Pool Chemicals
& Water Wellness
Learn about some of the chemicals that we sell and how they can help maintain your pool.
Water Wellness
Testing Your Pool Water
Once you have a swimming pool, it is recommended that you have your pool water tested regularly to avoid unhealthy water problems. Although we try to educate our pool customers on the importance of this, not all pool owners may understand the important nature of testing your pool water. Here are some considerations to think about.
Pool Water Testing Options
With a multitude of testing options out there, you can purchase a testing kit yourself and test your pools pH on your own. Most test kits are easy to use and come with instructions on how to use them correctly, so you should have no trouble. There are many different pool types and sizes so be sure you get the right pool water testing kit for your pool.
If you are have problems understanding the results of your water test, you can always visit our retail location where we offer advanced water testing. Our professionals will help you interpret the results and provide a solution. If you are unsure whether the chemical levels in your pool are balancing correctly, it is always advisable to seek one of our professionals for assistance to determine any possible issues you may have with your pool equipment.
Unhealthy Pool Water Can Damage Your Pool Equipment
In-ground swimming pool water that isn’t properly maintained can have damaging effects on pool equipment such as filtration systems and pumps, as well as the pool construction material. Vinyl, concrete and fiberglass swimming pools can be damaged from not properly maintaining your pools water pH levels.
Clean Water
Keep Your Water Sanitized
Being consistent with your water testing helps ensure you have clean and sanitized water. Swimming pools can be exposed to many forms of debris, dirt and grime from nearby trees and other sources. If the water is not maintained properly, it will eventually build up and create an unsafe pool water environment. With regular pool water testing you can ensure that your pool water is safe to enjoy because it helps determine whether the water is safe to swim in.
Pool water testing is also critical because it helps the water and chlorine to remain non-toxic from external environmental conditions. If the proper chemical levels are not properly maintained, the chlorine can become unhealthy to the skin, eyes and internals if swallowed by swimmers in the water.
Chemical Balance
What Chemicals Should You Add
Without proper water testing, any kind of chemical treatment would be guesswork. This approach can have damaging effects on the pool. Once your swimming pool water has been tested, then you can go ahead and regulate the pH by treating the water with the proper chemicals. You should never add pool chemicals for the sake of adding them.
Swimming pool water should always be clear in normal daylight conditions. If the water appears discolored it means that there is something unhealthy with the water and it should be tested. Regular water testing will help you determine the problem so you can fix the issue yourself or have one of our pool professionals come onsite to regain your pools healthy look and crystal clear appearance for you.
pH Levels
Regulate Your Waters pH Levels
How do you know if your pH levels are within healthy pool norms? Water that is too acidic can have a negative impact on skin and cause dangerous skin related irritations. If the water is too basic, it may irritate the eyes and have other annoying effects to those swimming in the water. Regular testing ensures that your pool water is good to go. Eye, skin, breathing and other irritations can all result from unhealthy pool water.
Chemicals We Offer
Granulated Shock Bags
No matter how well you keep your pool chemistry balanced, it’s a good idea—no, it’s necessary—to shock your pool on a regular basis. Shocking is also sometimes referred to as superchlorinating the pool because all it means is you’re adding a high dose of chlorine to the pool all at once.
This is a good method for keeping the water clean, but it’s also a remedy for things like pool algae, and certain bodily mishaps that may occur in the pool, especially when small children swim.
To get the best results, we recommend using calcium hypochlorite shock at least once a week. If you’re maintaining a chlorine-free pool, you’ll also find chlorine-free shock available.
ProTip: Pool shock is made with unstabilized chlorine or no chlorine at all. It’ll get eaten up by the sun’s UV rays very quickly. So always shock your pool at night or dusk, and run the pump overnight to fully distribute it and allow it to dissipate.
Liquid Shock
No matter how well you keep your pool chemistry balanced, it’s a good idea—no, it’s necessary—to shock your pool on a regular basis. Shocking is also sometimes referred to as superchlorinating the pool because all it means is you’re adding a high dose of chlorine to the pool all at once.
This is a good method for keeping the water clean, but it’s also a remedy for things like pool algae, and certain bodily mishaps that may occur in the pool, especially when small children swim.
To get the best results, we recommend using calcium hypochlorite shock at least once a week. If you’re maintaining a chlorine-free pool, you’ll also find chlorine-free shock available.
ProTip: Pool shock is made with unstabilized chlorine or no chlorine at all. It’ll get eaten up by the sun’s UV rays very quickly. So always shock your pool at night or dusk, and run the pump overnight to fully distribute it and allow it to dissipate.
3 inch Chlorine Tabs
Available in 1-inch or 3-inch sizes, chlorine tablets can be added to a floating chlorine dispenser, directly into your pool’s skimmer basket, or to an automatic chlorinator.
Stabilizer
If you have an outdoor pool, to prevent the sun from burning off the chlorine in the water, you need stabilized chlorine. It has cyanuric acid, also known as chlorine stabilizer or pool stabilizer, added to it.
The cyanuric acid protects the chlorine so it stays in the water three to five times longer, which means it’s more effective at keeping the pool clean, and doesn’t need to be replaced as often. This saves you money and time.
Alkalinity
Also know as sodium bicarbonate this pool chemical’s main job is to prevent pH from drastically moving up and down the scale by acting as a buffer, absorbing major changes to the water before they can affect the pH.
To keep alkalinity steady, keep a supply of alkalinity increaser or baking soda on hand.
If both your pH and alkalinity are low, alkalinity increaser and/or baking soda will raise both, another reason to adjust alkalinity first.
Algaecide
Your best defense against algae is sanitizer, especially chlorine. Keeping the chlorine level in your pool where it should be will keep algae at bay. But things happen, water becomes unbalanced, and algae sneaks in, undetected until you’ve got a full bloom growing and spreading through your pool.
We recommend shocking the pool to kill algae. And depending on the type of algae growing, you may have to double or even triple shock the pool to fully eradicate it.
But until you get those chlorine levels back up where they need to be, you can use an algaecide. Despite its name, it won’t completely kill the algae, but it can at least keep the algae from continuing to grow and spread.
pH Down
If you remember from high school chemistry class, pH is a measurement of whether a substance is basic or acidic. The scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Anything below 7 is acidic, and above 7 is basic.
To illustrate that a little better, humans’ eyes and mucus membranes have a pH of 7.4. If it were lower, our tears would be acidic and it would burn when we cried. If it were higher, our eyes and nostrils would dry out.
Anything that enters your pool can affect the pH level. Rain, dirt, leaves, people, anything. For this reason, it’s important to stay on top of your pool’s pH level to make sure it stays within the optimal range.
Keep a supply of two pool chemicals on hand: pH increaser and pH decreaser. You’ll likely use less decreaser because of how alkalinity is adjusted, but it’s good to keep some in your supply cabinet just in case.
pH Plus
If you remember from high school chemistry class, pH is a measurement of whether a substance is basic or acidic. The scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Anything below 7 is acidic, and above 7 is basic.
To illustrate that a little better, humans’ eyes and mucus membranes have a pH of 7.4. If it were lower, our tears would be acidic and it would burn when we cried. If it were higher, our eyes and nostrils would dry out.
Anything that enters your pool can affect the pH level. Rain, dirt, leaves, people, anything. For this reason, it’s important to stay on top of your pool’s pH level to make sure it stays within the optimal range.
Keep a supply of two pool chemicals on hand: pH increaser and pH decreaser. You’ll likely use less decreaser because of how alkalinity is adjusted, but it’s good to keep some in your supply cabinet just in case.
Calcium Plus
A measurement of how hard or soft your pool water is, calcium hardness may vary depending on where you live, and what water source you use to fill your pool. For example, well water is often higher in minerals, including calcium, than water that comes from a spigot.
If the calcium level in your water is too low, it can lead to scaling and corrosion of your pool walls and equipment. This is remedied by adding calcium hardness increaser.
If it’s too high, you may end up with cloudy pool water, which can be addressed by shocking the pool, adding water clarifier or flocculant, and a few other methods.
