The best routine to maintain a swimming pool. Chemical treatments, cleaning etc?

Question

The best routine to maintain a swimming pool. Chemical treatments, cleaning etc?

Answer 1

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Sanitize your swimming pool with chemical chlorine, which is dissolved into your swimming pool water and combines with bacteria and other organics in the water on a molecular level to kill these harmful contaminants. Once chlorine combines with the bacteria and organics in the swimming pool water, the chlorine becomes inactive and no longer work to sanitize your pool. The combined chlorine and organic contaminants are burned off by a weekly shock treatment, and removed from the water by the pool filter system.

Determine what type of chlorine you should use. There seem to be many types of chlorine on the market, and each pool supply company works hard to make their chlorine product seem new and different. Chlorine is available in 3" tablets, 1" tablets, sticks and in a granular form. Upon inspecting the labels and comparing of all of the different brands of chlorine, you will see that the active ingredient is exactly the same in all of them. The active ingredient in 3" tablets, 1" tablets and sticks is called "Trichlor" (or Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione), and the active ingredient in granular chlorine is called "Dichlor" (or Sodium Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione). You will find a very wide range of prices for chlorine, and the only real difference you may find between the many brands of chlorine is the concentration of the active ingredients. You should look for a concentration of 56% to 62% Sodium Dichloro-S-Triazinetrione in granular chlorine, and a concentration of 90% Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione in chlorine tablets or sticks. Granular Chlorine can also be in the form of Calcium Hypochlorite. It is typically only available p to 65%. For more information on different types of chlorine, see the tips below.

Add the chlorine to your swimming pool. Floating chlorine feeders and automatic chemical feeders are available from any pool supply distributor, to automatically dissolve 1 inch chlorine tablets, 3 inch chlorine tablets or chlorine sticks into your pool water. Automatic chlorine feeders are a great help to properly maintaining your swimming pool. Chemical feeders slowly meter out precise amounts of chlorine into your pool water automatically, and offer very precise control over the amount of chlorine being added to the swimming pool. You should never simply dump chlorine tablets or chlorine sticks into your swimming pool, or place chlorine tablets or chlorine sticks in the skimmer basket of your swimming pool. If a chlorine tablet is dissolving in your skimmer basket, all of the water passing through your pool plumbing and circulation system carries a high level of chlorine. This high concentration of chlorine slowly eats at the inside of the circulation system, and causes premature failure of your pool pump and pool filter components.

Although cyanuric acid(isocyanuric acid)stabilizes the chlorine level, it does it at the cost of reducing the effectiveness(ORP-Oxidation Reduction Potential) of the chlorine. Cyanuric acid is found in dichlor / trichlor tablets. If you choose to avoid cyanuric acid, look for Calcium Hypochlorite(solid) or Sodium Hypochlorite(liquid). You should test your pH, these two chemicals contain strong bases and will raise pH if used in sufficient quantity. If you do use Cyanuric acid, be sure to test the levels. If the levels are too, high the chlorine will completely lose it's sanitizing ability.

Or, consider using bromine instead. The chemical bromine is very similar to pool chlorine in the way that bromine kills bacteria and harmful contaminants, but the two pool chemicals react in different ways. Bromine is most commonly used to sanitize spas/hot tubs because it is more stable than chlorine in the warmer spa water temperatures, and because of the lack of chemical odor in the water. The chemical bromine is preferred by many pool and spa owners because it causes less irritation of the skin and eyes. Because bromine is so stable, it can be harder to wash the chemical smell from your skin after bathing in a pool or spa that uses bromine. Bromine is available in tablet form and can be added to pool water using a chemical feeder to dissolve the tablets. For more information on deciding between chlorine and bromine, see the tips below.

[edit] TipsA very common question for new pool owners is, “Which type of chlorine should I use?” The type of chlorine you select depends upon your application, your preferences or your pool maintenance habits. The most common (and therefore the least expensive) form of chlorine is 3” tablets. 3” tablets are slow dissolving, which requires less maintenance. You can fill a floating chlorine feeder or automatic chlorine feeder with large amounts of slow dissolving 3” chlorine tablets, and if the feeder is adjusted properly, you may not have to worry about your chlorine level for a week or more. Water testing should always be performed at least two times per week to ensure proper water balance