Sanitizers
What are sanitizers?
In Canada, there are two recognized sanitizers: Bromine and Chlorine. One of the key factors of a sanitizer is that is has to be able to maintain a residual in the water. In other words, it has to be able to stay in the water long enough to kill bacteria and control algae. Chlorine and bromine are residual sanitizers and help protect our pool or spa, our water, and the Poolies and Soakers that enjoy their backyard oasis. Expert knowledge with price conscious advice is what we offer at Pool Profs. With three decades experience in residential and commercial water, we want to ensure the safety and long-life of your pool or spa. Let's take a look at what we have available.
Chlorine Sanitizers
Chlorine is naturally found as a gas. All of the chlorine sanitizers you might use, Tri-Chlor, Di-Chlor, Lithium based, Liquid based, Salt Water Generators etc. all have one thing in common: They either trap or generate chlorine gas for the purpose of killing bacteria and algae.
Pool products come in many forms, but chlorine is always chlorine. Whether it is a powder, a puck, a tablet or a salt generator, the purpose is to leave a residual of parts per million of free chlorine in the water of your pool. Chlorine is not smart, it cannot 'seek out' your bacteria and algae, it has to 'bump into' it as it floats about the pool. This is why we have to have a residual, so it can have the time necessary to 'bump into' the bad stuff.
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Free Chlorine kills bacteria and algae. When it has performed this duty, it becomes Combined Chlorine (CC). CC has little sanitary value as it is the chlorine that has already killed stuff and is attached to that dead stuff. The CC is what smells bad, like chlorine, when it builds up in the water. If you have just a small amount of CC in the water, it can haze, smell and be downright uncomfortable to the eyes and skin. This CC is what actually causes much of our eye irritation, along with pH imbalance.
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The solution to CC is to 'shock' the pool on a regular basis to keep the CC from building up and causing unpleasantness in our swimming pools.
Shocking the pool is a loose term that describes driving the oxidizing value of the water high enough so that it burns out the CC and dead stuff in the water, leaving it fresh and inviting. When you can smell chlorine in your pool, it is usually a good indicator to shock the pool. Always, when in doubt, drop by Pool profs Ltd. for a free professional water test.
Chlorine Products
The most common forms of chlorine for swimming pool in our market are chlorine tablets, liquid chlorine and various powdered forms of chlorine.
Tablets, or pucks, are most often a stabilized chlorine product. This means that they have a product called Stabilizer built into the chemistry of the puck. Never mix products outside the pool and never mix a stabilized chlorine with a non-stabilized chlorine. While non-stabilized products in tablet form are rare, they are not impossible, so...we want to ensure you are armed with this knowledge for safety. It would not be good if stabilized and non-stabilized got together for a pool party. It would end with a bang! Always follow the instructions for use, otherwise damages may occur to your swimming pool equipment and surfaces.
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Liquid Chlorine is sodium hypochlorite. This is a product that comes in various strengths as a percentage. Most pool grade liquid chlorine is 12%. The bottle of bleach on your supermarket shelf is usually 5.25% sodium hypochlorite. Yes, this means that the pool product is more than twice as strong. It acts as a sanitizer in small doses and as a shock in larger doses. Always seek professional advice when determining the use of this product as it can lead to damage to your pool surfaces if used incorrectly.
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Calcium Hypochlorite, or powdered shock, is a very powerful tool and should always be treated with the same respect as other forms of chlorine. While it may be used as a daily sanitizer, unless you have the time to be at your pool every evening for maintenance, you might want to think about alternative sanitizer forms. Calcium Hypochlorite is literally calcium that has 'soaked up' chlorine gas. This product has to be premixed before you apply it to the pool. Always follow the label instructions for the product you have. Typically this product requires a bucket or pail, the more water you can handle safely in the bucket the better. You fill the pail with water, from the pool is fine, and then add the cal-hypo to the water for mixing. Never do this indoors or in an enclosed space. Always do this out of doors at poolside for safety. Use a wooden stir stick of proper length so as not to spill or splash when stirring. Stir the product into the water and let rest five minutes. Pour off the liquid, into the pool, and 'stir' the pool with your telepole and leaf net. You will see residual at the bottom of the pail. Using yet another pail, very slowly add water to the remainder of the cal-hypo, repeat the stir and then let it sit for five minutes. Once again, pour off the liquid into the pool carefully. Any remainder can be repeatedly mixed until there is very little and it can be added safely to the swimming pool.
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