PoolRx Boosters: When, Why, and How—According to Fred Schweer

Pool care often feels like a tug-of-war between rising chlorine demand and stubborn microalgae. This conversation breaks down a mineral-based approach with PoolRx that changes the balance. The core idea is simple: get the right mineral concentration into solution, keep it there, and let chlorine work at a lower, steadier level. Success begins with sizing the unit to pool volume so the chemistry reaches an effective tipping point. A clean filter at install matters because the minerals are granular and must dissolve into the water, not sit in the media. Factors like splash-out, backwashing, and heavy dilution shorten longevity because they physically remove minerals, while sunlight and heat do not. When the concentration falls, microalgae return, chlorine demand rises, and it’s time for a booster.

Recognizing the right moment to boost is a practical skill. First you’ll notice chlorine doesn’t hold as long four to six months in. Next the water can look a bit dull or slightly cloudy even with a normal free chlorine reading and balanced chemistry. The final nudge is any hint of algae like a mustard spot or green tinge. The booster is straightforward: choose blue for 7,500–20,000 gallons or black for 20,000–30,000, dump into the skimmer or pump basket with a clean filter, run the pump to dissolve, and the minerals recharge as they pass over the original unit. That restores mineral concentration and returns the system to the low-chlorine, algae-free zone by the next day. For very large bodies of water, PoolRx scales to commercial systems with dedicated units and mineral buckets that match higher gallonage.

Saltwater pools showcase the benefits clearly. Because salt cells tend to push pH up and produce strong chlorine locally, you want to lower pH to around 7.2–7.4 before installing so minerals dissolve smoothly and don’t stick to scale. After installation, you can often drop SWG output to 30–40 percent because chlorine holds longer when microalgae are suppressed. That also means less acid needed to control pH drift and less strain on the cell, extending its life. A bonus: a bit of zinc in the formula helps scale resist sticking on surfaces, especially the cell plates, so you clean them less often. Keep free chlorine in the 0.5–1 ppm range with normal chemistry and proper run times, and you’ll see a stable, clear pool with fewer swings.

Compatibility is broad, which makes adoption easy for pros. PoolRx plays well with UV, ozone, enzymes, phosphate removers, and borates, though many users find they simply need fewer add-ons. Avoid bromine, sodium bromide, biguanides, and other copper-based algaecides; PoolRx is your algaecide in this setup. If you service spas, start with fresh water and use dichlor sparingly alongside the unit, skipping bromine altogether. For Cal Hypo, be careful with granular: dissolve and dilute in a five-gallon bucket before dosing to avoid instant oxidation that can stain surfaces gray or black. Cal Hypo tabs and other chlorine forms are fine, but skipping the dilution step with granular is a gamble you don’t need to take.

Install technique is the final piece that stringently affects results. With DE filters, clean grids and charge DE correctly; if possible, recirculate at first so minerals don’t bind to DE powder. If you can’t bypass, place the unit in the skimmer farthest from the pump at the start of a run cycle to give minerals time to dissolve before hitting DE. Variable speed pumps need longer run windows on install day to fully dissolve minerals; three to four hours at higher RPMs or longer at lower speeds does the job. Try to avoid immediate cleaning or backwashing right after install so the minerals can move into solution rather than get washed out. When clearing a swamp, expect to run 24 hours and clean the filter next day due to dead algae, then re-establish the mineral level as needed. With these steps, PoolRx delivers a predictable pattern: fewer algae issues, steadier chlorine, improved clarity, and saved time for both pros and homeowners.