Protect Your Pool from the Sun

Did you know your pool needs “sunscreen” just like you do? In this article, we’re going to look at how and why you need to protect your pool from the sun. You know that your pool needs chlorine to kill algae and bacteria to keep your swimming pool clean, clear, and healthy.

If you didn’t have chlorine in your pool it would make people sick, and your water would most likely turn cloudy and green. This is not what you want on a hot summer day in Tulsa!

But the sun can affect that chlorine, and your pool needs a bit of help.

How Does the Sun Affect My Pool?

That same sun that leads you to the pool every day can affect your chlorine levels. The sun’s ultraviolet rays can even reduce your chlorine levels by up to 90% in about two hours.

If it’s super hot outside (like it almost always is in Oklahoma), your water gets warmer, bacteria has a better chance of spreading, and your chlorine is working super hard to do its job. It also gets used up quicker.

When you add a higher bather load, you end up with major chlorine demand.

Maintaining Chlorine Levels

There’s a general rule that says each time the temperature rises 10 degrees above 80 degrees that you should add about 50% more chlorine to your pool. This helps maintain the right levels of free chlorine.

We tell our in-store customers to test their water frequently. This means testing it at least once a week during the summer and more often if you have high bather loads. You can either test it yourself with our test strips, or you can bring us a water sample for a free water test. You’ll learn quickly if you’re using up your sanitizer.

Prevention is Key

You want to protect your chlorine from the sun so you use less chlorine. You’ll find that BioGuard Stabilizer 100 and BioGuard Instant Stabilizer 100 are key to keeping your pool water balanced and your chlorine in check.

Two products that do this well are: