Have you ever wondered which chemicals lower chlorine? Pool chlorine is often used in larger amounts than other pool chemicals. You may also notice it doesn’t take long before the pool turns green and gunky after you add chemicals to lower chlorine levels.
It happens when the chlorine levels get too high, resulting in the water being clear, but filled with chloramines instead of free chlorine.
What Pool Chemical Lowers Chlorine?
Chlorine levels can be affected by many things, including the amount of chlorine in the water, bather load, pool surface area, and temperature. You may need to lower chlorine levels if you notice that your pool smells like a public pool or if you have eye irritation or bleached hair after swimming.
There are several ways to reduce chlorine levels:
Add a clarifier to reduce the amount of floating particles in the water and reduce the amount of chlorine needed to treat them.
Add a pH increaser to raise the pH level in your pool water so that it is less acidic and more alkaline (less corrosive). It will help eliminate bacteria growth that causes odors and discoloration in your pool.
Other than that, here are some of the most common chemicals that lower chlorine:
- Sodium Thiosulfate (Stabilizer)
- Sodium Hypochlorite (Chlorine)
- Calcium Hypochlorite (Chlorine)
What Pool Chemical Lowers pH?
There are many chemicals that can be used to lower the pH of a pool. The most common chemicals used to lower the pH are muriatic acid and sodium bisulfate (salt).
Muriatic acid is a dilute solution of hydrogen chloride gas in water. It is often sold as Muriatic Acid, Muriatic Spray, or Hydrochloric Acid. It can also be purchased as a solid chemical that you mix with water before adding it to your pool.
Sodium bisulfate is a white powder that dissolves easily in water. It is usually added directly to the pool via a dosing pump, where it will dissolve into the water and cause an immediate drop in pH.
The amount of chemical required to lower your pH depends on how much acid or salt needs to be added and the current pH level of your water.
What Pool Chemical Lowers Alkalinity?
Alkalinity is a measure of your pool’s pH buffering capacity. The higher the alkalinity number, the more acid will be needed to lower the pH. The goal of pool water chemistry is to maintain a stable pH around 7.4.
When you add chlorine or bromine to the water, it combines with elements in the water to form compounds that allow for disinfection. There are other elements in your pool that combine with chlorine, but not as effectively as those in the chloramines group.
Apparently, these elements are primarily calcium and magnesium ions, which are known as “combining” elements because they combine with chemicals like chlorine and bromine.
What Chemicals Do You Add First When Opening A Pool?
If your pool has a concrete wall, then you will need to add 1 ounce of calcium hypochlorite per 10,000 gallons of water and 2 ounces of liquid chlorine per 10,000 gallons of water.
The reason for this difference is that concrete walls tend to hold onto more dirt than vinyl liners do., so it’s important that you give them an extra dose of chemicals when you open the pool for the season so that they can stay clean throughout the year without having to be cleaned manually by hand every day before anyone gets in the water!