Overdosing on Pool Chlorine Tablets

Often when I get new clients, I encounter an overdose of pool chlorine tablets in their pools. We have found over the years that sometimes pool cleaners take the easy way out and tell their customers they need to be using a lot more tablets than are actually necessary or good for the pool. I take the time to re-train our customers on tablet usage because using them in excess can be very damaging for your pool in the long term.For those that live in areas with hard water, tablet overuse won’t be an issue. For our area, EBMUD provides us with soft water that is almost like melted snow, with very low TDS (total dissolved solids). The pH of chlorine tablets is 3.0, which means they are highly acidic. The more tabs used, the more acid you are depositing into your pool which over time can cause corrosion to the plaster, heater and lights.One of the most important aspects of using chlorine tablets safely is using the right amount of chlorine. If your pool water has too much of this chemical, swimmers in your pool could experience sore eyes, skin rashes or difficulty breathing while swimming. Overuse of chlorine tablets can disrupt balancing chemical levels and cause the pH to go too low. The damage caused by low pH can’t be reversed with out replacement or resurfacing. It’s a simple mistake to make that can be very costly down the road.From my experience, less is always more when it comes to chlorine tablets. It’s what’s best for swimmers and for keeping the water balanced. If your pool water is balanced correctly, you should not smell chlorine in your pool. It may be quick and easy to drop tablets in your pool water, but over time the byproduct of those tablets can inhibit chlorine function and create high conditioner levels (also known as cyanuric acid). Excess conditioner can cause cloudy water, algae and dull, lifeless water.A pool should be cared for and maintained differently in the winter months than in the summer. Atlantis Pools offers a complementary consultation to prepare your pool for winter and ensure your water is balanced.