Following the recent shortage of chlorine tablets, Haviland Pool and Spa offers simple maintenance tips to save chlorine and extend the swimming pool season for all.
“Diligent hygiene and easy changes to your pool’s maintenance routine can reduce your sanitizer consumption up to 30 percent, ensuring clean and healthy water for your family despite potential difficulties purchasing chlorine tablets,” said John Bokor, Haviland Pool and Spa Director of Sales.
“Haviland’s three steps, ‘balance, clean and remove,’ are easy ways to reduce consumption and stretch chlorine usage.”
Step 1: Balance – Sanitizer works better in balanced water
Product needed: borate
Balanced pool water is the best way to ensure chlorine can keep your water sanitized. Invest in a test kit or strips to monitor pool water’s sanitizer level.
The key to maintaining this balance is boron, a mined mineral (the letter B on the periodic table), also known as borates. Borates can lower chlorine consumption because they have a buffering ability that allows pool water to remain at a more stable pH level for a longer period of time. Borates also inhibit algae growth allowing chlorine to be more efficient and effective at sanitizing the water.
Step 2: Clean – Circulation and filtration clear the way for sanitizers to work
Products needed: filter cleaner and clarifier
The physical cleaning of surfaces, along with proper circulation and filtration maintain the hygiene of the water, surfaces and swimmers. Brushing pool walls, vacuuming debris of the pool floor, and chemically cleaning your pool’s filter is key to reducing sanitizer consumption.
Step 3: Remove – For clean water, remove the “yuck” you can’t see
Products needed: enzyme and phosphate remover
High levels of phosphates can cause calcium phosphate scale. When it comes to calcium phosphate scale, prevention is the best solution. Maintaining a phosphate residual of less than 125 parts per billion (ppb) is the key to preventing phosphate-related issues. Phosphates are also a great food source for algae growth. Removing phosphates helps limit calcium phosphate formation, reduces algae blooms and ensures the optimal sanitizer performance.
Another helpful additive to lessen the demand for chlorine is the use of enzymes. As a part of regular maintenance, using a high-quality, broad-spectrum enzyme every week will help break down the organics swimmers bring into the water, which will help sanitizers work more efficiently. Enzymes naturally break down contaminants, making them easier for filters and chlorine to remove from the water.