Stabilized Chlorine Sanitizers Maintain Pool Water Quality

Stabilized chlorine sanitizers are better for maintaining a safe concentration of disinfectant in your swimming pools. This is critically important because it ensures the health and safety of your swimmers as well as your pool or spa.

These chlorine-based pool sanitizers stand up better against the UV rays of the sun; thus, they last longer in the water of the pool

What Are Stabilized Chlorine Sanitizers 

Preventing the spread of diseases in your swimming pools and spas is extremely important to your swimming pool safety. Hence using a pool chemical or pool chlorine that is stabilized, is vital to your pool care. A stabilized chlorine sanitizer will also eliminate the need for you to add a stabilizer, such as Cyanuric Acid to your pool.

A chlorine that is stable helps to keep your pool's chlorine working much longer because the oxidizes most of the chlorine delivered to your pool. This makes it ineffective in performing its job of disinfecting.

During the summer months, which are much hotter, more chlorine is required; therefore, it's best for you to use a stabilized pool chlorine.

There should always be a safe residual (free chlorine) concentration of disinfectant in your pools and spas.

There are two main types of stabilized chlorine sanitizers that are available for swimming pool and spa sanitation.

These pool chemicals are commonly referred to as chlorinated Isocyanurate Disinfectants or ISO. The main reason why these two swimming pool disinfecting sanitizers are considered stabilized, is because they contain Cyanuric acid as part of their molecular structures.

As a part of your pool water care, it is important for you to remember that once the chlorine portion of the ISO is depleted, the cyanuric acid remains in your pool.

The cyanuric acid portion of the ISO will increase in concentration as you add more chlorine sanitizer to your pool.

The first of the two stabilized chlorine sanitizers that are commonly used in swimming pool care is Trichlor. It has low stability with a pH range between 2.8 and 3.5. Trichlor has an available chlorine content (ACC) of about 90%.

Still, depending on the inert ingredients used by a particular manufacturer, the chlorine strength of this pool disinfectant can vary significantly. Trichlor is a dry chlorine compound that is available in either tablet or stick forms. The tablet form is available in one- and three-inch diameters which is similar in shape to that of a hockey puck.

Ideally, the pure form of this stabilized chlorine sanitizer is used for treating black algae on the surfaces of swimming pools and spas. Trichlor has been classified by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as a class 1 oxidizer. Meaning that this chlorine-based sanitizer can erupt at an accelerated rate and can ignite if it becomes contaminated.

The last of the two stabilized chlorine sanitizers that we will look at is Dichlor. Among all the swimming pool chlorine disinfectants that are available, Sodium Dichlor is considered the most unique one of them all.

The main reason this pool sanitizer is considered unique is because of its pH range! It's almost neutral. Its pH range is 6.7 whereas the neutral range of pH is 7.0.

Dichlor is usually used for super chlorination of vinyl lined swimming pools.

It's ideal for pool disinfection in facilities where maintaining a required pH level is critical.

Types of Dichlor Pool Disinfectants

There are two forms of Dichlor disinfectant that are available for swimming pool maintenance. They include:

• Anhydrous Dichlor. With this pool sanitizer, no water bounds to its molecule. As a result of this, Anhydrous Dichlor has a much higher ACC (Available Chlorine Content). The ACC for this chlorine-based chemical is 62%. Regrettably, this pool disinfecting sanitizer is very hazardous when it comes to storage and handling. 

The NFPA has classified this chemical product as a class 3 oxidizer. This means that it has an accelerated rate of combustion which normally is severe. This chlorine product can spontaneously ignite when it becomes contaminated.

• Dichlor Dihydrate. There are two water molecules that are bound with the Dichlor molecule in this product. Thus, we get the term di-hydrate. This form of Dichlor has a lower available chlorine content (ACC). It is said to have an ACC of 56% which is due to the water molecules that are bound to it.

When stabilized chlorine stabilizers are used, you must maintain a pH level that is no less than 7.2 and no more than 7.8 in your pools. The ideal level would be a pH that falls between 7.4 and 7.6. These are the suggested NSPI standards for swimming pools. Whenever your pH levels are too high, the sanitizing power of your pool chlorine disinfectants will be reduced.

This my friend is due to a reduced oxidation reduction potential (ORP) in your pool water. A lower pH level is just as bad because you will be exposing your pool bathers to other discomforts, such as burning eyes. Proper pool care and maintenance is difficult but with a proper understanding of the diverse types of pool chemicals and their use, can help you achieve it.

Types of Chlorine Used In Water Treatment

All chlorine is not the same; however, you must use the best methods or best pool chlorine sanitizers so that you always safeguard the health of your swimming pool and spa users.

This means that you must accomplish proper disinfection of your swimming pool before you allow swimmers the pleasure of using it. By doing so, you minimize the transmission of waterborne diseases and infections between your swimmers.

Take care of your pool bathers by constantly maintaining a safe free chlorine residual in the water for your pools and spas.

Hence, it is best to use swimming pool chemicals that have a stabilizer such as Cyanuric Acid added to their molecular structures already. These types of chlorine-based sanitizers will help protect your swimming pool water from chlorine loss.

This makes pool chlorines like Trichlor and Dichlor, excellent pool sanitation choices as your prime stabilized chlorine sanitizers.

Stabilized chlorine sanitizers helps with recreational water illnesses!

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