Last month we discussed how many pool budgets were being reduced during recent budget cuts and recession-related cutbacks. We discussed how Preventive Maintenance was just one factor in helping prevent un-budgeted repairs while also protecting your pool equipment investment.

This month we will look at one of the most significant but highly underestimated “budget killers”... which we refer to as “excessive chlorine consumption”. What it is? What Causes it? What can be done about it?

What is Excess Chlorine Consumption?

For the purposes of this discussion, Excess Chlorine Consumption can be defined as an abnormally high usage of chlorine in relation to size of pool, PPM level you maintain, or bather load. For instance...you use 500 gallons of chlorine a week for many years, and suddenly you are using 1,000 gallons or more to accomplish the same (similar ORP under the same bathing load) task. The pool does not look better with the additional chlorine, in fact, it might look worst. Contrary to popular belief, holding higher chlorine levels does not make the pool safer, in fact...it may contribute to the formation of some potentially carcinogenic compounds. If you are holding a higher PPM residual, are using much more chlorine, but you have similar bather loads than before....what is the problem?

What Causes Excess Consumption?

There are several confirmed causes of excess consumption:

Pool Leaks: Many Florida pools leak. Why? Earlier pools used iron piping and fittings which have corroded over the years. Others have leaky connections in the pool light conduit fittings, which drip or leak water 24/7. However, the most common (and most powerful) source of pool leaks is cracked piping in the return line piping and fittings. This type of leak will gradually get worst as the ground surrounding the early leak erodes, allowing the already compromised piping to further sag and crack under pressure. Eventually the piping may completely break allowing many thousands of gallons of pool water to leak every day.

Beyond the cost of the water itself, there are significant costs associated to new pool water introduction: These include the costs of re-heating the pool water, restoring the chemicals to their previous levels, and (THE BIGGIE) removing any foreign and unwanted chemical compositions from the water. The best example of unwanted chemical compositions are chloramines. Most city water supplies treat with chloramines (chlorine mixed with ammonia) instead of straight chlorine as the latter does not last as long in the pipes, and also has received bad press as the culprit of premature failure in household copper piping systems. Chloramines are thus introduced into the pool water when the pool is filled. It may take many hundreds of dollars of chlorine monthly simple to remove chloramines from pool water.

Low Stabilizer Levels on outdoor pools: This is a simple one to fix compared to the one above. Simply put, stabilizer is a chemical you add to the pool to provide protection against UV degradation of the existing (and future) chlorine in the pool. Without it, you will lose up to 90% of existing chlorine in a two-hour period, with it....the chlorine “work value” is somewhat diminished, but will have better lasting power in the presence of UV light.

For this reason....according to the AFO manual, stabilizer is a TRADE OFF, and CES research over the past 25 years has confirmed that it is best kept between 10 and 30 PPM depending on the bather load. This small level of stabilizer will help cut chlorination costs by as much as 50%, but will keep keep the “ diminishing of chlorine’s work value” under control.

However, stabilizer levels are constantly diluted with incoming “fresh water” and rain water, so if you aren’t paying attention, your pool could become “under stabilized” and your chemical consumption will increase exponentially.

While standard test kit provide mediocre testing resolution for stabilizer, the CES Palintest kits provide accurate digital testing with resolution from 1- 200 PPM.

Chlorine Demand: By far the most complicated cause of all chlorine consumption issues, chlorine demand is defined as the accumulation of an organic demand in the pool or spa water, or a deterioration of the water quality. This can occur whenever the pool becomes overloaded, the chlorination system routinely falls behind the bathing load, or when a marginal filtration and treatment system is not capable of continually removing organics at the pace they are being accumulated.

In any event, in the presence of Chlorine Demand, it takes MORE CHLORINE to accomplish the same water clarity, and the same overall water quality. One telltale sign is that it will take MORE CHLORINE to accomplish the same ORP level. For example....a healthy pool may use only 1.5 PPM of chlorine to achieve 700 mV of ORP, while a sick pool (one with high chlorine demand) might take require 4-6 PPM to achieve the same level of water quality. In the sick pool, most of the chlorine introduced into the water may go directly to fight demand, and thus the consumption of chlorine increases exponentially.

How to Solve the Chlorine Consumption problem?

As you can see above, there are some simple steps to permanently solve your excessive consumption issues.

Fix your pool leaks: Now is the time to fix any known pool leaks. With water savings being a key issue in today’s environmental movement, it is ridiculous to have a pool lose 10-70,000 gallons of water every day. Not only will fixing your leaks contribute to the statewide water savings effort, it will also help you save thousands of dollars a year in water costs, sewage costs (yes you probably pay sewage charges for water you leak out), heating costs, chemicalization costs, and last (but definitely not least) excess chlorine consumption costs. Not fixing a leak because you cannot afford the repair costs? Think again!

Maintain your stabilizer level: Test for your stabilizer levels every week, and adjust to keep them between 10 - 30 PPM depending on your bather load. If you are unhappy with the Stabilizer test on your current test kit, try a Palintest 3, 9, or 25 test kit and see how simple and accurate stabilizer testing can be. While a digital test kit may cost over $300, the chemical savings from holding proper stabilizer levels will allow the Palintest Kit pay for itself within a short period of time.

Remove Chlorine Demand: This used to be a very tough task, but we are happy to report that is now simple and inexpensive to accomplish. Simply contact your CES rep and ask about our TRUOX® non-chlorine treatment alternatives. They work quickly (in a few hours), leave no harmful chemical residue, and can save you thousands of dollars a year in chlorination costs. Here are some of the proven demand-killers.

“Boilout” your pool piping, filters, and pool water with NEW BEGINNINGS® non-chlorine shock. A simple overnight treatment has successfully transformed many of our customer’s pools from a chlorine-hungry often-cloudy pool, into a crystal clear pool that requires much less chlorine to hold the DOH-mandated ORP level of 700 mV. With fewer PPM’s in the water, there is less irritation, less waste, and much greater savings.

Continually Trickle-dose your pool with PUROLYTE PLUS® non-chlorine shock, and maintain much higher ORP levels with less PPM. Many of CES’s larger customers are using this technology to significantly reduce annual chlorination costs. One local municipal pool, that has always looked very good, was holding 720 mV of ORP, but was maintaining that level with over 5 PPM of Chlorine. After a boilout procedure, and the installation of a PUROLYTE PLUS® feeder, the same pool is now holding an 800 mV level with only 2.2 PPM of chlorine. The water clarity is not only better, it is now spectacular.

Regardless of your type of chlorine or who you buy it from, our mutual goal should be to utilize the least amount of Chlorine to maintain the highest ORP (water quality) possible.

Count on CES to assist you in identifying, treating, and resolving chlorine consumption issues. It is a program that we have offered for many years, but never has there been a better time to investigate if it can work for you!!

Please contact your CES rep for more information.