What Is The Best Way To Chlorinate A Pool?
Chlorine tablets are the most common method to sanitize your swimming pool with little maintenance. Whereas liquid chlorine or granular chlorine may have quick effects on pools, chlorine tablets have long-term effects making sure the pool is properly chlorinated for longer periods of time.
Typically chlorinated tablets come in two sizes of 1-inch, or 3-inch pucks. These chlorine tablets have significant effects on the pool’s sanitization due to the chlorine stabilizer that is contained in the tablets.
Before using chlorinated tablets it is important to acquaint yourself with your pool better to understand the amount of chlorine that is necessary to ensure your pool has optimal chlorine levels. When chlorinating a larger pool that contains over 19,000 liters of water, it is important to use a 3-inch chlorine tablet and use a 1-inch chlorine tablet for a pool with 19,000 liters or less. Although these are interchangeable, it is better to stick with the suggested sizes to make sure your pool doesn’t have too much or too little chlorine.
Concerns and Applications of Chlorine Pucks
When using proper applicators or automatic chlorinators, chlorine tablets steadily chlorinate a pool. Not only are they beneficial to the swimmer’s use, but pucks require much less maintenance than granular or liquid chlorine. Although chlorine pucks are very useful when chlorinating pools, they can lower the pH level and alkalinity levels which can cause irritation to the swimmer as well as cause damage and erode the pool equipment. Another thing to remember when using chlorine tablets is that they contain cyanuric acid, which will raise the levels in your pool. Having high cyanuric acid can cause chlorine to become ineffective.
What’s The Difference Between Pool Chlorine Tablets and Other Types of Chlorine?
There are three ways to chlorinate a pool, all being significantly different from one another meaning they have different results. The three forms of chlorine for pools are tablets, granules, and liquid.
Chlorine Tablets
Chlorine tablets, or pucks, have chlorine and stabilizing aspects that have many similarities to cyanuric acid. Chlorine tablets/pucks are typically placed in floaters, skimmers, and chlorinators to distribute the chlorine equally throughout the pool. The tablets also serve as one of the better options as they slowly distribute the chlorine making it more effective for a longer period of time. The tablets also contain 90% chlorine meaning that it may have different effects on the pH and alkalinity of the pool.
Chlorine Granules
Chlorine granules are a powder-like substance that dissolves quickly in water. Granules are excellent for killing off bacteria and algae in a short amount of time. Because the pool owner needs to throw the granules in their pool themselves, it allows the pool owner to have complete control as to how chlorinated their pool is going to be. Although it is beneficial that an individual can control their chlorine levels, it is important to use proper safety equipment and use chlorine in a safe and responsible manner. Granules have a very low chlorine percentage (about 60%) meaning that although it may increase your chlorine quickly, the pool owner may need to apply the chlorine more often.
Liquid Chlorine
Liquid chlorine also known as bleach has many similar attributes that the previous two methods of chlorination have, with the difference that liquid chlorine is non-stabilized. Due to liquid chlorine being unstabilized, the pool owner will have to add a stabilizer also known as cyanuric acid to the pool so that the chlorine can withstand the sun.
When using liquid chlorine it is important to remember that liquid chlorine has an extremely high pH and it also is highly corrosive. Liquid chlorine has a really low chlorine percentage ranging from 3-6%, meaning that lots of chlorine will have to be used to keep the pool in optimal condition.
Ideal Chlorine Levels
When testing pool water, the chlorine levels in the pool should be 1-3 ppm (parts per million). Even if the pool is being chlorinated with slow-dosing chorine tablets, it is important to test the water in your pool to ensure that the chlorine levels are not too high or too low. With chlorine levels that are too far out of the range, it could cause skin irritation, cloudy water, and algae growth.
What Size of Tablets Should I Use?
As previously mentioned, chlorine tablets come in two different sizes a 1-inch or a 3-inch puck. It is expected that for each 3-inch puck, it’ll chlorinate 19,000 liters of pool water. Although the 1-inch puck dissolves more quickly, it also provides a good amount of chlorine for smaller pools. It is important to remember that when chlorinating any pool under 19,000 liters a 3-inch puck can be used although it is important to be careful because it is more likely to over-chlorinate your pool with a 3-inch puck.
Tip: Chlorine tablets have cyanuric acid in them to ensure that the chlorine is more effective and lasts longer. Because of this, any individual who owns an inside pool would cause there to be a build-up of cyanuric acid due to its lack of use.
How To Add Chlorine Tablets To A Pool
There are three common ways to add chlorine tablets to a pool. The three ways are by using an automatic chlorinator, floating dispenser, or they can be placed in a skimmer basket.
1. Automatic Chlorinators
Automatic chlorinators also known as chemical feeders are one of the best options when using chlorine tablets in a pool. When using the automatic chlorinator, you can add the tablets to the chlorinator and set the chlorinator to dissolve the chlorine at the pace which is preferred.
2. Floating Dispensers
Floating dispensers are plastic floating devices in which chlorine pucks are placed into so that the tablets can slowly dissolve inside the pool. Although the floating dispensers require low maintenance, they also do not distribute the chlorine at even rates so the levels of chlorine may vary. When using floating dispensers it’s important to check on them often as they can get caught behind various things in the pool like the ladder.
3. Tablets Inside The Skimmer Basket
The last method of how to use chlorine tablets is by placing them in the skimmer basket. This method allows the tablets to dissolve in a more steady pace. As water is sent through the skimmer it will break down the tablet and send sanitized water through the filtration system. Although this may benefit the pool, there are also some downsides to the use of placing tablets in the skimmer basket. By placing the tablets into the skimmer basket, the sanitizer can begin to collect causing significant equipment damage.
Chart Inserted Here (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SHHosLgjsvVso3MSxlOMdv6-95WYOs31/view?usp=share_link)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What Size of Chlorine Tablet Should I Use?
A: The two sizes previously discussed are the 1-inch and the 3-inch tablets. The 3-inch tablets are used for pools with 19,000 liters or more, while the 1-inch tablets are used for any pool below 19,000 liters.
Q: Do You Really Need Chlorine Tablets For Your Pool?
A: Although you may not necessarily need chlorine tablets as there are other options for chlorine, it is absolutely important to make sure your pool is chlorinated in some way. Without the use of chlorine, bacteria will rapidly reproduce making the pool unsafe for swimmers. Chlorine tablets may not be the only option for chlorinating a pool, but it is the most effective and used method in order to maintain a pool.
Q: Is It Cheaper To Use Liquid Chlorine or Tablets?
A: Many believe that liquid chlorine is cheaper than using tablets because liquid chlorine costs less per volume, however, liquid chlorine holds a weaker chlorin percentage meaning it’ll be used much faster than chlorine tablets costing more over time.
Q: Can I Use Pool Shock Instead of Chlorine Tablets?
A: Using shock as a replacement for chlorine is a bad idea as the shock has calcium hypochlorite which is a quick reaction while tablets work slowly over time. Shock is only meant for small boosts of chlorine and is not a full-time treatment for pools.
