October 22, 2020
Why Put Chlorine in Pools?
Your pool is like no other body of water–crystal clear and pristine. In nature, where the elements run wild, this is a rare sight. It takes a lot of work to keep those elements from building up in your pool. From automatic cleaners to scheduled cleanings, but the primary contributor to the crystal-clear look of your pool water is chlorine.
Let’s break down some of the reason as to why you would put chlorine in pools.
What is Chlorine?
Chlorine is a chemical created from ordinary salt and is an essential building block of many molecules. It can exist as a solid, a liquid, or a gas and commonly used as a disinfectant and oxidizing agent. In the case of your pool, chlorine is an extremely effective disinfectant. Chlorine might seem scary at first sight, yet it is the safest and most effective way to keep pools healthy and clean. Chlorine prevents bacteria and viruses that might cause diarrhea and ear, aches, and foot infections, keeping swimmers safe.
This disinfectant property doesn’t come from the chlorine itself but rather through its chemical reaction with water. When chlorine gets introduced into your pool it produces hypochlorous acid. Don’t be afraid of the word acid. Hypochlorous acid is a relatively weak chemical that acts as a disinfectant.
Another by-product of introducing chlorine is chloramines. When the hypochlorous acid gets in contact with sweat, body oils, and urine that are bound to come off of swimmers, it reacts, forming chemical compounds known as chloramines. If you ever smell a supposedly strong chlorine smell coming from your pool, it doesn’t come from the chlorine itself but rather an accumulation of chloramines. If this is the case make sure to get a professional pool service company to help rid your pool of chloramines.
Forms of Chlorine for Pools
There are quite a few ways you can have chlorine introduced into your pool water. Here are a couple of the most common ones.
Chlorine Sticks\Tablets
A solid and stable form of chlorine, chlorine tablets or sticks, is an affordable and effective form of chlorine for your pool. Chlorine tablets can be inserted into an automated chlorine feeder and fed into the pool at a set interval, destroying bacteria, viruses, and algae.
Liquid Chlorine
The liquid form of chlorine is also a very affordable route that can be used and can easily be applied in bulk. This bulk makes it very effective for commercial pool disinfection. While liquid chlorine is excellent for bulk use, it is a disinfectant, but due to its high pH, it has to be countered with an acid to balance it out.
These are just a couple of ways you can get chlorine in pools, each with pros and cons and hopefully, you have a better understanding as to why you should put chlorine in pools. Clements can help find what chlorine solution works best for you!
About Clements
In operation since 2005, Clements Pool Services & Repair, has been proudly providing their local community the services they need for their pools. Misty and her husband Mark, a retired Law Enforcement Officer, created Clements to provide excellent services for all of your pool needs. Clements is the best choice for your pool maintenance and services in Lake County, Florida.
