Chlorine. Liquid, granular, tablets and gas. Do they all work the same? Is there a time and place to use one over the other? No, they do not work the same. And yes, there is a time and place to use each. Chlorine in gas form is the most potent, fastest acting, and most dangerous. Because of these factors chlorine gas is almost exclusively used in large commercial endeavors by trained professionals, and as such we will exclude it from our discussion here.

But when it comes to liquid, granular and tablet form, what is the difference and when should you use each? Below is a table that outlines some of the pros and cons of each and when best to use them.

The following is what your chlorine usage should typically be like:

Spring - In the spring, it is most efficient to use liquid chlorine or granular chlorine to bring your chlorine level up to an ideal level and deal with any startup issues, such as green or cloudy water.  (This is not when you want to use tablets since there is not yet a residual of 1-3 ppm of chlorine in the water to maintain.)  Liquid chlorine is best used to bring immediate results of raising your chlorine level in the water.

In Season - During the pool season is the ideal time to use chlorine tablets.  We recommend BioGuard’s SilkGuard Complete Tabs, in 1” tablets or 3” tablets, depending on your use.  One of the things to realize about the chlorine in your pool is that it does not stay there. It gasses off into the atmosphere or is used up killing pathogens or algae, and therefore you need a constant source of new chlorine to maintain that 1-3 ppm of free chlorine to keep your pool safe and clean.  You may periodically have to use either liquid or granular chlorine to break up large amounts of combined chlorine or as a supplement for unusual chlorine demand, such as a large bather load from a party.

End of Season (Fall) -  We highly recommend the use of specially formulated Arctic Blue winterizing kits made by BioGuard.  It is essential to have enough chlorine in your water at the time of closing to prevent algae growth and aid in opening in the spring to a clear pool. The chlorine (Arctic Blue Shock) and algaecide (Arctic Blue Algae Protector) included in the winter kit is a multi-purpose formula to clarify, fight algae and protect at lower temperatures.  Although algae growth slows down when the water temperature reaches sixty degrees, it can still grow.

OK…despite your best efforts, your pool water is now cloudy. Your pool professional, hopefully, one of the Happy Dolphin Retail Staff at our store in Plymouth, MN, has suggested you use a clarifier or a flocculent. So, what is a clarifier, a flocculent and what is the difference between them?

Not a cloud in the sky. BECAUSE it is in my pool!

First, let’s talk a little bit about why your pool water can get cloudy. Water is cloudy when there are substantial amounts of tiny, tiny little particles in suspension. These little particles are too light to sink to the bottom and are often too small to be caught by your filter. What are they made of? Dust, pollen, dander, body oils, make-up, urine, nitrates, high alkalinity, high calcium, yadda, yadda, yadda. The point? It is hard to know and, to some extent, it doesn’t matter. Cloudy water means a lot of something really small is floating around in the water; we don’t care what it is - we just want to get it out.

There are two courses of action you can take. You can make the particles bigger, so your filter can grab them, or you can concentrate them on the bottom of the pool so that you can vacuum them out.

A quick side note here: While it is not uncommon to have cloudy water after a pool party, algae bloom, or when opening in the spring, you should not rely on a clarifier or frequent flocking to maintain clear water. If your pool water is consistently cloudy, there are likely other factors in play. For example, your sanitizer may be ineffective, your water may be out of balance, or your filter may be undersized or damaged. It may even be that you are not filtering enough. You should be turning your pool over - moving your entire pool volume through your filter - at least twice a day (three times a day for a commercial pool).

I can see clearly now…

The easiest way to deal with cloudy water is to use a water clarifier. Water clarifiers are positively charged polymers, a macromolecule composed of many repeated subunits. When you pour this into your pool, these macromolecules attract the negatively charged microparticles that are making the water cloudy; this, in turn, causes the macromolecule polymer to grow even larger. It continues to do this until it gets big enough to get caught by the filter.

Why are polymers positively charged, and why are the cloudy particles negatively charged? I don’t know, but, I do know that if your water is balanced and your filter is working, adding a clarifier will do the trick. It will, however, take some time to work - often several days or more. Also, because you are relying on your filter to get “the stuff” out, you should run your filter 24/7 until your water clears up.

If you have a sand filter, you might be able to speed up the process by using a product like Bio-Lab’s Sparkle Up or even DE powder. These will sit on the top of the filter sand and increase its ability to filter down to a finer micron. But remember to watch your pressure gauge and backwash when needed.

Seems flakey to me

Floc is like a clarifier in that the chemical you add to your pool, the flocculent, attracts the tiny particles to itself. Nerd alert! It’s about to get technical! Flocculation is the process of bringing colloids (microscopically dispersed insoluble particles) out of suspension (not out of solution because they are not nor, will they ever be dissolved) to form a flack (floc). These flakes then become heavy enough and large enough that they sink to the bottom.

The primary difference is that flocs work much faster and grow the particle sizes to very large clumps that will clog your filter.  So instead of running your pump continuously until your water is clear, you add the floc to your pool usually through a skimmer, run your pump for a couple of hours, shut the pump off for 12-24 hours allowing everything to settle to the bottom. Then ever so slowly to not disturb or remix up the floc and contaminants, you vacuum to waste.

Note: If you cannot vacuum to waste then you should not use a flocculent.

So, which should you use?

Whether to use a clarifier or a flocculent to clear up your cloudy pool depends on several factors. Time, the ability to vacuum to waste, and the desire to use a little elbow grease.

If you cannot vacuum to waste, you really should not use a flocculent, only a clarifier.

If you would rather not do the work of slowly vacuuming the pool and can wait several days for the cloudiness to clear up, then use a clarifier.

Need your pool clear soon, don’t mind vacuuming and can do it to waste, then flocculating is for you.

While we are all sad to see it go, summer is drawing to a close here in Minnesota, and that means it will soon be time to close your pool for the winter. Because of our harsh winter weather, you will need to take steps to prevent your pool and equipment from damage, and you should also correctly treat your water to set yourself up for a clean and clear rather than swampy opening in the spring.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dolphin Pool and Spa Named in First-Ever Top 50 Swimming Pool and Spa Service Ranking

Los Angeles, October 2018 – Pool and Spa News, the premier media outlet for the pool and spa industry, has named Dolphin Pool and Spa in its annual ranking of top swimming pool and spa service firms across the United States and Canada.

Based in Plymouth, MN, the company placed 48 in the PSN and Jandy Top 50 Service List.

Top 50 Service firms, specializing in the cleaning, maintenance, repair and renovation of swimming pools and spas, have proven themselves as the most well-rounded in the country.

Pool/spa service companies from around the U.S. and Canada compete to appear on the Top 50 Service list. To determine this elite group, the media outlet evaluates businesses based on six pillars that indicate business excellence in the field:

* Earning power, based on a company’s service revenue from the previous year, helps determine overall business acumen and success;

* Staff management, training and retention indicate how the firm invests in its most important resource to ensure the highest-quality products and services;

* Participation in the swimming pool/spa industry, peripheral fields, and the business community at large, indicates the firm’s commitment to elevate its profession;

* Web presence makes up a vital part of reaching, informing and staying connected to consumers;

* Community service proves the ability of a business to take its good citizenship beyond its own operations;

* Customer service scores indicate a company’s commitment to what’s most important.

Businesses such as Dolphin Pool and Spa are leading the way for pools and spas, and the industry providing these life-enhancing products, to continue getting better.

About Pool and Spa News:

Founded in 1961 and based in Los Angeles, PSN serves the residential and construction swimming pool and spa industry. It is part of the Hanley Wood family of media platforms serving fields related to housing and construction.