When choosing the best chlorine type for your pool, there is nothing wrong with being extra careful. You need to find convenient ways to apply chlorine while making sure to achieve great or expected results. Chlorine is presented in different forms, and factors on which one to use can also be a lot.
In this article, we will help you consider the different factors that may be effective in choosing the chlorine type for your pools. This would also help you save money as you do not need to try lots of possibilities before choosing the right or best one. There are surely lots of things to know here, so let us begin.
Part 1. Which Chlorine Should You Use?
It is not common for most people to know that there are two major types of chlorine, stabilized and unstabilized chlorine. These two have lots of differences, and once all of them are well understood, a pool owner can easily figure out the chlorine type that is best to use.
Stabilized chlorine contains CYA or cyanuric acid. Through the use of this chemical chlorine can be able to work at higher temperatures including when under the presence of too much sunlight. So, this is applicable if you have outdoor pools that do not have covers. On the other hand, unstabilized chlorine does not have cyanuric acid on it, which is why it can’t protect your pools against sunlight. This chlorine type is suitable for indoor pools.
- Chlorine Tablets
This chlorine type contains cyanuric acid or CYA which can protect your pool from the effects of sunlight. These tablets are often presented in 1-inch or 3-inch tablets and are usually stored in floating chlorine dispensers, automatic chlorinators, and skimmers as well. Some pool owners prefer using this one as they are slow dissolving, can last long, and can give sustained chlorination in your pool. They are also known to be more convenient compared to other types. They contain 90 percent of chlorine, and can greatly influence the alkalinity and pH of your pool.
- Liquid Chlorine
The next one we have is the liquid chlorine. This one is a cheaper choice compared to other chlorine types; however, this one is unstabilized. If you opt to use this, you still need to apply stabilizers in your pools like CYA or cyanuric acid. This would protect your pool from the effects of direct sunlight, making sure that chlorine is still intact. This chlorine type is highly corrosive and has a high pH as well. It can’t be stored for a long time, and you also have to use lots of it since it has less concentration of chlorine on it. This can also be easily applied since you just have to spill it over the surface of your pool. You just have to make sure that the pump and filtration systems are both running to make sure that chlorine is distributed well.
- Chlorine Granules
If you want something that can be dissolved quickly in your pool water, you can choose chlorine granules. This will help you combat contaminants and algae quickly. You can also add this chlorine type to your pool through the direct method. You just have to make sure that you apply the right dose which must be computed based on the size of the pool you have. Furthermore, you cannot also use automatic feeders because chlorine granules can be dissolved quickly. This type of chlorine is commonly made up of dichlor chlorine, which is why it has a lower chlorine concentration compared to the tablet form.
Part 2. Methods To Add Chlorine Tablets To Your Swimming Pool
We have discussed the different chlorine types that any pool owners can use for their pools. The most common, easiest to get, and apply is the chlorine tablet. There are also a variety of ways anyone can apply chlorine tablets in your pool, and we are about to enumerate some of them below.
- Using automatic chlorinators.
The use of automatic chlorinators is one of the best options to disperse chlorine into your pool water. This famous way to dispense chlorine in pools is also termed a chemical feeder. You just have to add the required quantity of chlorine tablets to your automatic feeder, and then set up the rate at which you want your tablets to dissolve. You have to directly install the chlorinator in the pump and filter system. This will release the right amount of chlorine. To dissolve chlorine tablets in your automatic chlorinators, pressure is needed. Also, turn on the pool pump so you can be sure that the chlorine tablets inside the automatic chlorinators are well dissolved.
- Floating Dispensers
Another one that we can use to dissolve chlorine tablets in the pool is floating dispensers. They are plastic gadgets that you usually see floating on the surface of your pool water. As the chlorine tablets dissolve, it is being dispersed in the water using floating dispensers. They are one of the best options if you are on a low budget cost since they are simple to use and require low maintenance as well. It is also needed to know that you have to always check the level of chlorine when using this gadget since it distributes chlorine unevenly. There are also instances that they can be stuck in areas where there are many pool toys and equipment such as ladders and slides.
These are only some of the methods that you can use to dispense chlorine tablets in your pool water. Always be mindful of the levels of other water components as they are connected and may affect each other in case of level fluctuation.
When applying chlorine to your pools there are a few important reminders that you have to take note of, these are:
- Remember to not mix one chlorine type with the other one to avoid any violent reaction.
- Always make sure to follow everything that is included and listed on the label.
- Always check and make sure that any foreign substance will not have any contact with chlorine.
- Always keep your chlorine away from children, and in a place that has proper ventilation, and is dry and cool.
- Do not let any other chemical have contact with chlorine.
Part 3. Conclusion
There are many chlorine types that you can use in your pool. Factors such as the pool location, type of pool, and availability of funds must always be considered in choosing which one are you going to use. It is essential that you also know how to apply or use the chlorine type that you have chosen to achieve the desired results. You can also consider storage area availability in case you are too far from the pool essentials market. For the liquid type of chlorine, it is not advisable for longer storage, and for the tablets and granular form, it is a must to make sure that the storage location is dry, and may not damage the physical conditions of the product to be able to avoid having lesser effect once used. In the end, you are still going to make sure that your decision will benefit the chlorine stability of your pool.
Part 4. FAQs
1. When is it best to use a 1-inch chlorine tablet and a 3-inch one?
One may be confused about what size of tablet they need to use; well, it will just depend on the size of your pool. If the pool you have is too large, you have to use 3-inch tablets, especially if your pool is 5,000 gallons or more, on the other hand, if your pool is small and has less than 5,000 gallons of pool water, you then have to use a 1-inch chlorine tablet.
2. Which should you use, a pool chlorine shock or chlorine tablets?
These two ways to apply or dispense chlorine in pools are different from one another, pool shock is a process where you add lots of chlorine doses, and is more concentrated, while on the other hand, chlorine tablets are more of the slow and modest form. If you intend to have a sudden boost of chlorine, you can shock your pool, you can also do it to maintain the cleanliness of your pool especially if it is always heavily used. On the other hand, chlorine tablets are used for pool maintenance, making sure that you have enough chlorine levels to protect your pool water.