The summer season is right around the corner, and so are the happy pool days.
While swimming pool owners are cautiously planning pool maintenance and cleaning, the rising cost and scarcity of chlorine and pool cleaning chemicals has emerged as a new difficulty following the closure of swimming pools due to the pandemic.
Chlorine pellets are used to clean pools and keep algae and germs at bay. Water that has not been adequately sterilized can become murky, posing a safety risk and being a significant cause of drowning.
If you’ve been planning to clean your pool, but the news of a pool chemical scarcity has caught you off guard, keep reading to find out if it’s real.
Pool Chemicals Out of Stock
Many people constructed pools in their houses to have a good time during the pandemic and make “stay at home” more like a mini-staycation. As pool sales skyrocketed, many homeowners saved pool chemicals to avoid running out, which may be a good reason for the current scarcity.
Later, a fire shut down the plant that generates most of the United State’s chlorine pills. This year, as pool season approaches, industry experts are warning of a shortfall that threatens to upset pool maintenance and cleaning.
Pool cleaning professionals warn pool owners against stockpiling chlorine tablets and other cleaning agents; they’ve seen frantic purchases and stockpiling. Experts reported that they’d seen people stockpile tablet chlorine and even powder chlorine as the pills run out.
Why are Pool Cleaning Agents Important?
Pools can be breeding grounds for micro-organisms and cause multiple skin infections or gut diseases.
Pool cleaning agents such as chlorine are also used to cleanse the pool water from turbidity and accumulation of algae (the green layer floating on the pool), which can block the view of the swimmers and lead to unforeseen drowning.
Alternative Chemical Agents for Pool Cleaning
Chlorine tablets have been used for the longest time to sanitize pools and clarify the turbidity in pools. With the rising scarcity, experts have suggested some alternative methods to clean the pool, such as:
Bromine
An alternative to chlorine can be bromine. These chemical agents belong to the same halogen group and have similar decontaminant and purifying agents. Bromine salts are less irritating than chlorine but can be slightly more expensive.
To use bromine for decontamination, you will have to adjust the pH of the pool water.
Liquid Chlorine
As powder chlorine has run out of supply, a more cost-effective solution here could be the usage of liquid bleaches used for cleaning.
These cleaning products contain a significant amount of chlorine but must be used in greater quantities, along with cyanuric acid as a stabilizer.
Saltwater pools
Another option for keeping a pool safe for swimming is to use saltwater systems. Although they can initially be pretty expensive, saltwater generators electrolytically convert chloride in salt to produce chlorine.
Ozone Treatment
Ozone generators are positioned outside and in the pool’s circulation system. They work by continuously running the water through a supply of ozone gas, whereby ozone molecules link with impurities and eliminate them from the water.
How to Reduce the Need for Pool Chemicals?
Pool owners are recommended to take precaution measures to cut down on the need for pool cleaning agents; here’s what you should do:
- Take a shower before diving into the pool.
- Avoid taking food items into or around the pool.
- Keep your pets away from the pool.
- Use filter tools to clear out the pool water regularly.
- If your poolside is along with plants, install a pool shade.
- Avoid hoarding or panic-buying pool cleaning agents to minimize the scarcity crisis.
Pool Care in Bonita Springs
Regular pool cleaning can sometimes be an add-on task in your busy schedule. If you are looking for professional pool care assistance to look after your pool in Bonita Springs, Florida, SWFL pool solutions can end your hunt.
Veterans in the pool cleaning industry SWFL Pool Solutions professionals can assist you with residential pool and hot tub care.
You can visit their website, https://swflpoolsolutions.com, to check out the services they offer or dial (239) 494-6378 to discuss your pool needs.
