Guide to Startup Chemicals for Pools
After the patience and effort involved in designing and installing a swimming pool, the day finally comes when you fill it with water. Naturally, you want to jump right into the cool, refreshing water! But your pool isn’t ready for swimmers — yet.
First, you’ll need to ready your pool with startup chemicals. Pool startup chemicals ensure that the water is clean and safe for swimmers. Once you have water levels sanitized, you’ll continue testing and maintaining optimal chemical levels. Then, you need to go through the startup chemical process again when you open your pool each season.
Learning the pool chemicals needed can seem intimidating, but pool chemical maintenance is simple once it becomes part of your routine. Achieving the proper balance of new pool startup chemicals takes a little more work, but we’re here to give you a head start on that knowledge. Keep reading for more information on pool and hot tub startup chemicals.
We’ll address these topics, helping you understanding the chemical needs of your pool:
- What chemicals do I need to open my pool?
- What chemicals do I need for a pool?
Whether you have an inground or above ground pool, you’ll need the same basic types of chemicals. However, you may need to take extra care to keep above ground pools from acidic water conditions that can damage vinyl. Keeping either an above ground or inground pool clean and sanitized is simple with some basic pool chemical knowledge.
What chemicals do I need to open my pool?
Before you start adding chemicals to your pool, figure out the condition of your water. For that, use a home test kit such as a liquid testing kit or easy-to-use test strips. For a more precise analysis, you can bring a water sample to your local pool store for professional testing. After you analyze your pool chemical levels, you may need to add these opening pool chemicals:
Types of Pool Chemical
Description
This is an element in the form of solid calcium hypochlorite tablets or granules or liquid sodium hypochlorite.
Why You Need It
- Keeps water clean
- Destroys harmful bacteria
- Keeps water safe for swimming
- Keeps algae away
Desired Range
3ppm
Tips for using:
Add chlorine granules directly into your pool water or place chlorine tablets to a floating dispenser, skimmer basket, or automatic chlorinator. The tablet dispensing method ensures more even distribution of chlorine.
Description
Bromine is an alternate heat-resistant sanitizing element that ionizes contaminants in pool water.
Why You Need It
- Keeps water clean
- Breaks apart harmful bacteria
- Remains active longer than chlorine
- Works better in hot water
Desired Range
5ppm
Tips for using:
When bromine breaks down, it produces bromamines, which hamper its effectiveness. To combat bromamines, shock your pool. If you use bromine tablets, they contain some chlorine as well.
Description
Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is a chemical content with an alkaline pH of 11.3-11.7.
Why You Need It
- Raises pool pH
- Raises total alkalinity
- Less expensive to use than baking soda
Desired Range
Add 1 pound per 10,000 gallons of water
Tips for using:
Don’t add too much soda ash or it could make your pool water cloudy.
Description
Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) is a chemical compound with a mildly alkaline pH.
Why You Need It
- Raises total alkalinity
- Raises pH slightly
Desired Range
Add 1.5 pounds baking soda per 10,000 gallons of water
Tips for using:
Besides raising pool’s pH, baking soda can be used as an abrasive cleaning agent to scrub pool tiles and grout.
Description
Muriatic or hydrochloric acid is a liquid chemical used to balance total alkalinity and pH of pool water.
Why You Need It
- Lowers total alkalinity
- Lowers pH
Desired Range
Use 1 quart per 15,000 gallons of water
Tips for using:
This acid is a hazardous material so wear protective gloves and goggles when handling it. Do not use this strong acid in fiberglass or vinyl-lined pools or freestanding hot tubs.
Description
Cyanuric acid helps protect chlorine from becoming deactivated in outdoor pools.
Why You Need It
- Keeps chlorine active
- Protects pool chemicals from UV rays
Desired Range
50 ppm
Tips for using:
Chlorine can come already stabilized with cyanuric acid, or you can add the acid separately.
Additional Items You’ll Need to Open Your Pool
Along with the above chemicals, you’ll need:
- Good test kit or strips to check pH, calcium hardness, total alkalinity and chlorine levels
- Brushes, nets and poles
- Vacuum
What chemicals do I need to maintain my pool?
Many of the chemicals used to open your pool will also be useful for keeping your pool sparkling clean all season long. For routine pool maintenance, add these chemicals weekly:
- Chlorine in granular or tab form
- Bromine as an alternate to chlorine or as one of the important startup chemicals for hot tubs
- Soda ash, baking soda, or muriatic acid to balance total alkalinity and pH
- Shock after a heavy rainfall or group swim
In addition to these standard chemicals, you may need other specialized pool chemicals at times. If you have trouble with algae or metal staining, try one of these solutions:
- Algaecide. This chemical prevents and kills algae growth. Keep your pool from going green even in sunny environments by adding algaecide after a shock treatment.
- Metal Remover. During the off season and when filling with high-metal water, metals can build up in pool water and stain your pool. To remove these stains, add metal remover to your pool water.
To make sure that chemical levels are balanced throughout the swim season, test your pool water once or more weekly with a home testing kit or take a water sample to your local pool company for professional testing.
Handle Pool Chemicals Safely
Pool chemicals are necessary to create a safe and gorgeous swim environment. However, these powerful chemicals require proper handling. If you’re nervous about handling pool chemicals, you can hire a professional pool maintenance company to keep your pool sparkling and clean. If you want to handle pool maintenance yourself, take a few precautions such as wearing protective gear like gloves and goggles when handling pool chemicals.
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