Chlorine is the most common pool sanitizer, but a lot of people don’t really know much more about it than that. Chlorine for pools is safe and effective when used properly; but if you’d like to learn more about it, check out this quick guide.
Chlorine basics
Chlorine was first discovered by a Swedish man named Carl Scheele in 1774 when he mixed the powdered prylusite into a muriatic acid. The name Chlorine was derived from a Greek word “Chloros” which means “green” because of the cleansing effect of this chemical.
How Chlorine is Produced
Chlorine is formed through electrolysis of salt water. When an electric current passes through Sodium Chloride (2NaCL) and Water 2H2O, the atoms will dissociate and will form a solution of Cl2 (Chlorine) + 2NaOH (sodium Hydroxide) + H2 (Hydrogen).
In the manufacturing process, Cl2 is isolated when it is in its gaseous form and will be used to make other Chlorine compounds used for sanitizing, bleaching and even producing plastics and other related products.
How Chlorine Works
A process of dissociation occurs when chlorine is added to the water producing a chemical reaction in the water that leaves a hypochlorous acid and a hydrochloric acid solution. The amount of these solutions to be made is dependent on the water temperature and pH level. Hypochlorous acid is the active form of chlorine ingredient which actually kills the microorganisms.
It slashes through the cell walls destroying the inner enzymes that deactivates and oxidizes the cell. This process continues to work until the hypochlorous molecule combines with a nitrogen and/or ammonia compound, or it will just broke down into its component atoms and be deactivated itself. This is how the cleansing process of chlorine works in your pool water.
Types of Chlorine
There are several types of chlorine. This information will help you on what chlorine type you need depending on the condition of your pool, the season, and the level of cleansing to be done.Here are some of the chlorine types and thier features:
Gas – basically, chlorine is in an elemental state of gas. Therefore, this type of chlorine is in the purest form. Gas type chlorine is available for pool sanitation and is very cheap. But, it is also extremely hazardous and should be restricted in its use. Therefore, it is usually used in a very large pool that has very strict safety procedures. Gas is very acidic, with a pH close to muriatic acid. So, if you will consider using it, you have to use a lot of base to counteract this.
Liquid – this type of chlorine is created through bubbling the chlorine gas through caustic soda solution. This liquid can be poured out to the pool directly but it is very much recommended to use a peristaltic pump to inject it into the pool. This type of chlorine solution is very corrosive, so use care of handling is very much required. The pH level of this type is at a scale of 13, so there should be an added amount of acid to counteract its pH of 13.
Tablets – Tri-chlor or trichloro-s-triazinetrione is a stabilized form of chlorine. It has cyanuric acid pressed within the tablets. This form of chlorine is slow dissolving.
This is very effective in controlling algae but is more expensive. It should not be thrown directly to the pool water because it can stain and deteriorate vinyl.
Granular – Granular chlorine has a very acceptable pH level of 7. It dissolves rapidly and can effectively work to kill water contaminants. It has about 62% of chlorine content and can be used for normal sanitation. There are other types of granular form of chlorine and all has a different levels of chlorine content and pH level. They also differ in way that some granular forms are not very much stabilized with a cyanuric acid that makes them differ in a way they kill the microbes in the water.
So, in considering what type of chlorine you will use to sanitize your pool, you have to consider three things, the cost, the risks and effectiveness. Higher cost may bring you safer but effective sanitizing experience while lower cost may only focus on the either the risks or effectiveness.
Just remember that chlorine for pools is not dangerous when it is dissolved in the water. An allergic reaction due to chlorine in the pool water is very rare. But when too much chlorine is being used, it will evaporate and release gas to the air and take its original gaseous form.
So when diffusing an amount of chlorine into the water, proper safety and precautions should always be considered. Always make sure to follow the safety precautions of any chlorine product you usevery carefully to avoid damage to your pool or causing any harm to yourself.
