This post was most recently updated on May 10th, 2023
Swimming pools need to be clean and clear, but it’s a tough job. Most owners don’t usually change the water for years because it’s inefficient. The bacteria, viruses, and pathogens can all be killed if you use the right combination of chemicals and need to know about the Pool Shock Treatment Calculator.
Another thing is that you need to be careful with the solutions, so the swimmers won’t get irritated when they take a quick and cool swim in your pool on a hot sunny afternoon. With wholesale pool chemicals, you’ll be able to get the water cleaned for a very long time. The maintenance will be more regular, and everyone will have the chance to swim in water that’s clean. Here are some chemicals that should always be in stock:
Sanitizers
These are the powders that will keep the water disinfected and sanitized. Swimming pools should have a constant level of bromine and chlorine without any valleys or peaks. A stick or 3-inch tablet of chlorine with cyanuric acid should be added to an installed chlorinator or floater. Granular types will act more quickly for fountains, pools, and spas. A single bromine tab will work better and ideally in a hot tub where the pH levels will be more stable.
Cyanuric acid can be dry or liquid in form, and it acts as a chlorine stabilizer. It protects chlorine from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Add a lot more to maintain at least 30 ppm. When the cyanuric acid exceeds 50 ppm, reduce the water and refill it again. You’ll know the measurements of various chemicals through test strips and kits, which will help you get an accurate reading of the current chemistry of the water.
About the Oxidizers
Another secondary sanitizer to consider is the oxidizer. This is used at least once in three weeks to kill bacteria, algae, and other types of Microorganisms that can be harmful to the human body. Non-chlorine or chlorine shocks are usually in the form of powders, and you have to open a bag of them and pour them into the water.
The calcium hypochlorite pool shock is used to boost the current chlorine levels of the water and kill algae. It’s used to sanitize the pool when the pH levels are around 7.2. Another is the chlorine-free shock, an oxygen-based and fast-acting oxidizer burning clean without any residue. It’s possible to swim right after the treatment. Read more about oxidizers on this site here.
Balancers
If you need to keep the water balanced, you should test the pool for various chemicals. Adjust whenever it’s necessary, and make sure to know the total alkalinity. Test the cyanuric acid levels and calcium hardness at least once a month.
pH Increaser can be in the form of granular soda ash. This will allow an increase in pH when the levels fall below 7.2 ppm. A pound of this will lower the pH by three. For example, if the current pH is 7.7 in 10,000 gallons of water, it will just be down to 7.4 afterward.
An alkalinity increaser may be used in some cases, which consists of granular sodium bicarbonate. The total alkalinity will be raised when the levels are going to fall below 80 ppm. Another chemical used is a calcium hardness increaser. This is in the form of granular calcium chloride, which will raise the hardness when it falls below the standard of 150ppm. A single pound of this will increase the calcium hardness by about 10 ppm.
Chlorine neutralizers are in the form of granular sodium thiosulfate. Read about sodium thiosulfate in this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_thiosulfate. This is utilized when the water’s concentration of chlorine becomes very high. The free chlorine levels will be lowered by about 10 ppm per 10000 gallons if you use at least one pound of the chemicals.
Chemical combo packs are available, and they consist of the essentials like algaecide, shock, tablets, and stain away. These are often carried by professionals and take you through an entire season. These packs are great, especially if you’ve just installed a pool and you need the bare minimum essentials.
Specialties
Specialty chemicals may come in handy, especially if you’ve encountered unexpected problems. They will keep everything looking their best. One of the larger categories is algaecides which is a copper-based solution. Others are non-metallic polymers that will prevent the algae from growing in your pool. Shocking the algae will prevent them from returning and kill all of them.
Clarifiers may coagulate and collect tiny particles to make them bigger. Some of the smaller ones may become trapped in the filters. The flocculants will be responsible for attracting dust, sand, and other small particles into a heavy clump that will be vacuumed off the floors.
Enzymes will break down non-living organic contaminants like oils and scum. They will remove the odor from the water, making it fresher and cleaner. There are filter cleaners used to remove oils, metals, minerals, and other gunk that may clog the filters.
