Basic Guide to Swimming Pool Chemicals

Swimming pools are a great source for outdoor recreation and fun. Any swimming pool owner knows that to enjoy their pool to the fullest they must maintain it. For the new pool owner this can be very overwhelming. Where do you start? One of the best places to start is the chemicals used in a swimming pool. Let’s take a look at some of the most common chemicals that a pool owner will come across.

Chlorine

Chlorine is one of the most important chemicals used in a swimming pool. It is responsible for sanitizing and disinfecting the water. Chlorine will kill bacteria, living organisms, and other contaminants and it will also stop any disease-carrying capabilities of these unwanted items. Chlorine plays an important role in your water chemistry so it is important to keep your chlorine levels monitored properly.

Common forms of chlorine

• Sodium Hypochlorite – Commonly known as Liquid Chlorine
• Dichlor – Commonly known as Granular Chlorine
• Trichlor – Commonly known as Chlorine Tablets

Bromine

An alternative to using chlorine is bromine. Bromine is similar to chlorine in that it is used as a sanitizer and disinfectant. In higher temperatures bromine is more stable when compared to chlorine. Because it can withstand higher temperatures bromine is found many times as a spa sanitizer. Bromine can be used for swimming pool sanitization and just like chlorine it needs to be monitored properly.

Stabilizers

Cyanuric Acid, which is more commonly known as stabilizer or conditioner, is important for your water chemistry. What this chemical does is help protect the chlorine in your pool. Chlorine is easily destroyed by the sun’s ultra violet rays, but with a stabilizer or conditioner in the water the chlorine is protected. Cyanuric Acid can make the chlorine in your pool more effective as a sanitizer and disinfectant.

Shock Treatments

Chlorine does a great job at sanitizing and disinfecting your pool water, but when ammonia is present in the water the chlorine can’t successfully kill it. The chlorine and ammonia combine and form what is called chloramines. These chloramines will show up as chlorine when you test your water, but they will not have any use as a sanitizer or disinfectant.

To rid your pool of bacteria and unwanted forms of chlorine you need to shock your pool on a regular basis. Shock is a concentrated form of chlorine sanitization. The shock will raise the levels of chlorine to high levels, which will then be enough to kill all unwanted organic materials.

Common forms of Shock

• Calcium Hypochlorite – Commonly known as Cal-Hypo
• Potassium Peroxymonosulfate – Commonly known as Non Chlorine Shock

pH Balancers

PH Balancers work to keep your pool water balanced by either decreasing or increasing the pH. The ph refers to the relative acidity of the water. Using the pH scale, which ranges from 1.0 – 14.0, you can balance your water to an ideal range of 7.4 or 7.6. To lower or raise the pH of your water you will want to use either a pH Decreaser or pH Increaser.

Common forms of pH Balancers

• Sodium Bisulfate – Commonly known as pH Decreaser
• Sodium Carbonate – Commonly known as pH Increaser

Alkalinity Balancers

Using an alkalinity balancer will help to keep your total alkalinity properly balanced. Total Alkalinity refers to the quantity of alkaline material in the water. If the alkalinity of the water is unbalanced you will see a fluctuation in the pH. To maintain proper balance you will need an alkalinity increaser or decreaser.

Common forms of Alkalinity Balancers

• Sodium Bisulfate – Commonly known as ph Decreaser
• Sodium Bicarbonate – Commonly known as Alkalinity Increaser

Water Hardness Balancers

Sometimes the calcium hardness in the water can be too low. Calcium hardness refers to the amount of minerals, in this case calcium that is present in the water. To increase the calcium levels in your water you will want to use Calcium Chloride or more commonly known as a water hardness increaser. You should be careful not to exceed the Calcium Chloride level as the only way to decrease those levels is to drain your pool water completely and start over.

Algaecides

Algae blooms are common if the conditions are right. To get rid of algae many people turn to the use of an algaecide chemical treatment. Using an algaecide will help remove algae in your water. Algaecides come in many forms. There are quaternary forms, polymeric forms, and copper forms. It is important to use the correct form of algaecide for your specific type of algae.

Clarifiers

The water in your pool can become cloudy even if you are doing everything right. This occurs when fine debris is suspended in the swimming pool water. To remove the debris you can use a clarifier. The clarifier causes these fine particles to group together so that they become larger particles. They will then need to be vacuumed out or filtered through the filtration system before you can enjoy crystal clear water.

Common forms of Clarifiers

• Organic – Commonly known as Coagulant
• Alum – Commonly known as Flocculent

Knowing your chemicals

As you can see there are many chemicals to be aware of when maintaining a swimming pool. Knowing the common chemicals is the first step to being an informed pool owner. Armed with this information maintaining your pool becomes a little easier.