A swimming pool is a place to relax and chill in your leisure time. Chlorine lock is not something that you desire to have in your swimming pool. Thousands of swimming pool owners face the same problem. Do not turn it to be your worst nightmare.
Our article will help you out to deal with the problem.
What is a Chlorine Lock?
Chlorine lock refers to that situation when the chlorine in your swimming pool does not work properly and sanitizes the swimming pool. And if you are getting a chlorine smell from the water, it is because of the chloramines. Whenever you are facing a swimming pool problem like chlorine lock, take immediate action to break the chlorine lock.
The reasons behind the chlorine lock
Before solving the problem, you need to identify the reasons behind the chlorine lock. We have mentioned some possible reasons below for you.
Cyanuric acid is used in the swimming pool for saving the chlorine molecules from the UV rays. The UV rays damage them much. But having a lot of cyanuric acids is one of the prime reasons behind a chlorine lock in the water of your swimming pool.
Chlorine lock can also occur if you put plenty of stabilizers in the water. Again, if you do not take proper care of the swimming pool, for example, do not drain it partially or do not refill the water from time to time, you may need to face this issue. Another reason behind the chlorine lock is the unbalanced pH of the water.
How to find out the presence of Chlorine
To identify a chlorine lock, you have to do a chlorine test of the swimming pool water. You can check for total chlorine and free chlorine both. By testing the total chlorine, you measure the presence of chlorine in the water. Free chlorine tests will provide you the sanitization amount of the water.
If the result of both tests is the same, there is no problem in the water. But if the result varies from one another, there is a possible chance of chlorine lock.
How to break a chlorine lock?
The presence of a chlorine lock is one of the most undesirable problems for your swimming pool. A few ways have been mentioned below to deal with the problem.
Drain and refill the swimming pool
At first, you can partially drain and refill the swimming pool. There is no fixed time limit for this method. You have to drain your swimming pool, then refill the water, and test and water chemistry. You need to repeat the whole process until you get the desired result from the chlorine testing.
Use a non-chlorine shock
Using a non-chlorine shock is another way to deal with the chlorine lock. It will help you to oxidize the existing chlorine in the swimming pool. For using the non-chlorine shock, go through the manufacturer details. The ideal formula for adding a non-chlorine shock is given below:
(Total Chlorine – Free Chlorine) x (#of gallons/10,000) x 2 = amount of shock to add.
Sanitizing the swimming pool with Bromine
You can also apply Bromine instead of chlorine to sanitize your swimming pool. Bromine removes contaminants by ionizing them or forcing them apart at the molecular level. However, it will work slower than chlorine. But it will assist you in breaking the chlorine lock.
Using a Chlorine shock
Another way of dealing with chlorine lock is to use a chlorine shock. A large amount of chlorine is needed to break the chemical bond between chloramines. Before applying this method, do not forget to check your pH balance. Keep it in between 7.2-7.6.
Chlorine lock is not healthy at all for your pool. The unwanted smell of chlorine can make your children sick. So, it is essential to keep the pool neat and clean. If you find any kind of inconvenience, try to solve them as soon as possible. Prevention is always better than cure. Take a little bit of care from the beginning of your pool journey. It will remove the future hassles of yours. Again, if you are facing problems like chlorine lock, our article is here to help you out.