Swimming Pool Chlorine Byproducts

Everything we use has a byproduct. A gasoline engine puts out Carbon dioxide & Carbon monoxide as the fuel is consumed. We all like our steaks and hamburgers, and cows produce byproducts like methane and manure. Did you know that every chlorine product also produces a byproduct? Liquid chlorine's byproduct is salt. Cal Hypo's is calcium, and Trichlor and Dichlor are cyanuric acid.

One way to offset these byproducts is to use a combination approach to your chlorine usage. Doing this ensures that one single byproduct does not dominate your pool water. A partial drain and refill each month also helps reduce these byproducts as you add fresh water and drain the different byproducts - salt, calcium, and cyanuric acid. A partial drain is needed because these byproducts naturally leave the pool water through evaporation but stay behind in the water as the pure water evaporates. 

How to Effectively Use Chlorine to Sanitize a Pool Outline:

Most pool pros use a combination of chlorine products since we visit a pool once weekly, excluding Commercial service accounts.

Liquid chlorine with 3" Trichlor tablets

Cal Hypo with 3" Trichlor tablets

Sometimes, Dichlor with Cal Hypo or Liquid Chlorine

We use 12.5% liquid chlorine

70-73% Cal Hypo

99% Trichlor

Each chlorine has a byproduct based on 10,000 gallons of water:

Liquid chlorine is salt

For every ten ppm of free chlorine in liquid chlorine, there is also around 8-9 ppm of salt.

Trichlor is a Cyunaric Acid

Add seven ppm of CYA for every 1 lb of Trichlor added to the pool.

Cal Hypo is Calcium

Every ten ppm of Free Chlorine adds 7-8 ppm of calcium.

Dichlor for every 1 lb 6-7 ppm f CYA

You don't want to use Trichlor with Dichlor since they have the same byproduct, CYA.

You can use Dichlor with Cal Hypo Tablets or Cal Hypo shock/liquid chlorine.

Trichlor tablets are great because they slowly dissolve during the week and stabilize the free chlorine level at 3-5 ppm. Chlorine is protected from burning off quickly because it contains CYA.

Liquid chlorine and cal hypo do not contain any CYA. They can be used weekly alone but must be added every 3-4 days in the Summer months.

 

To offset each of these byproducts, a combination approach is best

Eventually, a partial drain is needed to help reduce these byproducts in the pool water. CYA, salt, and calcium do not evaporate out of the pool and can only be lowered by a partial drain and refilled or diluted during a heavy rainy season.

Using the combination approach makes balancing the water easier

This leads to fewer drains and refills

We check the calcium levels

CYS levels

50-100 ppm

Salt (salinity) levels regularly

And the overall 

TDS levels regularly – Total Dissolved Solids

1,500 and 2,500 parts per million (ppm)

Saltwater pool TDS (3000-6000) ppm

Since every chlorine product has a byproduct, the best way to offset each is to use a combination of different chlorine products.

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