Guide to Chemicals for Starting Up a New Pool
Starting up a new pool can be an exciting experience, but it’s also important to make sure your pool’s chemistry is balanced from the very beginning. Proper chemical balancing is essential for maintaining clean, clear, and safe water. This guide will walk you through the basic pool chemicals you’ll need when opening up or starting up a new pool and how to use them for optimal results.
Pool Chlorine
Purpose: Chlorine is the most common pool sanitizer. It’s used to kill bacteria, viruses, and algae, helping to keep your pool water clean and safe.
Types of Chlorine:
- Chlorine Tablets (Trichlor or Dichlor): These are slow-dissolving chlorine products that are usually placed in a floating dispenser or automatic chlorinator.
- Liquid Chlorine (Sodium Hypochlorite): This is a fast-dissolving option that’s often used to quickly increase chlorine levels when opening a pool.
- Granular Chlorine: This dissolves quickly and is added directly to the pool.
How to Use:
- Start by shocking the pool with a larger dose of liquid chlorine to quickly raise the chlorine level to the required range (usually 1-3 ppm).
- Once the pool is shocked, use tablets or granular chlorine to maintain the chlorine level.
Ideal Level:
1-3 ppm (parts per million) for regular maintenance.
Stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid)
Purpose: Cyanuric acid, also known as pool stabilizer or conditioner, protects chlorine from being broken down by sunlight. Without stabilizer, chlorine can be rapidly degraded by UV rays from the sun, requiring you to add more frequently.
How to Use:
- Add cyanuric acid at the beginning of the pool season to help protect your chlorine levels.
- It’s usually added by dissolving the granules into a sock or floating device in the pool.
Ideal Level:
30-50 ppm is typical for outdoor pools.
Pool pH Adjusters (pH Up and pH Down)
Purpose: Maintaining the proper pH balance is crucial for your pool’s water chemistry. A pH level that is too high or too low can cause various problems, such as irritation to the skin and eyes, scaling, or the inability of chlorine to effectively sanitize the water.
Types:
- pH Up (Sodium Carbonate or Soda Ash): Raises the pH level if it’s too low (below 7.2).
- pH Down (Muriatic Acid or Sodium Bisulfate): Lowers the pH level if it’s too high (above 7.8).
How to Use:
- Test your pool’s pH level before adding any chemicals. If it’s below 7.2, add pH Up. If it’s above 7.8, add pH Down.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for dosing, as large changes in pH can have negative effects on your pool.
Ideal Level:
30-50 ppm is typical for outdoor pools.
Total Alkalinity (TA) Adjusters
Purpose: Alkalinity helps stabilize the pH in your pool water, preventing sudden pH fluctuations. It acts as a buffer, keeping the pH steady even when other chemicals are added to the water.
How to Use:
- Test the total alkalinity of the pool water. If the level is too low (below 80 ppm), use an alkalinity increaser (usually sodium bicarbonate).
- If the level is too high (above 120 ppm), you may need to add an acid, like muriatic acid, to bring it down.
Ideal Level:
80-120 ppm is ideal for maintaining stable water chemistry.
Calcium Hardness Increaser
Purpose: Calcium hardness refers to the amount of dissolved calcium in the pool water. Proper calcium levels are crucial to prevent issues like scale formation (if too high) or corroding the pool's surface (if too low).
How to Use:
- Test calcium hardness levels. If they are too low (below 200 ppm), add Calcium Plus to raise the level.
- If calcium hardness is too high (above 400 ppm), you may need to partially drain and refill the pool with fresh water to dilute it.
Ideal Level:
200-400 ppm is ideal for maintaining stable water chemistry.
Pool Shock (Super-Chlorination)
Purpose: Shock treatments are used to supercharge the pool with chlorine to kill bacteria, algae, and other contaminants. Shocking the pool is essential when first filling the pool, or when the water becomes cloudy or has a strong odor.
How to Use:
- Pool shock is usually in granular form. You add it directly to the pool water, typically at night after the pool is no longer in use.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the proper amount to use based on your pool size.
Ideal Level:
Shocking should increase your chlorine level to 10-12 ppm, then return to normal levels of 1-3 ppm after 24 hours.
Algaecide
Purpose: Algaecide is a preventive treatment that helps to eliminate and prevent the growth of algae in your pool. It's particularly important during the startup phase, as algae can bloom quickly in a newly filled pool.
How to Use:
- Algaecide can be added directly to the pool water and will circulate with the filter system.
- Use it as a preventive measure or when you first notice algae growth.
Ideal Level:
Follow the instructions on the algaecide bottle for the appropriate dosage, typically 1 oz per 5,000 gallons of pool water.
Want to learn more? Check out our pool how to guides written by industry experts. From Pool School for new owners to equipment buying guides, troubleshooting tips, pool chemical basics, and essential maintenance, we’ve got you covered.
