How Do The Sun (UV) Rays Affect My  Swimming Pool Water?

With the summer heat and the strong sun rays upon us, a dip  in the crystal clear water of your outdoor swimming pool sounds like the  perfect, refreshing thing to do.  Did you  know that it is during these summer months that we need to pay closer attention  to the chlorine levels in our pools?  We  will go over what to look for to help you enjoy your swimming pool more, and  spend less time maintaining your pool.

Chlorine is extremely susceptible to the Ultraviolet (UV)  rays from the sun, which can use up your chlorine rapidly.  Because of this, special attention is needed  during the hotter summer months.  In  fact, without proper protection, perfectly balanced water can lose its chlorine  level within a few hours!  Therefore,  proper maintenance and care of your water chemistry during these months are  vital to controlling your chlorine levels.

Think of the chlorine in your pool as your skin in sunlight.  We use sun screen in order to avoid being sun burned.  In the same way we protect our skin from the  sun, there are products available in the market that works as a sun screen for  your chlorine (to reduce chlorine loss from the UV rays), and help prevent  algae growth (should you experience insufficient chlorine levels from the UV  rays). These are just a few:

 
• Conditioner: Also called Stabilizer or Cyanuric Acid, is a quick dissolving powder that  protects and stabilizes chlorine against the suns destructive UV rays. When  added to proper levels, it acts as a sun block to help retain the chlorine in  your outdoor pool.  For most regions, 60  -80 ppm is recommended. For ORP controlled pools, 30-50 ppm is recommended.  Conditioner is not needed for indoor pools  that are not exposed to UV rays. 
  
      1 lb per 5,000 gallons of water will increase 25 ppm. 
  
    For more information about conditioner, please click here.

 
• Pool  Algaecide:  When chlorine levels are  low in your swimming pool water, it allows the opportunity for algae to grow.  Pool algaecides can be used to treat algae blooms, can also be used in a  preventative application, and helps chlorine perform better. Lo-Chlor Algaecide  is a long acting algaecide that continues to protect your pool for 3 months  with just one application.  For more  information on pool algaecide, please click here.

We hope this article has shed some light on the effects of  the sun’s ultra violet rays on the chlorine in your pool. Feel free to contact  us should you have any further questions here, or leave us a comment! If you would like to learn  more about the recommended water chemistry levels for your swimming pool,  please read How  Do I Open My Pool For The Season With a Salt Chlorine Generator?

We hope this article has shed some light on the effects of  the sun’s ultra violet rays on the chlorine in your pool. Feel free to contact  us should you have any further questions here, or leave us a comment! If you would like to learn  more about the recommended water chemistry levels for your swimming pool,  please read How  Do I Open My Pool For The Season With a Salt Chlorine Generator?