All about Using Liquid Chlorine in your Swimming Pool
HASA
is a big provider of liquid chlorine in my region and the familiar yellow cases
and white bottles are available at local pool stores as well as wholesale distributors.
In this podcast, I interview Terry Arko of HASA and we discuss every aspect of
using Liquid Chlorine as the primary sanitizer in your pool.
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 your 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
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 form 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 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
Terry
Arko has more than 40 years’ experience in the recreational water industry,
working in service, repair, retail sales, chemical manufacturing, technical
service, commercial sales, and product development. He has written over 100
published articles on water chemistry and has been an instructor of technical courses
for over 25 years. Terry is a voting member on the board of the Recreational
Water Quality Committee (RWQC) and serves as a board member for California
Pool and Spa Association (CPSA). He is
also a Certified Pool Operator instructor with the Pool Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA).
To reach Terry Arko
Learn
more about HASA Sani-Clor:
Visit my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/
YouTube Video Index: http://poolmandave.blogspot.com/2014/03/swimming-pool-tips-reviews-how-to-video.html – A list of all of my videos.
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