Chlorine

Pool Chemicals at Incredible Prices.

Chlorine is the most widely used chemical for pool sanitisation. It is inexpensive, easy to use, and many people like its clean, fresh smell. Chlorine breaks down into Hypochlorous acid and Hypochlorite ions which oxidise bacteria until they are neutralised and can no longer reproduce. For domestic use, chlorine is supplied in liquid form, or as granules or tablets, and is available in ‘Stabilised’ or ‘Unstabilised’ formulas.

Stabilised & Unstabilised Chlorine Formulas

Stabilised Formula – If cyanuric acid is part of the formula then the chorine is said to be ‘stabilised’ – this means that it lasts longer because it is attacked less by UV light. Using some stabiliser is therefore valuable, but problems arise if it becomes too concentrated and a condition called ‘Chlorine Lock’ occurs. In this situation, the chlorine remains in a combined form so is not available to kill micro-organisms. To stop this, excess stabiliser must be diluted out, since it does not get used up like chlorine.

Unstabilised Formula (‘Shock Chlorine’)– Chlorine without cyanuric acid is ‘unstabilised’ and is referred to as ‘Shock Chlorine’. When shock chlorine is added to a pool, it works rapidly killing bacteria and algae and is used up quickly.

The best solution when sanitising a pool with chlorine is to use a combination of ‘stabilised’ and ‘unstabilised’ chlorine. A low concentration of ‘stabilised’ chlorine of 1-2 ppm should be maintained and periodically, say once a week, the pool should be shock dosed with ‘unstabilised’ chlorine up to 5ppm. This will kill any microorganisms that are resistant to low levels of chlorine. Ideally, this should be done at night so by the next day the chlorine level has fallen.