How To Add Chlorine To A Pool

Chlorine is the almost popular puddle sanitizer. Its responsibilities include sanitization, disinfection and oxidation. Needless to say, having a proficient residual of free chlorine is essential to having a healthy and safe pool to swim in. This article will explain how to add various types of chlorine to your swimming pool. Permit's get started.

First and foremost, a word of caution.NEVER mix different types of chlorine together. Even storing them near each other can be dangerous. Chlorine is a volatile oxidizer and when mixed with other types of chlorine, it tin can be deadly. Ever apply protective gloves and glasses, and use caution. In fact, as a rule of thumb,NEVER mix chlorine directly with anything else.

Chlorine'south Responsibilities

We demand chlorine in our water to handle both living and non-living contaminants. Granted, at that place are far more non-living contaminants (like Organic Waste matter) than at that place are living contaminants (like algae or bacteria). That said, the most important responsibility of chlorine is to kill germs and harmful microorganisms. Too often it is burdened past the oxidant demand. Non just bather waste material, just other oxidants similar metals, nitrogen compounds, etc. These oxidants reduce chlorine, making it even more important for chlorine to be added regularly to a pond puddle.

Related: Organic Waste and Carbon Management (Pillar 2)

This is why we recommend supplementing chlorine with enzymes and a secondary oxidation or sanitization arrangement (like UV or Ozone). Equally y'all know, our company articles enzymes, and we accept written quite a bit about what they are and how they work. To learn more well-nigh enzymes, here are some articles for you:

Why we treat water with Enzymes
World Class Water Clarity
Agreement Breakpoint Chlorination
Understanding ORP: Oxidation Reduction Potential
Pool Water Chemical science, Part one: Sanitization
How Orenda Enzymes Actually Work

Ideally, we have enough free bachelor chlorine to stay ahead of the growth and reproductive charge per unit of any living contaminant, plus a rest to overcome not-living oxidants. The threshold in which chlorine has overcome its demand and can begin building a residual is called the breakpoint.

Nosotros could proceed and on most the chemistry of chlorination, and even open the can of worms about Cyanuric Acrid stabilizer and its bear upon. But instead, let's just become to the procedure of how to add chlorine to a pond pool.

How to Add Dry out Chlorine

Granular Chlorine

The procedure for adding granular chlorine is pretty much the aforementioned as adding calcium chloride or sodium bicarb to a pool. Measure the dry chemic, pre-dissolve in a bucket, and pour effectually the perimeter of the pool (never into the skimmer directly).

At that place are a few types of dry out, granular chlorine. These are primarily used as a stupor, because of how rapidly they deliquesce in water. There is calcium hypochlorite (cal hypo), dichlor and trichlor.

NEVER mix unlike types of chlorine together!

Yous volition need:

A reliable examination kit that measures alkalinity and pH
A v-gallon plastic bucket
Safe equipment - glasses and gloves
Something to stir with - like a wooden pigment-stirring stick
Sodium Bicarbonate or Soda Ash - The Orenda App displays both
A dry out measuring cup or bucket - dose properly. Don't cutting corners.

Pace 1

Test your pool water and your fill water for costless available chlorine. Record results. The Orenda app will tell y'all exactly how much granular cal hypo you need, but does non include dosage for stabilized chlorines like dichlor and trichlor. This was by design, and information technology means you volition need to figure out the dosage on your own. Bring the granular chlorine of pick to the pool with the other items listed to a higher place.

Footstep ii

Dip the bucket into the puddle until it is about 3/4ths full of water. Slowly pour the measured amount of chlorine into the bucket.

Step three

Stir until the pulverisation iscompletely dissolved. Pouring undissolved chlorine into the pool can cause cloudiness, just more importantly, depending on the pH of the chlorine itself, it can bear upon your surface. Always pre-dilute.

Footstep four

Slowly pour the completely dissolved solution into the pool. Maybe practise about half the bucket, and then permit fresh pool water into the bucket, and stir once more, and slowly pour once again. Utilise your best judgement. Do NOT pour the solution direct into the skimmer. Add information technology around the perimeter of the puddle.

Tablet Chlorine

Cal Hypo and Trichlor are also bachelor in pressed tablet form, or briquettes. These tabs normally crave a specialized feeder system that regulates how fast they dissolve, and introduces the dissolved chlorine into circulation. NEVER put the wrong type of chlorine in a feeder. It is extremely unsafe and can even cause an explosion. Literally.

Trichlor tabs are very acidic (pH ~2.8) and should never be placed in skimmer baskets. For that matter, no chlorine should be added direct into a skimmer. Additionally, we at Orenda strongly recommend against the use of chlorine floaters; especially kid-friendly ones that look like toys. Chlorine is a potent chemic that can cause children impairment if they grab onto a floater. If you lot do have a floater in your pool, remove information technology when bathers are in the water.

How to Add Liquid Chlorine

Liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) is a much easier and cocky-explanatory procedure. You lot can use the Orenda app to effigy out the exact dose you lot demand, in fluid ounces. Measure out and cascade around the perimeter of the pool, or on top of a return inlet that is pumping water back into the puddle. Clothing protective rubber gear, and be cautious...bleach can ruin article of clothing, and your day.

Conclusion

So whether you lot're a start-fourth dimension puddle owner, or an experienced professional person, these are the all-time practices for safely adding chlorine to a swimming puddle.

How To's

For more how-to information, check out our other articles and videos:

How to add together Calcium Chloride
How to add together Soda Ash or Sodium Bicarbonate
How to add Acid
How to install a chemic feed pump
How to reduce Cyanuric Acrid (CYA) in swimming pools