The Ultimate Guide to Summer Pool Chemicals

During, the amount of use your pool sees definitely jumps. As such, it needs more TLC during summer than any other season throughout the year.

Essentially, you need to perform day-to-day monitoring and should have a weekly pool maintenance schedule in order to avoid hefty pool repair bills.

In this guide, we’re breaking down the most commonly used pool chemicals, particularly those that you will need during summer.

Chlorine

We all know this one. It’s what keeps your pool sanitized and eliminates algae as well as other bacteria. Pool chlorine comes in both liquid and granular form.

So, how does chlorine work? To keep it short, the reaction of chlorine and water create hydrochloric acid, which is what keeps bacteria at bay.

The effect of chlorine reduces over time due to UV light. To counteract this, you can use cyanuric acid aka stabiliser. We’ll get into this a little later.

Fun fact: though there’s a common misconception that chlorine can cause a funky smell in your pool, it’s not true. It’s actually a lack of chlorine that causes this smell.

Shock

This is essentially super powered chlorine. The best times to use pool shock are after heavy pool use, during your summer start up, after heavy rain and when you’re closing your pool.

When added to the pool, shock kills off all bacteria as well as sanitiser by-products. It’s also sold as a separate product to chlorine.

During summer, you should use shock once per week or fortnight. If your pool experiences heavy use or you have recently held a pool party then once per week is better.

Bromine

Bromine is an alternative to chlorine and is better suited to warm water compared to chlorine.

Its most common use is in spas or warm water pools, as these tend to have higher pH levels than their regular counterparts.

In a nutshell, bromine works more effectively in a higher pH environment. So, if you have a hot tub or a warm water pool then go for some bromine.

Cyanuric Acid

We briefly mentioned this above. Stabiliser, as it’s also referred to, helps slow down the breakdown of chlorine. It kind of acts as a sunscreen for your chlorine.

There’s a limit to how much cyanuric acid you should add to your pool and some chlorine products will already contain the chemical ~ they’re known as stabilised chlorine.

Algaecide & Clarifier

As the name suggests, this chemical is designed to deal with algae. Algaecide is usually a copper-based product and is usually added after your pool has been shocked.

Clarifier, on the other hand, clumps bacteria and particles together to help them get trapped in the filter.

Flocculent

This chemical is similar to clarifier. Flocculent also clumps bacteria together, but instead of passing it through the filter it sinks bacteria to the floor.

For this reason, your pool pumps need to be off for approximately 12 hours while the flocculent does its work.

After the flocc has settled, it’s time to vacuum all particles off your pool floor. A great time to use flocculent is when your pool water is cloudy.

Conclusion

We hope this chemical guide helps you out with your summer pool maintenance. Remember, always keep your pool chemicals stored in a safe and dry place away from children and pets.

Did you enjoy this article?

If you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful then sign up for FREE monthly pool tips via the form below.