YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

It is that time of year again. Time to get the pool up and running to enjoy for the entire season. You just happen to be at your local grocery store and lo and behold they have a whooping eight feet of shelf space next to the automotive products dedicated to pool chemicals.

Pool chemicals…really, pool chemicals?

Just because the bottle says that it is a pool chemical, don’t believe everything you read. Take a closer look at the label and remember; Buyer Beware. If you fall prey to purchasing pool chemicals at any non-pool store you have been warned. Many people make the mistake of using products that are not labeled for pool use. This can cause unnecessary issues since the products they are adding are not specifically formulated for use in a swimming pool.

Pool products are not all alike. You need to know that chemicals and products sold through professional pool stores are a higher quality product. There is no easier way to put it. Review the products and the labels to really understand the differences in products.

Liquid Chlorine

There are many people who choose to use the internet as their primary source of information regarding pool care despite the professional expertise available at a local pool store. While the internet is a useful tool, it is not able to know the specifics of your own personal pool spa’s testing results in order offer the best recommendations for your water.

Here are the facts about use of “Bleach” in a swimming pool. The amount of available chlorine is about a quarter of available chlorine in a bottle liquid chlorine purchased in-store. One bottle of pool store chlorine has the strength bottles of $5.00 bargain bleach.

Algaecides

This is the most confusing of the pool chemicals sold at the mass merchant or grocery store. People are so excited when they see a gallon of pool algaecide being sold for $14 a bottle. Little do they know the sweet deal is wrought with a couple of issues. The percentage of active ingredients is so unbelievably low; you need the entire gallon to treat the pool. Adding the entire bottle then causes another issue. The $14 summer algaecide will absolutely create foam in the water.

Chlorine Tablets

Being the most popular form of pool chemicals out there, the hockey puck chlorine tab has been a big target for the big box retailers and grocery stores to sell. Once again, looking at the label is the best thing a pool looking owner could do.

The amount of the actual stuff you want in the pool water is the important thing to note. The percentage of available chlorine is often time 10% less than the pucks that are purchased in the professional pool store. While you might be saving money on the surface, you are buying an inferior product to add unwanted things into your pool water.

The poor quality tabs have a large amount of binders and other fillers. Some even have metals in them that end up staining pool walls. If you buy pool chemicals from anywhere other than a pool store, you will have problems. Of course if you have any questions about pool chemicals or problems you could always ask the bagger. :)

 Post provided by, Natural Chemistry, Backyard Times, Summer 2012 edition https://www.facebook.com/BackyardTimes