Bacteria, algae and microscopic contaminants, such as urine, sweat, sunscreen and beauty products, take a toll on your swimming pool’s water chemistry. These substances, when present in your pool water, accelerate chlorine demand and can affect your chlorine’s ability to maintain properly sanitized water.
Maintaining a weekly preventative maintenance routine, that includes algaecides, clarifiers and balancers, allows your chlorine to last longer and more efficiently kill bacteria. Take these steps to protect your pool from chlorine loss and help your chlorine last longer.
Chlorine Stabilizer
Chlorine stabilizer or Cynanuric Acid (CYA) is a pool balancing chemical used to help chlorine last longer. Chlorine, in its natural form, is unstablized—which means it degrades when exposed to sunlight. Adding a chlorine stabilizer reduces the sun’s impact on chlorine loss. Maintain a stabilizer level between 30-150 ppm. The longer chlorine is present in pool water, the longer it’s available to kill bacteria and sanitize the water.
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Algaecide
Algaecides are used to treat and prevent pool algae. Many pool owners make the mistake of only using algaecides to treat an existing algae problem. However, using a weekly preventative algaecide treatment will help to kill algae spores and lessen the workload on chlorine. This will help chlorine last longer.
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Clarifier
Clarifiers help to keep pool water clear. Clarifiers remove microscopic contaminants through the pool’s filtration system rather than allowing them to be broken down by chlorine. This will help chlorine last longer.
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Test
Pool chemistry can change quickly. Test pool water at least once per week. Maintain proper water balance by keeping pool water within the following ranges:
- Total Hardness: 175-275 ppm
- Total Chlorine: 1-4 ppm
- Free Chlorine: 1-4 ppm
- pH: 7.2 – 7.6
- Total Alkalinity: 80-150 ppm
- Stabilizer: 30-150 ppm
