Owning a swimming pool does not only mean that you get to chill all summer. It comes with huge responsibilities like- maintaining the pool, repairing it if necessary, keeping it secured while not in use, and most importantly, storing the pool chemicals. A swimming pool contains quite a number of chemicals to keep the water balanced and suitable for people to swim safely. But the chemicals can be a cause of accidents if they are not stored properly.
Why do you need to store pool chemicals?
To enjoy a swimming pool in your backyard, you must take care of the safe storage of your pool chemicals as your pool needs a lot of chemicals to keep it fun and safe. If the chemicals are not stored properly, they will be ruined, and it is not possible to keep buying chemicals every day as it will be quite expensive as well. Chemicals keep changing in the slightest little change in humidity or temperature or in contact with other chemicals, which can end up in hazardous chemical reactions and cause an accident.
Not only this, if anyone touches the chemicals unknowingly, they can burn their hands as acid is used as a pool chemical too. Pool chemicals can turn into vapor, and this might change the whole result they were supposed to work for in the pool. Chemical reactions can cause a huge explosion as well. This might harm people and their valuable belongings.
Which chemicals are pool chemicals?
Well, if you are in charge of maintaining your pool, then you might already know the names of pool chemicals, but still, here is a list if this is your first time-
- Calcium hypochlorite
- Chlorine tablets
- Sodium
- Shock
- Bromine
- Cyanuric Acid
- Alkalinity Increaser
- Calcium Hardiness Increaser
- Chlorine Neutralizer
- Hypochlorite
How to store pool chemicals?
A cool, dry, and well-ventilated place can be a good spot to store pool chemicals but away from exposure to sunlight. Keep the dry chemicals in a waterproof container, and do not place the liquid chemicals above the dry chemicals because if by any chance the liquids leak and come in contact with the dry chemicals, it would cause a huge hazard. Many people think that a garage can be a good place for pool chemical storage, but it is actually a dangerous place to store pool chemicals as the gas of vehicles can cause a chemical reaction and lead to an accident.
Apart from these basic pool chemicals storing ideas, there are some more instructions to follow while storing pool chemicals. They are-
- Keep a fire extinguisher in the room where you’ll keep the chemicals but at a safe distance.
- Put a ‘no smoking zone’ poster on the wall of the storeroom where you’ll store the pool chemicals.
- No entry for children and pets in the pool chemical storeroom.
- A single display cannot include more than 100 liters of oxidizing chemicals.
- Maintain a minimum 3 feet distance from one chemical to other
- The chemicals which are incompatible should be stored separately.
- Never store oxidizers and acids close to each other.
- No pool chemicals which have expired should be stored. They should get rid of it safely.
- You should not reuse any container.
Caution
Storing pool chemicals in regular containers is very risky and dangerous. To maintain utmost safety, you should store your pool chemicals in the original store containers which came along with the chemicals or which are certified to preserve pool chemicals. Because these are specially designed for storing chemicals safely. Remember-
- Do not touch the pool chemicals with bare hands, better to wear gloves
- Read the label of the chemical container before storing it.
- Do not store different chemicals in the same container.
- Do not mix the new chemical with the old ones even if they are the same.
- Make sure your pool chemical storage is nowhere near the pool because any touch of water or dampness can make chemical reactions that might lead to a horrible accident.
Conclusion
Storing pool chemicals is a must if you own a pool. Storing the chemicals is indeed a very risky and dangerous task. But the job is not that tough if you maintain the safety rules of pool chemicals properly. If you still feel at risk while handling the job, you can just get help from an expert who can also do the regular pool maintenance job.