressive cleaning without having to grab a brush.
Can You Use Pool Clarifier And Algaecide Together
Before using any water clarifier, you must treat any algae in your pool. No amount of water clarifier will eliminate algae in your water so you need to shock your pool first. If you have the early stages of algae growth, pool flocculant can help bind floating algae particles, making it easier to vacuum. Regardless, you should never add two chemicals to your pool water at once.
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After Shocking Your Pool
Why: If you use a water clarifier with chlorinated pool shock, the polymers can be destroyed by chlorine before they ever get to coagulation.
When: Add a water clarifier to your pool at least a day after the shock treatment has finished.
You could use a combination of the two with Clean and Swims non-chlorinated shock treatment and pool clarifier.
Can I Use Aluminum Sulfate As A Pool Flocculant
Yes, you can Aluminum Sulfate, also known as Alum Floc, as a pool flocculant. Look for food-grade, garden-grade or technical-grade Aluminum Sulfate. Depending on the condition of your pool, youll want to use around 4 lbs of Alum per 10,000 gallons of water. It works just like a packaged pool flocculant, so be sure your water chemistry is balanced before adding it, and be sure to vacuum to waste.
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Backwash The Pool Filters
To remove dirt and any sediments collected in the pool filters, perform a backwash on them. This makes them effective at capturing the dirt from the water again.
With these simple steps, you should have your pool water crystal clear again. While going through these steps, avoid using the pool for any activity until youre effectively done. Otherwise, itll not be effective and you risk harm from the flocculant in the water.
Can You Add Too Much Shock To A Pool
Can you put too much shock in a pool? SKIMMER NOTES: It’s unlikely but it could happen. It would take a lot of shock to really make the water unsafe for swimming. The best way to make sure you’re safe to swim is to test your pool water and make sure free chlorine levels are between 1-4ppm for healthy swimming.
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What Is Pool Flocculant
Flocculant, also known as pool floc, is another chemical to add to your pool when the other clarifier options are not working effectively.
First, lets lay out the similarities and differences between flocculant and pool clarifier because they both have the same end goal: to clear up your pool. Each of these options works to bind the floating oils, debris, particles that are floating in the water.
The main difference between the flocculant and pool clarifier is where the clumped particles go. Clarifier keeps the bounded matter at the top of the pool to be grabbed by the pool filter. Meanwhile, pool floc snags the particles, assembles them, and then sinks them to the bottom of the surface. You can also leave the pool filter off overnight while the pool floc goes to work, which is one less thing to do.
Flocculant also works much faster than the pool clarifier. If you do not want to wait a couple of days for the pool to become clear, pool floc will be ideal for you. Need a quick turnaround? Pool floc is the way to go.
Pool Flocculant Basics How To Use Homemade + What To Do If Not Working Or Sinking
When swimming pools get dirty, they often have different solutions to this dirt depending on the cause. One of the most commonly used methods to clean pools is adding a flocculant to it. Pool flocculants are some of the best cleaning chemicals for pools owing to how fast and effective they are at it.
Pool flocculants can be quite complex to understand and use as they come in different forms and may have different instructions on how to use them. However, all you need to know is that flocculants are meant to help you clear up the pool that cant be cleared by your filtration system. While most of the flocculants available are bought from shops, you can also make your own right at home and itll be just as effective as the commercial ones.
In this guide, we take a look at what flocculants are, how to use them, a review of the best, how to make your own at home and frequently asked questions.
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How Long Does It Take For Pool Clarifier To Work
Depending on your pools level of cloudiness, it can take 2-3 days to clear up your water using pool water clarifier. Youll need to balance your water and run your filter 24/7 while the clarifier is at work. And if you have an algae problem, youll have to address that first before adding pool clarifier. Be sure to check out our guide on The Smart Way To Kill Algae In Your Pool Quickly.
Pool Water Clarifier Ingredients
Liquid clarifiers contain water along with an active ingredient like Aluminium Chlorohydrate . Clarifier tablets use a similar chemical except. Since theyre a dry tablet, they dont contain water. Tablets are often more concentrated than the liquid form.Different Types of Swimming Pool ClarifierPolyDADMAC this is a very common type of pool clarifier and contains ammonium chloride. Just in case you want to show off your chemistry knowledge, the full name for PolyDADMAC is Poly Dimethyl Diallyl Ammonium Chloride.Aluminium Sulfate this is also a very commonly used ingredient in pool clarifiers. Aluminium derivatives are commonly used in water treatment plants around the world to help clear water. Polyacrylamines they often come in gel or tablet form. They are again used in water treatment plants and in other processes like paper making. Natural Clarifiers it is possible to buy pool clarifiers made from natural ingredients. Natural clarifiers can be made from Chitosan. Chitosan is something that is made from crustaceans. So Which One Do You Need?You could use any of these. They are all common in water treatment and have been used safely for many years. We recommend this one here.
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