Knowing the pool’s proper chemical balances is not hard if you have the right knowledge and tools. So here is how to raise the chlorine level in the pool with Bleach to help you a little bit.
Swimming pools are one of our favorite places to relax during the hot summer months. They provide the right refreshment that we need without us going away from our backyard.
While they are fun to have, they also pose threats to your health. Swimming pools can contain many bacteria and other contaminants and develop so fast because of the environment.
One of our main defenses when it comes to contamination of water is chlorine. It is a mild type of chemical that kills most bacteria in the water while also being safe for humans.
You can simply put chlorine powder in the water to raise it, but it can be expensive. Over time, chlorine also goes down or levels down if you do not keep track of it.
With the lowered chlorine level, the water in the swimming pool becomes exposed again to many bacteria. So you need to always keep track of the chlorine levels to see if the pool is safe.
What Is Chlorine?
Chlorine is a naturally occurring chemical compound that cleans out most types of waterborne diseases. It is responsible for killing all the harmful bacteria in water for it to be safe.
However, when we talk about chlorine in the swimming pool, you need more than just the water’s natural content. You need to add artificial or developed chemicals to the pool.
There are more harmful bacteria in the swimming pool since the water does not flow freely. Yes, it circulates through the pool pump, but it does not necessarily remove or filter the bacteria.
Chlorine helps kill off the bacteria from the pool’s water, so even if the pool does not filter these microorganisms, they do not pose threats since the chlorine cleans them out.
How To Raise Chlorine Level In A Pool With Bleach?
Chlorine and Bleach are often mistaken for each other. That is because they are the same chemicals, and in fact, Bleach contains the same base chemicals as chlorine has.
They both oxidize the bacteria, which kills them since they cannot live with exposed internals. This makes it good for you to use Bleach when you want to raise the chlorine level.
The main difference between chlorine and Bleach is the concentration strength. That is why you need to know how much you need for a certain amount of water in the swimming pool.
Step 1: Test The Water
Even if you are not changing any chemical components in your pool, it is good to test your swimming pool water frequently. That is to make sure that the chemicals are balanced.
The first step to adding any chemical in the pool is to test the water first. You will see how much you need and what type of chemicals you need to balance them from there.
For chlorine, you will need to test the water every day at a minimum. Chlorine can fluctuate or diminish quickly depending on the bacteria and other factors that might affect the chemical.
So get your test kit ready and test the water for the chlorine concentration. I would suggest going with more advanced kits, but test strips are pretty accurate to use them.
Just make sure to do the testing in the middle of the day or when there is the most amount of natural light on the pool. That way, you will see the colors of the test strips.
Tips On Testing The Water
While using test strips is pretty simple, you still need to do it the right way to get the most accurate results. You can also go for test tubes if you have those and the solutions.
Go as deep as your arms can reach when getting water samples. That way, you will have a more balanced concentration on the sample before comparing it to the color strips.
If you go with the water on the swimming pool’s surface, you might get an inaccurate result. There is a chance that the water’s surface does not have the same concentration as the bottom.
Also, do not let the strips hang around after dipping them in the water. As soon as you dip them in the water, compare the color within 15 seconds to get a more accurate comparison.
Letting it exposed to air and other factors might affect the chemical concentration on the strips. So compare the color of the strip to the color guide and see how much Bleach you need.
Do not hold the test strips on the colored parts. That is where you can read chemicals, so make sure not to expose it to any kind of dirt to get the most accurate results.
Step 2: Measure The Amount Of Water
The test strips will let you know the current levels of chemicals in your water. To know how much Bleach you need to add, you need to know the pool’s amount of water.
That way, you will get to set proportions on how much water and how much Bleach you need to raise the chlorine level and balance the chemicals.
The safe level of chlorine in the swimming pool is between 1 to 3 parts per million. If you go lower than that, you will need to know how much you need to raise it safely.
Now, there are certain things that you need to know to add the right amount of Bleach. You need to know the concentration of the Bleach and the amount of water it can affect.
The bleach concentration is easy since it will be part of the label on the container of the Bleach. The water level is a bit tricky since you will be mostly estimating the volume.
You need the dimensions of the swimming pool and multiple them by themselves. There, you will have an estimate of the volume of water in the swimming pool.
Step 3: Add The Bleach
Get your safety goggles, gloves, and tools ready before pouring the Bleach. Make sure to always put your safety first since Bleach will burn your skin if it comes in contact with it.
In general, you will need about 20 ounces of Bleach with a concentration of 8.3 percent to raise the chlorine level by one for every 10,000 gallons of water in the swimming pool.
If your Bleach is much more concentrated, you can dilute it in water first. You can then scale up if your pool needs to be raised by more than 1 part per million or if you have a larger pool.
To help the water dilute the Bleach evenly, you need to pour the Bleach into it by going around it. That way, the Bleach gets distributed right away without the help of the pool pump.
If you have extra Bleach on the bucket, then you can pour it on the deepest part of the pool. Let it sit for a while so that the Bleach will dilute evenly around the swimming pool’s water.
Step 4: Let The Bleach Dilute
There are two ways to do this: you cannot read the Bleach’s concentration instantly. You still need to distribute the Bleach evenly throughout the water.
You can let it sit for about a day so that the Bleach settles in the water. This is called natural aeration, and it prevents a sudden fluctuation in the acid levels of the water.
This can cause damages to other parts of the pool, such as the pool liner, pipes, and other pieces of equipment around the pool. So leave it for about a day before turning the pool pump on.
After letting the Bleach settle in the water, turn the pool pump on and let it run for at least 8 hours. Make sure that the water is circulated at least twice before turning off the pool pump.
Step 5: Test Again
After the Bleach has been distributed evenly throughout the pool, test the water again to ensure that the chlorine levels have risen to the right and safe level for swimming.
If the chlorine level has reached the safe zone, then you can start swimming in the pool. If not, you will need to let the pool pump run slightly more and then test the water again.
Chlorine is a tricky chemical to balance, and it actually can take long before you see the results. So be patient and let the Bleach settle evenly in the water before swimming in the pool again.
Why Use Chlorine Bleach?
Chlorine is usually sold or placed in the water via tablets nowadays. While that is great, some disadvantages are the time it takes for the tablets to settle in the water.
It takes longer for the chlorine level to change if you use tablets. So if you want the chlorine levels to rise faster, I recommend using Bleach rather than tablets or other solid forms.
It Saves Money
There is a significant difference in using Bleach to raise the chlorine level of the water compared to tablets, and the price is one of those things that make Bleach better.
It is usually cheaper than tablets while also performing just as well. It also acts faster, so you do not have to wait for up to a week before you can use the swimming pool safely again.
Aside from the actual price of Bleach, using it to raise the chlorine level will help you reduce the cost of pool maintenance. It keeps your swimming pool safe from damages brought about by bacteria.
Bleach Is Safe
If you follow the instructions above and use the Bleach sparingly, it is safer than chlorine tablets. It does not cause irritations and allergic reactions when applied properly.
Bleach is strong, but if you let it settle down the right way, it is sometimes more effective than most chemicals. Along with killing bacteria, it can also eliminate disease-causing microorganisms.
ConvenienT
Bleach is a household product, so it is readily available. Instead of looking for the more dangerous chlorine tabs, you can just use the Bleach you use for other purposes.
You do not need to buy any special bleach as long as you know how to dilute the Bleach if it is too strong. It is available in most households, so you can raise the chlorine level when you need to.
Conclusion
If you want to keep your swimming pool safe, make sure to test it frequently to get all the benefits of a clean, safe, and fun swimming pool to refresh you in the summer.
Chlorine is one of your major defenses from dirt and diseases you might get from the pool’s water. So make sure that it is balanced to kill all the bacteria in the water.
There are also times that the chlorine is too high, and it may cause irritation, so test the water as frequently as you can to make sure that the chlorine level is balanced and safe for the swimmers.
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