Pool Chemicals aren’t all created equal

• Chemicals from large retailers may be cheap, though they will cause expensive problems later.

• They chemicals you use affect other parts of the pool & water balance

• Pool shops have specialised knowledge on what chemicals to use and what’s in them.

• Use the right chemicals less often.

Don’t get sold the wrong pool chemicals for your pool!

Most large retailers don’t specialise in swimming pool & spa chemicals so will sell what has the best profit margins for them, and this usually means the quality is lower. Their staff also don’t have the high levels of knowledge and understanding about the chemicals they are selling, as well as the effects they have on your water & and your health!

Did you know?

The short-term saving on your chemical costs will cause issues later due to chemical imbalances & impurities from their pool quality. For example, did you know that not all pool Chlorine is the same? There are five types!

1. Sodium hypochlorite,

2. Calcium hypochlorite,

3. Lithium hypochlorite,

4. Trichlor, and

5. Dichlor.

Each Chlorine type has a different purpose based on what kind of pool you have and the application you’re using it for.

If you want to learn more about the different chlorines, keep reading below, otherwise, come in to and take advantage of the knowledge and extensive training from the team at Poolside Beaconsfield and we’ll make sure your pool is balanced.

Skip to Why is all this important?

Sodium hypochlorite is liquid chlorine, great for killing algae quickly, though is used up just as fast. Calcium hypochlorite is the powdered chlorine most used for pool shock & even day to day use.

The active constituent of chlorine changes from brand to brand and can range from 400gms/kgs for day-to-day use up to 600gms/kg for shock treatments.

These chlorines are also un-stabilised, meaning it does not contain any Cyanuric Acid which slows the chlorine from being broken down by the sun.

Trichlor and Dichlor are stabilized Chlorine, meaning they do contain Cyanuric acid for sun protection.

Trichlor has a high Chlorine saturation and affects a pool’s pH and Dichlor, on the other hand, has a neutral pH level, not affecting the pH of the pool. It also has a high Chlorine saturation, dissolves quickly, and is great for spas.

Trichlor & Dichlor may seem like the way to go… However, you can’t keep putting stabilised chlorine into the pool as this will increase your cyanuric acid (stabiliser) level, and lead to further issues.

Why is this important?

Children and adults with sensitive skin are vulnerable to the effects of over chlorination, changes in pH and other effects of improper pool chemicals.

If you put the same weight of chlorine into a pool or spa and it has a higher level of active chlorine, you’ll run the risk of sore eyes, itchy skin, difficulty breathing, discoloured clothing, reduced equipment life and the list goes on.

What other chemicals are different?

Other cheap chemicals that can cause more problems than just chlorine are algaecides, minerals and salt.

ALGAECIDES

It’s very common to find staining due to copper in algaecides. If you pick up an algaecide from a large retailer, they mostly likely won’t ask you what algae you’re treating, they won’t test your copper levels in your pool or check what equipment you must ensure there are no issues with putting that in your pool.

Using a copper algaecide regularly will eventually build up your copper levels and you’ll have staining occur. From there you’ll need to treat the stains and continually add a product to keep the stains from coming back.

OR

Go to Poolside Beaconsfield and let them take the risk out of copper staining.

SALT

The salt you can buy from the large retailers is what is not good enough for pool shops. This poor/low quality pool salt contains dirt, fillers and even metal shavings. This all goes into your pool and then stays there while you swim and can cause algae problems and staining.

OR

Go to Poolside Beaconsfield and let them take the risk out of salt staining.

MINERALS

Don’t overpay for minerals when your lager retails have a mostly salt content, mixed in with a little Magnesium and possibly some other minerals and passing off as ‘Minerals’. Poolside Beaconsfield have a guaranteed 70% Magnesium content in our bags of minerals, so when you buy Magnesium, you’re getting Magnesium, not a bit of everything else!

OR

Go to Poolside Beaconsfield and let them take the risk out of you minerals.

Overall, you can take a chance with cheaper chemicals from the large retailers, however, if you want you use less chemicals, use the right chemicals makes healthy water to swim in.

How to remove pool stains

In this article we will help you work out what type of stain you have, how it occurred, how to treat it and then how to stop it from coming back.

Essentially there are 2 types of stains, Organic Stains and Inorganic Stains caused by heavy metals such as iron or copper.

Organic Stains:

Organic stains in a pool are caused by leaves, algae, or other natural matter sitting on the pool surface. To find out if a stain is organic, you can generally identify if you've had leaves sitting on the bottom of your pool for a while.

Pour some granular chlorine on it and leave for a few minutes to see if it lightens or disappears. If it does, then the stain is organic. To remove organic stains, you need to raise the Free Chlorine up to 5ppm and brush it often, ideally every day. you can also use specific stain removers that contain citric acid.

Pro Tips:

• Remove any automatic cleaners from the pool (the high chlorine isn't good for it!)

• When pouring the granular chlorine on the stain, pour it down your pool pole with the insert removed to accurately land it on the spot you want!

• Check with us to calculate your shock dosage for the treatment.

To stop organic stains from coming back, you can try the following steps:

• Use a Robotic Cleaner to remove leaves & scrub your surface regularly.

• Trim back any nearby trees or bushes to reduce the amount of organic matter falling into the pool.

• Oxidise your pool water to break down organic matter before it can cause stains.

• Use a pool cover to prevent leaves and debris from falling into the pool when it's not in use.

Inorganic Stains:

Inorganic stains in a pool are caused by metals in the water, such as iron or copper.

Iron stains are rare in to come from the town water supply, though can be quite high in those on bore water. To find out if a stain is caused by iron, bring a test into our shop and we can test specifically for high iron levels, this is not a common test so you will need to ask us if you believe you have an iron staining problem. You can remove iron stains with specific stain removers that contain ascorbic acid.

Copper stains, on the other hand, are often caused by over use of copper based algaecides, low quality chemicals such as salt & minerals, mineral systems, ionizers, or other “natural” sanitizers. These can be removed by putting dry acid in a sock and rubbing it on the stain.

Once the stains have been removed from the surface, you will need to add a dose of Pool Magnet Plus or Metal Go to keep the metals “in solution” so it doesn’t form back on the surface.

These products (sequestrants) work by attaching to metal particles in the water, preventing them from sticking to the pool surface and causing stains. However, sequestrants break down over time and require regular additions to maintain their effectiveness in keeping iron or copper particles sequestered and preventing staining.

*There is no practical way to remove iron or copper from the water short of replacing the water with new water that doesn’t have any iron or copper in it.

Pro Tip:

• Drop the pool sock full of dry acid onto the stain & move into position with the pool pole, then leave on until all the dry acid is dissolved moving occasionally.

To prevent inorganic stains from coming back, you can try the following steps:

• Use a metal sequestrant regularly (every 3-4 months) to keep the metals 'in solution' prevent metals from depositing as stains.

• Test your pool water regularly to make sure the pH and total alkalinity are within the recommended ranges.

• Avoid using copper-based algaecides or other products that may add more copper to the pool water.

• Only purchase high quality pool chemicals.

• Consider using a water softener or filtration system to remove metals from the fill water.

• Check your pool heater or plumbing for any copper erosion or corrosion and replace or repair as necessary.

By following these steps, you can effectively treat and prevent organic and inorganic stains in your pool, keeping it looking clean and clear all season long.

Common causes and colours associated with stains.