Pool owners, how much chlorine do you use?

[blurredvision]

How much chlorine do you use during pool season and how many gallons is your pool? This is my first full summer in owning a pool, and I've gotten so much disinformation from the company I purchased from that I've had a time trying to keep my pool in shape. It seems like I hear something different in regards to chlorine usage every other day from different people.

I've literally heard everything from one 3" tablet a week for my 10,500 gallon pool (which is way too little) to two 3" tablets every single day (which sounds like it could kill a small child). So what's the deal?

 

[SlitheryDee]

I imagine it would vary with the brand and type of chlorine product you are using. Don't the chlorine tablets themselves have instructions? If they do, that's what I'd go by.

 

[nageov3t]

slightly under 9000

 

[feralkid]

slightly under 9000

Whatever amount it takes to keep the chlorine around 3 ppm.

It's different with every pool. For example, a pool that is kept clean uses less; a pool that dogs are allowed to swim in will use more.

You will just have to find out what your pool needs.

You do have a decent test kit/strips right?

 

[Cogman]

Enough to make the water taste like it is chlorinated.

 

[feralkid]

Find the book:
"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Pool Care"
by Charlie Taylor.

It is written for 1st time pool owners and will make you a pool care genius.

 

[Crusty]

IIRC we had a 12.5k gallon pool and we used to use tablets. What a pain in the ass they were, eventually we moved to a salt based electrolysis system.

Far easier to keep the salt content of the water at a certain level and let the computers do the work of figuring out the chlorine levels.

 

[GRHawk]

Whatever amount it takes to keep the chlorine around 3 ppm.

It's different with every pool. For example, a pool that is kept clean uses less; a pool that dogs are allowed to swim in will use more.

You will just have to find out what your pool needs.

You do have a decent test kit/strips right?

Mostly this, but I keep mine at 1-3 ppm (I use a "Pool Frog" chlorinator with the mineral pack, but I use the 3" pucks instead of the frog cartridges). The temperature and amount of usage will also affect the chlorine levels. Get yourself a good kit and learn how to read it, don't be "pool stored" where you drop a hundred bucks or so every time you go to get water checked. This is my fourth year with my pool, and I haven't been to the pool store once. My water looks the best as it ever has. I buy all my chemicals online, much cheaper than the stores. I generally put 2 pucks in the chlorinator approx. every week for a 19,000 gallon vinyl liner IG pool.

 

[xSauronx]

ive noticed people using saltwater systems lately and i have to say...i love it. i hate pool chemicals, now their pools are saltwater, which isnt great, but its damn sure better (to me) than pure chlorine itself

 

[Sluggo]

We use an automatic chlorinator.

http://www.amazon.com/Pentair-Rainbow-320-Chlorinator-In-Line/dp/B0039PPZ3U/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1282406277&sr=8-11

Once you get the dial set correctly, you just have to make sure the tube stays full of tablets. Putting tablets in the skimmer is a waste, they don't last nearly as long as they should, the water flow just eats them up.

 

[grohl]

salt water FTW. Been a pool owner for two years. I check water and add acid weekly. That's about it.

 

[TechAZ]

It's different depending on where you live. I have a 40k gallon pool and I keep the floater full with 4 tablets, it eats through that every week. Every other week I shock the pool. It's sunny and hot as hell here so that eats through the chlorine faster than say Kentucky.

 

[geno]

Sammy Sosa swims in my pool :

that's how much I use.

 

[destrekor]

My aunt uses liquid chlorine, and about every couple of days (depending on usage and local conditions), will put about 1/2 to 3/4 gallon of chlorine into the pool.

 

[bobdole369]

How much chlorine do you use during pool season

The answer to that is going to depend on a LOT of variables, thus the answer is not important.

Chlorine use depends on a huge number of factors, including, but not limited to:

1. Amount of sunshine
2. Bather load
3. Evaporation
4. Local weather conditions
5. Amount of rainfall


Instead of focussing on "how much should I use" - you need to keep it just about under 3ppm free chlorine.

Lots of folks espouse salt-water chlorine generators (i.e. salt pool, saltwater pool, etc) and I even worked for a major manufacturer (Autopilot) , so i was sort of partial to them for a while. Truth be told, it doesn't matter what you use, you need a certain amount of sanitizer and it takes a lot of attention no matter what you use. Nothing is plug and play, and the systems that automate a lot of it can be quite expensive.

The answer is to read and understand pool chemistry, that is YOUR pool chemistry, not what the manufacturer recommends. They know how to build pools, not how to own them.



For what its worth, I'm sure some folks have no idea what a saltwater chlorine generator is:

You add a couple bags of pure salt to your pool, to bring the salt level up to a few hundred PPM if I recall. It's under the level that you can taste. You don't get oceanwater, you can't taste it. It feels a little different on the skin for sure. Silky almost. The pool water is pumped through a set of plates where electricity is applied. The power (about 250W for an average pool) splits the salt into free chlorine and sodium, which cleans the pool and recombines later into salt.

The process continually increases alkalinity, requiring acid every so often. Once an equilibrium is reached, provided you don't have a sudden storm or a massive kids party you can almost let it ride. You still do need chems for algae blooms from time to time, and to adjust when it really gets hot, and every so often you gotta add chlorine to supplement.

 

[nickbits]

you are supposed to test the level then add enough to bring it up to the correct concentration.

 

[Newbian]

Just enough so your victims dissolve in it.

Oh wait, you said chlorine and not acid.

 

[ShawnD1]

Enough to make the water taste like it is chlorinated.

Enough to burn your eyes and dye your hair.
I wanted to post the clip from the simpsons where homer puts waaaay too much chlorine in the pool, but I can't find it in youtube.

Oh wait, you said chlorine and not acid.

Ha, you newb. Destroying dead bodies is a 2 stage system. First stage is to use strong sodium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide to dissolve their skin, muscle, fat, and connective tissue. Stage 2 is to use strong nitric acid to dissolve their bones. If you use enough chemicals, you can wash the entire body down the sink.

As stated, the pool needs a different amount of chlorine based on how quickly the chlorine is used. If it's an outdoor pool where shit like leaves and stray dogs end up in the pool, then you will need to keep adding lots of chlorine. If it's an indoor pool that isn't used very much, it will need much less chlorine.

 

[Mike Gayner]

This is my first full summer in owning a pool, and I've gotten so much disinformation from the company I purchased from blah blah

I find it hard to believe they're deliberately telling you the wrong thing.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Pool stores have one thing in mind, selling you more chemicals. I'd recommend you go to:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/

Read that section entirely. Then read it like 5 more times.

People who just use pool 'pucks' can cause lots of other problems in their pool. Everything you put in your pool has consequences. Don't listen to your pool store, buy your own test kit, read that forum and you will have a clean sparkling pool.

 

[Xcobra]

Until my skin starts to peel.

 

[CPA]

Don't you have a chlorinator built into your plumbing? Usually you just drop in about 10 tablets into it and open up the valve.

More importantly is to keep your PH level within proper range and shock your pool about once a week.

Oh, and if you have a filter system, clean or replace them often.

 

[Nintendesert]

Keep adding chlorine until your eyes start to bleed, then add a little more.

 

[ShawnD1]

Keep adding chlorine until your eyes start to bleed, then add a little more.

I wonder if swimming in a pool like that would help acne. I'll totally buy a pool when I start taking 'roids.

 

[Rubycon]

ORP/pH controller with mixing valve so chlorination is automatically controlled is the best way.