In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the basics on utilizing bleach instead of chlorine to disinfect and sanitize your swimming pool. Bleach is actually a form of diluted chlorine itself, and due to recent shortages and price increases of chlorine on the market, some pool owners have considered utilizing bleach as an alternative.
At Packman’s Pools, we’re here to help with noy only swimming pool planning, design and installation, but also with important details like the type of cleaning chemicals you use in your pool. Today’s part two of our series will go over a couple more important details about the use of bleach here, plus one specific alternative that some pool owners may consider.
Importance of Stabilizer
One theme that’s important for any chlorine-cleaned pool – and therefore for bleach-cleaned pools as well – is the use of what’s known as a stabilizer. Most commonly cyanuric acid, but also sometimes made up of other chemicals, stabilizers are in place to maintain the longevity of chlorine.
This is because, under normal circumstances, chlorine breaks down in sunlight much faster than in other settings. It breaks down so quickly, in fact, that if chlorine is used in a pool that has direct sunlight beating down on it, it will become useless too quickly to actually provide proper sanitation. But if you use a stabilizer, this breakdown effect is slowed and limited. Bleach, as a form of chlorine, breaks down the same way – while you’ll need to use less stabilizer in most cases, as bleach is a lower purity than straight chlorine, speak to our team about stabilizer levels you should use along with bleach.
Salt Water Alternative
For some pool owners, there’s an entirely separate alternative to consider here: Salt water sanitation instead of chlorine or bleach. Many salt water pool systems offer lower maintenance costs and other long-term benefits, plus require far less chlorine or bleach – or even none in some cases.
Professional Assistance
Before you consider any significant change to the chemicals or methods you use for sanitizing your swimming pool, it’s vital to seek professional expertise. Our team will be happy to answer basic questions and provide recommendations on how best to clean your pool, plus how to utilize treatments in “stages” rather than all at once, which might create long-lasting damage. We can also advise you on important themes like chlorine testing kits for bleach or chlorine levels, which are very important to be aware of.
For more on how to properly sanitize your swimming pool using a few different potential approaches, or to learn about any of our swimming pool or hot tub services, speak to the staff at Packman’s Pools today.