How Chlorine Works

All swimming pool water develops what is known as CHLORINE DEMAND (when not enough chlorine is present). Such things as sunlight, bacteria, perspiration, algae, and many forms of organic materials all create chlorine demand. When you add chlorine to your pool, it will react chemically to destroy or alter them. In doing so, the chlorine itself will be consumed. If sufficient chlorine was added to oxidize all pollutants, a demand would no longer exist. This would be ZERO CHLORINE DEMAND.

To keep pool water effectively sanitized, it is necessary to build up a residual of FREE AVAILABLE CHLORINE so that an excess of 1.0 to 3.0 ppm exists at all times (in stabilized pool water). This will destroy any new contaminants entering the pool. Once the chlorine reacts with pollutants, it forms what is known as chloramines or COMBINED CHLORINE. While a simple liquid test kit reading (using yellow reagent OTO) may indicate the presence of chlorine in the water, this is, in reality, only a combination of combined and free chlorine, referred to as TOTAL CHLORINE.

Simply put:
      FREE CHLORINE + COMBINED CHLORINE = TOTAL CHLORINE

Total Chlorine is not a true measurement of bacteria-killing chlorine and is not considered to be an adequate sanitizer. Only "free chlorine" is effective and can be measured only with a Free Chlorine Test Kit which would be a DPD Tablet Test Kit, DPD Liquid Test Kit or Test Strips. All are available at Family Pools. For any chlorine sanitizer to be effective and the water comfortable for swimming, the pH must be maintained between 7.2 and 7.6 ppm.

Chlorine does not burn off as rapidly in the sun if you stabilize your pool. You can do this by adding Family Pools Sun Shield 4000 at the beginning of each season IMPORTANT: Do not add stabilizer without having your water tested in our lab first. You may have a sufficient stabilizer level already and you do not want to over-stabilize. If you use Quick Tabs, PowerSticks, or an automatic chlorinator such as a New Water Cycler then you are adding stabilizer to your pool automatically because these systems use a stabilized form of chlorine. You may still need the extra Sun Shield boost in the Spring. Test your pool at the end of the season also because, if the stabilizer level is very high, we may recommend draining the water partially.

Due to the fact that chlorine burns off so rapidly in sunlight and some pools get more sun exposure than others and lots more use, some people have a hard time combatting algae. For this reason, we recommend that you follow a program consisting of chlorine, shock, and algaecide on a weekly routine basis or, for even better results, follow our Pristine Blue program combined with a small amount of chlorine. We actually have several plans to choose from to suit your lifestyle-get on a Family plan.

Don't Forget - if you have any questions at all, don't forget to call!