Lets get festive!
Tips to make your Christmas pool event a success!
Time to talk about Christmas Pool Chemistry! The celebration season is well upon us – and here in Australia that means its time to make sure the pool is looking and feeling its best. As we know, as pool owners, all your friends and family will be inevitably visiting during this hot time of the year. As well as the basic level chemicals required year round – in most cases, chlorine, acid and buffer – its now a great time to add some extra chemicals. Products such as stabiliser (not required in all pools), magnesium minerals and clarifiers are all chemicals that are not necessarily essential. However, these additions will lead to a greater and more enjoyable swimming experience during the Summer months.
Stabiliser (Cyanuric Acid)
Stabiliser is an important chemical to help protect our chlorine against damaging UV rays. This extends the time it takes for UV rays to destroy the chlorine – very similar to how sunscreen works on human skin. This chemical is to be used with some caution however. High stabiliser can lead to a phenomenon called chemical lock, where the stabiliser essentially smothers the chemicals instead of protecting them. That leads to a loss of effectiveness in the smothered chemicals. Stabiliser levels need to be low in pools with ORP or pH probes to help reduce a film building up over the sensors, leading to incorrect water readings. Finally, with indoor pools, spas or pools using copper or silver ionisers (such as Naked Swim or EnviroSwim systems), we do not need to add any stabiliser at all. For further information on Stabiliser, read our blog.
Magnesium Wellness Minerals
Magnesium minerals add a touch of class to the pool or spa. These minerals are proven to aid in muscle recovery and help with whole body relaxation. Users have reported feeling far fresher and less “dry” after swimming or soaking in mineral pools. If you’ve ever used a bath bomb or Epsom salts in your indoor bathtub, you would be familiar with the feeling of relaxation these minerals provide. If you aren’t currently using magnesium in your pool, you can simply add the minerals in bulk doses. We typically add these doses when adding salt to the pool. We offer this product in 3 or 10kg bags which you can order here.
Clarifying Agents
Clarifiers are a fantastic chemical that combat the seemingly endless plague of fine dirt we find ourselves struggling with. This fine dirt is especially prevalent here in South Australia. Often fine dust or dirt particles are too small to be caught by the pool filters. We then see a slightly cloudy or “not quite sparkling” water appearance. Clarifier works in a similar fashion to a magnet on metal. It attracts and adheres lots of small, fine particles together to form larger particles which the filters can trap. This leads to the removal of the fine debris from the water, giving it a sparkling shimmer. You just need to make sure you clean or backwash your filter out after using clarifying products. These do work well but your filter fills up quickly! To get your hands on some clarifiers perfect for the upcoming Summer, click here.
