Debris or contaminants from winter or periods of inactivity. Heavy pool usage or high bather load, especially during summer. Biofilm or organic material in the water, such as sunscreen, leaves, or algae. Pool covers trapping chlorine and causing it to dissipate more rapidly.
The consistent inability to maintain chlorine levels is also called “chlorine demand” and is most often caused by a high level of inorganic and organic contaminants in the water. Those contaminants force the chlorine to work extremely hard to oxidize them, leaving little chlorine to protect swimmers.
Most likely, the chlorinator is clogged, or the reagents are bleaching out due to high chlorine. Try an OTO chlorine test, as OTO does not bleach out. Caution, if the feeder is clogged, then the feeder could be dangerously full of chlorinated gas. Only open it if you feel that you can do it safely.
Chlorine demand occurs when there are a lot of organic and inorganic chemicals, minerals and other types of matter in swimming pool water that the chlorine is struggling to neutralize.
Algae, bacteria, or fungus growth. Debris or contaminants from winter or periods of inactivity. Heavy pool usage or high bather load, especially during summer. Biofilm or organic material in the water, such as sunscreen, leaves, or algae.
Bacteria, algae and microscopic contaminants, such as urine, sweat, sunscreen and beauty products, take a toll on your swimming pool's water chemistry. These substances, when present in your pool water, accelerate chlorine demand and can affect your chlorine's ability to maintain properly sanitized water.
Low/No chlorine production
The factors that affect chlorine levels include the summer heat, poor filtration, bather load, and the frequency of use. It's also possible that the time period you set is too short, the chlorine output level is too low, or the filter needs backwashing.
Your chlorinator or floater should never be filled to the top with tablets. This would be considered overuse of tablets which plummets your pH, causing your water to become acidic. This can cause burning eyes, itchy skin, and ruin your pool equipment.
This powerful compound is the real bacteria-fighter, destroying the cell walls of harmful microorganisms and keeping your pool water sanitized.
There are a few possible causes for murky water, with the most common causes of a cloudy pool being a low runtime, chemical imbalance, algae, excess debris, and excess calcium. 1 Each problem has a diagnosis and treatment but generally should clear up in a few days with proper attention.
Shock Your Pool: The best way to solve low free chlorine levels is through shock treatment. Shocking is a concentrated dose of chlorine added to raise the level quickly and oxidize existing contaminants.
Too much Stabilizer: A chlorine lock can occur when you have added too much cyanuric acid, or stabilizer, into your pool water. Stabilizer is a chemical intended to protect chlorine from burning off too quickly from UV rays. If you get too much of it, it can completely block your chlorine and make it ineffective.
Make sure the pool is clean and chlorine is at the proper level. Read the dosage on the bottle for recommendations. For liquid or powder stabilizer, add to the pool by walking around the perimeter and slowly adding stabilizer along the edges. If using powder stabilizer, brush pool down to promote mixing.
If you just added chlorine or a chlorine-based shock to your pool and you still have a low chlorine level, there's a chlorine demand problem. In order to cure chlorine demand, triple shock your pool with calcium hypochlorite or cal-hypo shock.
if the water is very warm, the tablets with chlorine will also dissolve faster and therefore dose more. for example, if you do not cover the swimming pool, the chlorine will disappear faster due to degradation by the sun and evaporation, so you will have to add more chlorine tablets.
We recommend keeping your Chlorinator at 80% output year round. Ensuring that your salt level is healthy (5000ppm) and the your Chlorinator Box and Chlorinator Salt Cell are working correctly, 80% output will provide your pool with enough Chlorine to keep it sanitised while not over-doing it.
While it may be tempting to toss chlorine tablets into the skimmer for convenience, doing so can have serious repercussions for your pool and equipment. From fluctuating chlorine levels to corrosive water chemistry, and equipment damage, the pitfalls of skimmer placement far outweigh any perceived benefits.
Basic Checks First: Filter Run Time: Make sure your filter is running for at least 10 to 12 hours total per day, specifically during the daylight hours when the sun is out. Circulation: Check that you have strong circulation while on high speed.
To Eliminate Demand
Shock the pool with 3 lbs. of SuperSonic per 10,000 gallons of pool water. Circulate the water continuously.
This can be caused by a variety of factors such as a closed valve, a dying pump, clogged filters, or a blocked pipe. In low flow situations, the chlorinator may not be able to produce enough chlorine to effectively disinfect the water. No flow problems occur when there is no water flowing through the chlorinator.
Direct sunlight (UV)
Direct sunlight breaks down chlorine.
Raising pool chlorine can be much easier than trying to lower chlorine levels. Simply adding chlorine in the form of chlorine tablets, granular chlorine, liquid shock or powder shock will increase the total amount of chlorine within the pool.