With chlorine prices reaching an all-time high with inflated prices of 20% to even over 100% you will be losing money in your pool service business unless you take action now. Price increases are a great way to offset these costs and over 64% of the business of all types across the US have raised prices on their customers. Another way you can save on chlorine is by adding an enhancer to every pool on your route.
There probably is no industry standard when referring to the following products but I like to call them enhancers since they enhance the effectiveness of the chlorine in a pool. I've heard the term chlorine enhancer used and that is a good way to look at these products. Adding one or more of these enhancers will allow you to use less chlorine, thereby lowering your overall chemical cost out on your pool route.
Starbucks was sued a couple of years ago because someone was smart enough to realize that their Iced Caramel Macchiato (Venti) 24 oz drink contained ice which made the amount of coffee and other ingredients less than the 24 oz size. They eventually lost because the ice would melt and add to the 24 0z size eventually. So think of an enhancer as “ice” in a pool. A filler so to speak to stretch out the amount of chlorine you will use. Just as Starbucks uses less coffee and milk in their drinks by adding ice. Let's go over each enhancer briefly and you can use any one or multiple combinations of these to make the Free Chlorine in a pool last longer.
Phosphate and Enzymes:
This one-two punch can be highly effective in allowing the chlorine to work in the pool on the things it was intended to and not be “used up” by phosphates and non-living organics.
Instead of getting technical and trying to teach a science class explaining how enzymes work, we will try to break it down more simply. Enzymes break non-living things down into smaller and smaller bits. Many non-living things are in pool and spa water; body oils, sweat, cosmetics, and sunscreens to name a few. This frees up the chlorine to work on the things it was intended to fight like viruses and bacteria instead of being wasted on these non-living organics.
Phosphate reducers are specialty chemicals used to remove phosphates from pool water. They are typically salts of aluminum or lanthanum which, when added to water, produce insoluble phosphate compounds which are removed through filtration, vacuuming, or both. Creates an ION exchange causing the phosphates to drop and they can be vacuumed and filtered out of the pool. Phosphates are food for algae and by eliminating them from the water you eliminate at least one major food source for algae. This will prevent algae growth which is a big reason why the chlorine level drops rapidly in some pools.
PoolRX and Mineral Systems:
Using the PoolRX on your pool route will save you time and money. The manufacturer's claim of saving 20-30% on chemical cost is not far-fetched and once you try a PoolRx in one of your accounts you will be surprised by how effective it is.
PoolRx is a Mineral Technology that does two very simple things when used in your pool or spa; it eliminates all algae and will allow you to use less chlorine during the pool season. The active ingredient is Copper Sulphate Pentahydrate (chelated).
By eliminating algae growth the chlorine is automatically freed up and will last longer in a pool. Mineral technologies like the Frog and Nature2 also use minerals (metals) to prevent algae.
Borates:
The Borate in the water at 50 ppm helps reduce chlorine usage by eliminating Carbon Dioxide and also by keeping the pH stable. Chlorine lasts longer when the pH is right at 7.6-7.8. When the chlorine is in the ideal range the killing element in chlorine the HOCI is at the most balanced percentage so the chlorine in a pool with a pH of 7.4 is 30% more effective than in a pool with a pH of 8.0. This is a big factor in creating the safest swim environment and the borates will keep the pH much more stable and in turn, make the chlorine much more effective.
The pH won't change much in a pool with Borate in it. So, if you have a Salt Water Pool this is a must since the pH tends to rise dramatically. In fact, in a Salt Water Pool the pH can rise to over 8.4 very rapidly. You will find yourself putting tons of acid in each week just to keep the pH below 7.8. With borates in the pool, the pH will be stable and easy to control. It is a must for a pool with a Salt Water Generator. It also will keep your salt cell from building up calcium rapidly since it sequesters the Calcium in the water. This means the salt cell will remain clean and your salt system will run much more efficiently.
Boric Acid is a known Biostat. This prevents the algae cell from forming and multiplying. Thus, a pool with a Borate level between 30-50 ppm will prevent algae growth. Since borate prevents the algae cell from growing, algae blooms will be a thing of the past. No more algaecides or shocking the pool, algae just won’t grow in your pool any longer.
Any one of these or a combination of these will save you money on your pool route by reducing the amount of chlorine you will be using from week to week. With chlorine at such high prices, it just makes sense to use an enhancer to offset the cost. You can charge the customer for the product and even if absorb some or all of the cost you will be saving money on your chemical cost each week.
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