Proper water maintenance with Chlorine/Bromine

As you may well be aware proper sanitation of water is of the utmost importance to a swimming pool or hot tub owner. Many of the common 'bather' complaints such as itchy skin, burning eyes, strong odour can all be attributed to lack of proper sanitation.

Although we will expand on this subject over time - let's cover the basics for now. There are essentially two main components of properly sanitized water. One is 'sanitation'. The other is 'oxidation'.

Sanitation is the continual treatment of small amounts of chlorine or bromine to the pool or hot tub. In terms of chemical makeup it usually comes in the form of pucks or sticks but liquids or powders can also be used. Click here for a list of our Sanitizers. In a saltwater pool the salt in the water is converted to chlorine via electrolysis. The slow, continual feed of chlorine or bromine provides a residual amount of sanitizer which prevents bacterial and fungal growth in the water. Over time, increased pool usage, which introduces all kinds of bather waste (perspiration, lotions, soaps, urine, etc) will essentially consume the residual chlorine reserves that are provided by the 'sanitizer'.

Most of the concerns related to bather discomfort are present when the chlorine residuals are low. At this point it is necessary to 'oxidize' or 'shock' the pool in order to rid the pool of the excess bather waste and to allow the pool sanitizer levels to return to normal. An oxidizer is usually made available as either a liquid (liquid chlorine) or a powder. Click here for a list of our Oxidizers.

The number of times your pool will require an oxidizer treatment is dependent on a large number of variables (temperature of water, amount of use, number of users etc). However, during peak summer usage we suggest oxidizing one time per week. This will ensure your pool or hot tub remains a comfortable and clean environment for all involved.