Two things really; the Covid-19 pandemic created incredible demand for pool products, and a devastating hurricane damaged a plant in Louisiana that produces a large percentage of chlorine products for North America.
Here are some of the best ways to reduce your chlorine usage and get the most out of your supply.
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Keep up on weekly maintenance
Brush and vacuum your pool to remove physical debris that consumes your chlorine and makes it work harder.
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Don't overdo it
Test regularly and maintain a consistent 1.0 - 3.0 ppm level of chlorine. The more frequently you test and the more consistent you are able to be - the closer to 1 ppm you can stay!
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Keep it refreshing
For every 6°C rise in pool water temperature, you require 50% more sanitizer by weight. Cooler water requires less chlorine.
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Oxidize weekly
Shocking your pool helps “free chlorine” to reach it’s “breakpoint chlorination", or the point where chlorine is able to destroy water contaminants.
A single bag of Zap (available is 300 or 600 gram sizes) or Shock Plus 450 gram will destroy organic residue in your pool and re-activate any chlorine in your water.
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Keep pH in balance
Your chlorine is most effective between 7.4-7.6. Test pH each time you test chlorine and adjust when needed.
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Use an enzyme-based product
Using an enzyme based product will reduce demands on chlorine. A weekly dose of Pool Perfect Max will remove chlorine-taxing, non-living waste in the water and in the filter, removing phosphates and leave you with crystal clear water.
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Maintain a stabilizer level of 50 ppm
Stabilizer Plus pucks or Instant Conditioner will prevent unnecessary chlorine loss from sunlight.
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Point your return jets down at a 45° angle
Chlorine is easily lost as a gas to the atmosphere when exposed to the air. As most chlorine is added to the water when travelling through the recirculation system, it is brought back into the pool through the return jets. When the jets are pointed up and ripple the surface, you are exposing the freshly added chlorine to the air. Chlorine naturally off-gasses when exposed to air. Push that new chlorine-infused water down towards the bottom of the pool and you will save chlorine and gain benefit from its addition.
All the tips on this sheet apply equally to bromine as well when it is used as the sanitizing product.
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