What Type of Chlorine is Best for my Pool?
There is some confusion about what type of chlorine, known
also as a sanitizer that would work best in your pool. I will go over the ones
that I use and list the pros and cons of each one for you here. There are several
different ones to choose from and hopefully after reading this you can purchase
the best one for your pool care needs.
Liquid Chlorine or Bleach is the tried and true
standard chemical of choice for most pool service professionals. It is easy to
use and relatively inexpensive and it has the least side effects of any of the
chlorine you can choose from. It is usually sold in 12.5% active chlorine per
gallon with Bleach coming in at about half that strength at 6.5%. It will raise
the pH slightly, but it does not contain any Stabilizer or Conditioner making
it ideal for all pool types. This means that when you add a gallon of liquid
chlorine and your Conditioner level (CYA) is 50 ppm it will stay at 50 ppm even
if you add 20 gallons of liquid chlorine.
Pros:
Fastest
acting of all chlorine types
Will
not raise your CYA level
Safe
for all pool types
Easy
to use
Cons:
Breaks
down by the Sun’s UV Rays so you pool needs a CYA level of 30-50 ppm
Short
shelf life so rotate stock or buy fresh chlorine when needed
The
gallons can be heavy compared to a bag of shock
Is
seen as weaker than shock based on the low percentage of chlorine but is stronger
Cal
Hypo is very popular and there are a number of reasons why it is widely used in
the industry. It is easy to carry and comes in different strengths 60-75%
active chlorine. One of the major side effects is that it contains calcium, so
over time it will raise your pool’s calcium hardness. Not an issue if you live
in an area with soft water but I caution the use in areas with hard water. It
also has a high pH of around 12 so it will raise the pH in a pool if you use a significant
amount each week. It can also make the pool cloudy if you pour a bag directly
in. A very powerful form of shock.
Pros:
Strong
and easy to use
Does
not contain Conditioner so it will not raise the pool’s CYA levels
Safe
for all pool surface types but use caution with a vinyl liner
Cons:
Raises
Calcium Harness in a pool
Raises
the pH in a pool
Clouds
up the pool water
Dichlor
is a very popular form of chlorine and the granular form makes it very easy to
measure and use in a pool. It is pH neutral which means it will not raise or
lower the pool pH in any significant way. It does contain Conditioner, about 45%-50%
by weight. So, if you add 10 lbs. of Dichlor to a pool you are also adding
about 5 lbs. of Conditioner. Over time this will increase the pool’s CYA levels.
A little Dichlor goes a long way making this an ideal chemical to carry on your
truck if you service pools. Just don’t over use it because of the high amount
of Conditioner in the product. It is usually about 62% active chlorine by weight.
Pros:
Easy
to use and powerful
pH
neutral
Safe
for all surface types
Long
shelf life of 2-3 years
Cons:
Adds
Conditioner to the pool
Tri-Chlor
or Trichloroisocyanuric Acid comes in three forms. The familiar 3” tablets that
slowly dissolve in your pool, a very fine powder shock and a granular form.
About 50% of the Tri-Chlor by weight is Conditioner. So, a 50 lbs. bucket of
tablets is about 25 lbs. of Conditioner. If you overuse tablets your pool’s CYA
level can go up rapidly. Trichlor tablets are usually 95% to 99% active
chlorine. Tri-Chlor tablets have a very low pH of 2-3 so they will lower the pH
in your pool. The tablets contain acid in the for of Cyanuric Acid so if one
falls into the pool it is likely to stain the surface by burning it.
The
powder form of Tri-Chlor shock is a good mix of both power and less Conditioner
per pound. It is fast acting but has a strong chemical smell so use caution
when using it. It is less pure than the tablet form and is usually 65%-70%
active chlorine. I use it on my route
and find it to be effective in shocking a pool.
Tri-Chlor
granular is very powerful stuff. It is basically the Tri-Chlor Tablet grounded
up in granular form and is 99% active chlorine. Use with extreme caution as the
Conditioner in the granular can stain the plaster. The CYA in the tablet is
basically an acid and if you let it pile up on the pool surface it will stain
the plaster as if you dropped a 3” Tablet into the pool. Never add this to the
skimmer and if you do use it for Black or Mustard algae make sure it is evenly dispersed
on the pool surface. Not for use in Vinyl, Fiberglass or color plaster pools.
Pros:
Very
strong and slow dissolving in tablet form so it releases chlorine all week long
Easy
to use and affordable
Cons:
Can
stain the pool surface
Contains
50% CYA by weight
So, there you have some sanitizer choices for your pool. As you can see there is no perfect chlorine on the market, so you should get educated on which is best for your pool.
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