Posts

Myth vs. Reality: Pool Chemicals Edition

Image
Pool care runs on chemistry, yet many of the loudest rules come from habit, not science. This episode takes aim at three big beliefs: the acid “column” or “slug” method, the idea that liquid chlorine always raises pH, and the notion of “chlorine lock.” Each claim contains a grain of logic, which is why they persist, but the full picture clarifies what really happens in water. We also address swimmer safety after dosing—how soon you can get back in after adding chlorine or muriatic acid—and why circulation and cyanuric acid levels matter more than a blanket 24-hour rule. If you maintain pools for clients, this knowledge trims costs, protects surfaces, and keeps water safer and clearer. Let’s start with the acid column myth. The story says that pouring all your muriatic acid in one deep-end spot drops total alkalinity without much effect on pH, while walking it around drops pH more. It sounds plausible if you imagine acid “sinking,” but that mental picture fails at the molecular level. M...
Post a Comment
Read more

Zero Chlorine? Here’s What’s Really Happening

Image
 When a pool refuses to hold chlorine, the knee-jerk reaction is to add more. But most vanishing-chlorine stories start with movement, not chemistry. Poor filtration lets debris and organics linger, and weak circulation fails to spread sanitizer where it’s needed. Torn DE grids, an overused single cartridge, or starved pump runtime can turn a stable pool into a chlorine sink. Restore flow and run time first: clean or replace media, recharge DE, and aim for strong turnover with enough daily hours, especially in warm months. Once water is moving and clean, every other fix works faster and lasts longer. Water quality sets the chlorine demand. Cloudy or green pools carry a massive organic load that “uses up” sanitizer. That’s why a heavy shock in a swampy pool can vanish to near zero by morning even after adding gallons of liquid and bags of cal hypo. The water looks milky blue because the chlorine did its job killing algae and oxidizing waste, but the residual disappears under the loa...
Post a Comment
Read more

No Chlorine From Your Salt System? Here’s Why

Image
Saltwater pools promise steady chlorine with less hassle, yet many owners wake up to zero readings and a confused control panel. The real problem rarely comes from a single fault; it’s a system of limits tied to water chemistry, temperature, flow, and equipment age. Start at the cell: scale on the plates acts like insulation that blocks current and slashes production. Even when your controller doesn’t flash a “clean cell” alert, thin calcium film can cripple output. A gentle acid bath using the ratio in your owner’s manual removes scale without stripping plate material. Over‑acid washing shortens cell life, so avoid strong mixes and long soaks. Make a habit of visual checks, especially with clear‑lid models, and plan light cleanings before peak season. Next, verify the salt level with a trusted tool rather than the panel alone. Controllers can drift or lie when a cell ages, showing false low or high readings that lock out generation. A handheld digital salinity meter pays for itself by...
Post a Comment
Read more

Algae Eating Your Profits? Fix It Fast

Image
Algae is not just a cosmetic problem for pool pros; it is a profit leak that drains time, trust, and chemical budgets. When a route hits peak season, even two algae-hit pools can add 20 to 30 minutes to a day, pushing back schedules and increasing frustration. That time compounds across a week, turning into real revenue loss, and it often cannot be billed if the cause is unclear to the homeowner. Worse, recurring algae erodes customer confidence. People pay for blue, swim-ready water, and when they see mustard streaks on steps or stubborn patches in corners, they question the service, not the many variables behind the scenes. Keeping that trust demands a plan that reduces blooms before they start. A key pillar is understanding why algae appears even when free chlorine tests “good.” The relationship between cyanuric acid and free chlorine sets the actual floor for sanitizer strength. Using Bob Lowry’s guideline, maintain free chlorine at a minimum of 7.5% of CYA. At 80 ppm CYA, that mea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cal Hypo Explained: The Good, The Bad & The Calcium

Image
Calcium hypochlorite, known as cal hypo, is a staple sanitizer for many pool professionals because it delivers strong oxidation in a compact, shelf-stable form. Its percentage strength varies by source: pros often buy 73 to 78 percent, while big-box stores carry around 65 percent. Strength by weight matters when you compare products. A practical field rule equates roughly one pound of 73 percent cal hypo to one gallon of 12.5 percent liquid chlorine, even though the true math says about 22 ounces is closer. That near-parity makes cal hypo useful for routine shocking and midweek boosts, especially when you want portability and fewer heavy jugs. Still, it’s not just about free chlorine output; you need to think through side effects, regional water conditions, and safety. Safety sits at the center of using cal hypo well. Never mix it with trichlor or dichlor, which contain cyanuric acid; the reaction can be violently exothermic and explosive in feeders, skimmers, or buckets. Avoid putting...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bob Lowry: Party-Ready Pools and Alkalinity Control

Image
Crowded pool days can turn clear water cloudy fast, but a few smart steps before guests arrive protect clarity, comfort, and budget. Bob Lowry lays out a simple plan: raise free chlorine a few ppm, add a measured dose of non-chlorine oxidizer, and keep the circulation system running throughout the event. The surprise hero is the shower. A quick rinse removes sunscreen, deodorant, lotions, and oils that devour sanitizer in the first minutes after swimmers enter. Studies show pre-swim rinsing can cut chemical demand dramatically, which means fewer chloramines, better smell, and happier eyes. Pair that with a steady filter and you trap organics early, letting chlorine focus on disinfection instead of cleanup. Many service techs run into a different headache: sky-high cyanuric acid from heavy trichlor use. For every 10 ppm of chlorine dosed via trichlor, about 6 ppm of cyanuric acid remains. Over weeks, that creeps upward, forcing the required free chlorine residual to rise to maintain the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bob Lowry Explains Trichlor Tablets and Pool Acid Cautions

Image
Pool chemistry rewards careful thinking and punishes assumptions. One of the stickiest myths is that cyanuric acid declines when water evaporates, so trichlor tablets can be used freely in hot, dry climates. Distillation physics says otherwise: evaporation removes pure water only, leaving behind calcium, salts, cyanuric acid, and everything else dissolved. When trichlor adds 10 ppm of free chlorine, it also contributes about 6 ppm of cyanuric acid. At a typical 10 ppm chlorine demand per week, CYA can rise roughly 25 ppm per month and 100 to 150 ppm over a season. That buildup weakens chlorine’s effectiveness and forces partial drains or backwashing to reset levels, because splash-out and leaks are the only real exits for CYA, not evaporation. Every chlorine choice carries a byproduct tradeoff. Trichlor and dichlor add cyanuric acid, liquid chlorine adds salt that becomes part of total dissolved solids, and calcium hypochlorite adds calcium hardness. The question isn’t whether byproduc...
Post a Comment
Read more