Having your own swimming pool offers great recreation for you and your family and friends. However, it’s not all fun. As a pool owner, you have to make sure your pool water is clean and safe from so many kinds of contaminants, such as bacteria and algae.
Just as it is important to be aware of unsafe chemicals in cleaning products for the home, it is also important to know about pool cleaning chemicals and their safe use.
Chlorine
The most commonly used chemical to sanitize or disinfect swimming pools is chlorine. It is used to inhibit the growth of algae and kill bacteria in the water. Chlorinating agents come in liquid form or in dry form (tablet or granules). Chlorine is released once these agents are dissolved in the pool water. Chlorine binds with some contaminants in water and forms chloramines, which can cause irritation and produce the unpleasant chlorine smell, so good regular pool maintenance is a must.
Bromine
Bromine is a popular alternative to chlorine as a pool sanitizer, especially in areas with warmer weather, because, unlike chlorine, it is not disintegrated by heat or sunlight. Although bromine is a little more expensive and more complicated to use than chlorine, it is not an irritant and is odorless.
Pool Water Balancers
These are pool cleaning chemicals that are used to maintain the correct water chemistry in your pool, which involve components like the pH level (measures the water’s acidity or alkalinity) and total alkalinity (measures mineral levels that help control the water’s pH level). Sodium carbonate is used as a pH increaser while sodium hydrogen carbonate is used as an alkalinity increaser.
There are also chemicals used to reduce the pH level of water or to increase the water’s hardness (refers to the level of calcium and magnesium in the water, which can cause corrosion, cloudiness, and scaling at the wrong levels).
Other Chemicals
There are several other pool cleaning chemicals that can be used to address specific pool problems. For instance, algaecides are used to prevent and kill algae growth in the pool water. Shock treatments are used to prevent the buildup of organic irritants in the pool. There are also specialty chemicals used to control rust, scales, and stains. Pool clarifiers help keep water clear.
If you need help in keeping the right chemical mix for your swimming pool, TalkLocal can find the right professionals for you! Simply fill out our convenient online form to send us your request and we’ll get back to you quickly with the right professional for you.
