Chlorine – Easy Clear Pool

When it comes to sanitizing your swimming pool throughout the season you want to make sure you are maximizing the money spent. Some chlorine tablets will maintain a more high chlorine content and last longer than others. When you are purchasing your chlorine tablets for your pool I would recommend that you look over the active ingredients so that you know exactly what you are buying. The number one thing you want to look at is the available chlorine. The highest amount you can buy when purchasing a bucket of tablets is 90% avilable chlorine. Lower Priced Chlorine May Not Be As Effective Everyone loves to save money, me included. It wasn't but a few years ago I fell into this trap as well. I saw some value chlorine at my local market and decided to give it try. After purchasing it and bringing it home I realized the available chlorine was only about 80%. That is 10% less than if I had paid a few extra dollars and purchased the premium chlorine. Needless to say, I wasn't all that worried. My thinking was I paid less and will receive a slightly lower chlorine input when using them for my swimming pool. What I did not anticipate was for the lower priced tablets to dissolve in a fraction of the time of the more expensive ones. Tablets that have less chlorine will contain other filler additives that you do not need to sanitize your swimming pool. These additives also cause the chlorine tablets to dissolve and crumble at a much more rapid rate. Chlorine tablets under 90% available chlorine in my personal experience has always resulted in the tablets dissolving at a time of 2 to 3 times faster. This will actually result in you spending more money in the long run. When purchasing tablets the first thing I look at is the available chlorine and active ingredients. Active Ingredientstrichloro-S-triazinetrione 99%Other 1%Available Chlorine 90% Chlorine Tablets I Use The only kind of chlorine tablets I purchase now is those that contain trichloro-S-triazinetrione as an active ingredient and are 3 inch tablets. This is the highest form of chlorine available on the market. Trichloro-S-triazinetrione Contains cyanuric (CYA) acid which helps maintain chlorine in the pool longer and stabilizes free chlorine. When CYA is present in your pool, the sun will not burn off the chlorine as fast.When purchased in tablet form, it dissolves slowly. Adding tablets will normally only be required once per week in most ambient outside temperatures.Available in stick and granular form. Granular form can quickly increase your chlorine levels.No calcium is added to the tablets.Rids sweat, urine and other bacteria making a safe and healthy swimming environment for your family. Chlorine Tablet Sizes There are various sizes of tablets to choose from and determining which ones are the best should not be difficult. When you are picking out your chlorine tablets be sure and buy the 3-inch size tablets. These tablets will work well for all sizes for pools big or small. Some pool owners that have a much smaller pool feel they should get smaller tablets and I am in disagreement with this argument. For larger swimming pools You may need to add 2, 3 or even more tables at a time (once per week) to maintain optimum chlorine levels throughout each week.If you are using a floater that you are placing your chlorine in, you may also need a couple of floaters if you are sanitizing a huge swimming pool.An automatic chlorine feeder would be idea for those with a larger sized pool. If you are an owner of a smaller swimming pool such as 12 feet round or less, the larger tablets will still work for your needs. For smaller swimming pools Only add 1 tablet per week in a floater.Adjust the floater so that it is not at full strength. This will prevent too much chlorine from being placed in the swimming pool at once and will slowly enter the pool waters. While smaller tablets can be used in these types of pools. It may be less expensive too use the larger ones. Smaller tablets are likely to dissolve quicker and require more maintenance and attention through the week. This will make it easier in maintaining swimming pools of all sizes. Individually Wrapped The individually wrapped chlorine tablets I bought. This is not a complete deal breaker, but I prefer to buy buckets of chlorine tablets that are individually wrapped. This will help maintain the chlorine strength for a long time, even if you have extra going into the following season. When they are wrapped individually you can be worry-free of moisture or other ailments possibly damaging or reducing there effectiveness. I always get my individually wrapped chlorine tablets on Amazon, check out how cheap they are by clicking here. Chlorine Dispenser I also have another article "Automatic chlorinator vs. Floating dispenser" to explore the pros and cons of each. Once you have your chlorine you will need it to slowly trickle into your pool so that it sanitizes and cleans the water. There are a couple of options available based on your budget and pool style. Always check to see if your tablets are individually wrapped as it is very little to no difference in price and a nice added convenience that some manufacturers provide. Automatic In-Line Chlorine Feeder This is the best way to add chlorine to your swimming pool all season long. Simply install the automatic feeder to your pools plumbing system next to your filter. No floater required. Chlorine floater dispensers often get trapped in or near the skimmer. This is a non-issue if you use an in-line feeder.Adjustable, so you can choose how strong you want your chlorine to be in your swimming pool with a turn of a knob. Once you have it installed you will simply add your chlorine tablets to the feeder. As you swimming pools pump is on, the water will flow through the feeder allowing a small amount of chlorine to enter the pulls return. Once a week or on your regular schedule you will simply add additional chlorine tablets as needed. Floater Dispenser This is the easiest and most common way people choose to add chlorine into their pools. Add chlorine to your floater and place it on the pool water surface. No installation, just place in the water.The floater can get caught in the skimmer suction, under ladders or other areas not allowing proper chlorination.If you have kids or guests that may play with the floater, you may want to think about the automatic chlorinator option. I have used both and will say the floater works great as long you keep it from getting trapped in the skimmer. You can tie a string on it and attach it to your pool wall so that the return flows over it be sure it stays in a water flow path if you have issues with it becoming stuck in the currents. If you have it in your budget and are able to install the automatic feeder option, I would recommend it for the pure convenience and out of sight chlorine operation. Shocking Your Pool "Shocking your pool weekly..." is an article I have written explaining the importance of using shock to promote a healthy and clear swimming pool all season. With even the best chlorine and maintenance routine, you will still need to shock your swimming pool about once per week. I go into more detail in my previous article explaining why shocking your swimming pool regularly is an important part of maintaining your swimming pool. A 50-pound bucket of 3 inch individually wrapped chlorine tablets and 24 bags of 1 LB shock is enough for most average swimming pools for about 1 season. Each bag will treat up to 10,000 gallons of pool water per use. The Non-Chlorine shock is safer than regular shock and kills bacterial and allows immediate swimming after use. It is great for adding weekly to your pool. I recommend stocking up on a bulk supply before the swimming season begins. You will save money purchasing a larger batch and will not need to worry about chlorine for several months. Final Thoughts When purchasing your chlorine this season be sure to make sure you are getting the best value for your buck. Sometimes chlorine that is marked at a lower price can cost you more money throughout the season in additional tablets, products, and your pool may suffer cleanliness in the process. I am not saying to buy the highest price product you can find. Some of the most expensive chlorine is identical to the chlorine I have mentioned in this article that contains trichloro-S-triazinetrione. Don't purchase the name, purchase the active ingredients that are best and enjoy a clear water swimming season.