Don Zant Pool Service & Supply :: Questions About Pool Care & Maintenance

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about swimming pool care and maintenance? The pool man has the answers you need!

Click a question below to get your answer:

What is chlorine stabilizer? When do I add chlorine stabilizer? How can I reduce time on weekly cleaning of pool? Will an automatic pool cleaner clean my entire pool? Will an automatic pool cleaner pick up leaves? Will automatic pool cleaners get rid of algae in my pool? Do I have to run my pump longer with automatic pool cleaners? Why is balancing my pool so important? Why does my pool water turn my hair green? What causes eye irritation? Why is my pool cloudy? I keep adding chlorine but when I test my water, there's no chlorine reading. Why? What causes chlorine demand? What level should I maintain my chlorine? How often should I shock my pool? What is pH Increaser? What is pH Decreaser? What is Total Alkalinity? What is Chlorine? What is pool water testing?

Q: What is Chlorine Stabilizer?
A: Chlorine Stabilizer is an organic compound that protects chlorinating products from the sun. It is also known as Cyanuric acid and is sometimes referred to as "conditioner". Pool water that is stabilized offers pool owners a definite advantage over unstabilized pools. For instance, every 35 minutes a pool is exposed to the sun, the water will lose half of the HOCl present (which is the killing power form of the chlorine).
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Q: When do I add Chlorine Stabilizer?
A: Pool owners using unstabilized chlorine products to sanitize their pool can extend the life expectancy and efficiency of their free available chlorine residual by adding Aqua Clear Chlorine Stabilizer to outdoor pools Indoor pools are usually not exposed to UV rays of the sun and, consequently, do not require the use of stabilizer. Initially, you should add enough Chlorine Stabilizer to achieve 40 ppm.
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Q: How can I reduce time on weekly cleaning of pool?
A: An automatic pool cleaner will dramatically reduce the time spent on weekly maintenance.
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Q: Will an automatic pool cleaner clean my entire pool?
A: Automatic pool cleaners clean the walls and floor of an inground pool, automatically. While automatic pool cleaners will clean most of your pool, you will need to occasionally brush hard-to-clean areas such as swim-outs or steps.
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Q: Will an automatic pool cleaner pick up leaves?
A: Automatic pool cleaners will vacuum away dirt, small leaves, bugs - just about anything that may fall into your pool - and deposit them in your filter for easy disposal.
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Q: Will automatic pool cleaners get rid of algae in my pool?
A: No. A pool cleaner does not kill the algae; pool chemicals do. An automatic pool cleaner will clean the dead algae along with other loose debris.
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Q: Do I have to run my pump longer with automatic pool cleaners?
A: No. You don't have to run your pump any longer with an automatic pool cleaner than without it.
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Q: Why is balancing my pool so important?
A: If your pool water is not balanced properly, it can lead to skin and eye irritation as well as harm the equipment and surface of the pool.
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Black Pool

Q: Why does my pool water turn my hair green?
A: When your pool water contains metals, they can turn your hair green. If you are having this problem, the best solution is to call to have your water tested for metals.. If you have metals present, we can recommend a solution.
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Q: What causes eye irritation?
A: If your pool is not balanced properly, this could lead to eye and skin irritations. That is why it is essential to balance your pool water properly.
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Q: Why is my pool cloudy?
A: It can be a variety of things. Check to make sure you are running your filter system 8-12 hours every day, also make sure your water is properly balanced.
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Q: I keep adding chlorine but when I test my water, there's no chlorine reading. Why?
A: The reason for the absence of a chlorine reading is that your chlorine is tied-up. It is combined with amine groups causing your chlorine to be inactive. This is commonly called chlorine demand. What you need to do is shock or superchlorinate your pool. Shocking your pool will cause the chlorine to free up. Double and triple levels of superchlorination may be depleted within hours of application. Often the pool water will be sparkling and attractive while this problem is taking place. In some cases, the chlorine stabilizer disperses and can not be measured.
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Q: What causes chlorine demand?
A: There are many causes for chlorine demand, and in most cases there is no one cause for a particular chlorine demand, but several combined: algae, fertilizer contamination, excessive chloramine accumulation, rain, pollution, excessive cover debris rinsed or dumped in pool, source water (sometimes municipal water supplies contain chloramines), organic and other contaminates in source water (ponds, lakes, well).
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Q: What level should I maintain my chlorine?
A: You need to maintain enough chlorine in the pool to control the amount of bacteria. We recommend you keep a free available chlorine residual between 1ppm - 3ppm.
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Q: How often should I shock my pool?
A: You need to shock your pool at least every 2 weeks in the summer, depending on the usage and weather.
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Q: What is pH increaser?
A: Raises the pH in pool water to guard against skin and eye irritation, and corrosion of metal fixtures.
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Q: What is pH decreaser?
A: Lowers the pH in pool water to prevent scaling, cloudy water and reduced effectiveness of chlorine.
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Q: What is Total Alkalinity?
A: Raises total alkalinity to control pH bounce, staining of surfaces and corrosion of pool equipment.
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Q: What is Chlorine?
A: Chlorine is a very aggressive and efficient disinfectant that kills bacteria. It is very important in maintaining pool water for swimmers' safety and health. Over 90% of all pools (commercial and residential) use some form of chlorinating products as a sanitizer. Bacteria and algae enter the pool every day from sources ranging from bathers to the weather. So every day you have to fight bacteria and algae with sanitizers and algaecides. When we test for chlorine in pool water, we refer to it as free available chlorine, meaning that it is free and available to kill bacteria.
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Q: What is pool water testing?
A: Pool water has chemical characteristics that must be measured regularly. Pool owners need to check two of these characteristics on a regular basis: pH and Sanitizer. When these 2 factors are maintained within specified ranges, your pool water is probably not going to experience problems. By testing your pool water on a regular basis, it will help you understand how bather load, weather conditions and chemical applications affect the water.

We recommend you have your pool water professionally tested a minimum of twice yearly as they perform a more comprehensive set of tests. This will ensure that all the important parameters are in balance. Pools that are maintained in the proper test ranges will be protected from uncontrolled bacteria growth, be comfortable to the eyes and skin of swimmers, be less aggressive to pool surfaces and equipment, protected from growth of algae, and most important, be clear, sparkling, and inviting to swimmers.
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