Every owner of a swimming pool is faced with the problem of micro-organisms growing in it. Bacteria, fungi and algae will quickly take over your pool if you do not use appropriate swimming pool chemicals. Which chemicals should you choose for your garden pool and how should you use them? Here, we present our mini-guide.
Why should you use swimming pool chemicals?
In a swimming pool, the light and heat create a specific microclimate which is suitable for decomposition processes and the formation of pathogenic bacteria clusters. Thanks to thorough disinfection of your swimming pool and the application of appropriate water treatment chemicals:
- The water in your pool remains fresh and perfectly transparent for a long time.
- Your pool has no unpleasant odour.
- The water in you pool meets the standards for bathing water quality.
With the use of chemicals for home swimming pools the water is clear and, most importantly, has no adverse effect on human body. This is because good swimming pool chemicals eliminate the risk of water-borne infections, allergies, and itching caused by bacteria and fungi.
Which swimming pool chemicals should you buy? Types of preparations
On the Polish market, you will find hundreds of different home swimming pool disinfectants. Based on their purpose, they fall into several groups such as:
- chlorine products for the cleaning of garden pools,
- water treatment preparations (including milder preparations designed for children’s pools),
- swimming pool pH balancers,
- agents which bind dirt particles, facilitating their filtration,
- winter chemicals that inhibit sedimentation and the formation of microorganisms clusters.
In stores, you can buy swimming pool chemicals in the form of tablets, granules, liquids or powders. Nowadays, many manufacturers offer ready-made kits containing all of the above forms.
Which swimming pool chemicals are the best?
Do you wonder which chemicals are the best for an inflatable, above-ground, in-ground or all-year swimming pool? If you want to ensure water quality in a comprehensive manner, choose ready-made 3-in-1 or 5-in-1 kits containing chlorine, pH testers and adjusters, and algaecides. On-line, you can easily find the latest rankings of pool chemicals, chlorine products and coagulants. Which swimming pool algaecide should you choose? Lots of useful advice and tips can be found on forums dedicated to gardens/landscaping.
When choosing a preparation, remember to check if it is safe for children. You can find relevant information on the safety data sheets and labels of those products. You can also use safe multifunction tablets designed for removing algae, adjusting pH and disinfecting swimming pool water.
Dosing of pool chemicals
How do you figure out the amount to put in your pool? Many swimming pool owners who want to maintain the highest quality of water worry about using too much or not enough of a given chemical. Regardless of whether you intend to use chlorine or other types of preparations, first thing you must do is to read the manufacturer’s instructions. There you can find the product description with detailed information on how to use it to disinfect swimming pool water and what proportions of liquids, granules, etc. you should use.
If you do not have the time to take care of their swimming pools often, you will appreciate floating dispensers (bobbers) and other types of swimming pool chemical dispensers. How to you use them? These are self-dispensing, light-weight containers made from a water-resistant plastic, that allow you to choose the amount of preparation that’s appropriate for your pool. (Floating dispensers / bobbers are often included in multifunctional pool chemical kits).
How often do you apply chemicals to your swimming pool?
How often do you use swimming pool chemicals? You should remember that pool water disinfection should be carried out regularly. On warm summer days, you should do this at least once a week (unless the manufacturer recommends otherwise). Floating dispensers should be refilled every few days and left in the pool 24/7 and, but – please take note! – the dispenser can only be used when no one is in the pool. Swimmer in, bobber out!
How often should you use swimming pool pH balancers? Designed for garden swimming pools, these types of chemicals should be used after performing a pH test (using special strips or tablets). If the pH of the pool water is below 7 or above 7.4, it is necessary to adjust the pH with the use of a suitable preparation. How often should you test the pH and, if necessary, add the pH-adjustment tablets to your pool water? It is best to do it every 8-10 days.
How do you apply chlorine to your garden pool?
Chlorine is the most popular swimming pool preparation. It is a chemical which effectively eliminates the micro-organisms and cleans the water. How often should you add chlorine to the water in your pool? When you fill your swimming pool for the first time or when it hasn’t been used or cleaned for many days, you may perform shock chlorination. You can also use chlorine powder as a preventive measure, every 2 or 3 weeks, as recommended by the manufacturer.
How often should you add chlorine to a pool that is used often? To maintain a stable level of chlorine, the floating dispenser with capsules should be afloat in the pool at all times, until and unless people enter the pool. For safety reasons, you must remove the dispenser every time the pool is used. Are you wondering, is chlorine alone enough for my pool? If you want to maintain a high quality of water, choose a swimming pool chemical starter kit with pH and chlorine level readers/testers.