5 Pool Chemicals You Probably Don’t Need!!
Walk into any pool store and you can find a chemical for just about everything.
Cloudy water? There’s a chemical for that.
Algae? There’s a chemical for that.
Low alkalinity? You guessed it—another chemical.
The problem isn’t that these products don’t have a purpose. Many of them you absolutely do. Many of them are great supplements and symptom solvers, BUT
DO YOU NEED THEM?!
At La Vernia Pool & Spa, we believe in testing first and treating the actual problem—not just throwing chemicals at symptoms.
Here are five products we think pool owners often buy unnecessarily.
1. Alkalinity Plus
This comes to no suprise. I talk about baking soda so often, I forget to mention it is something on my shelf.
Alkalinity Plus isn’t necessarily a special pool chemical you need to keep on the shelf.
When your total alkalinity is low, you need to raise it. But in many cases, the active ingredient in alkalinity increaser is simply sodium bicarbonate—baking soda.
That’s right.
You don’t necessarily need a fancy bottle labeled “Alkalinity Plus.”
What you do need is to know is your alkalinity level and understand how much it needs to be adjusted.
The important part is getting the amount right. Adding more than you need can create a different water-balance problem.
Do I stock Alkalinity Plus? Absolutely!!! Do I tell you to get Alkalinity Plus? Not really. I guess if that makes me a bad salesman, then; Guilty as charged!!
2. Phosphate Remover
Phosphates have become one of the biggest buzzwords in pool care.
But here’s the thing:
Having phosphates doesn’t automatically mean you have a pool problem.
Phosphates can enter your pool through rain, fertilizer, debris, fill water, and other sources. Orthophosphates are even increased from organic debris like dead algae. They are very common in our area and can reach as high as 7,000 ppb.
They can contribute to algae growth, but phosphate removal isn’t necessarily the first thing you should reach for when you have algae.
High Phosphates levels can contribute to the rate of growth of algae but does not cause algae.
Phosphate remover does not kill algae, phosphate remover does not remove algae. It removes phosphates.
If your chlorine is properly maintained and your water is balanced, you may not need to remove phosphates at all.
Before spending money on phosphate remover, ask a more important question:
Why isn’t my sanitizer keeping up?
Am I circulating my pool enough in the Triple-digit heat?
Is my pH and Alkalinity in balance?
These factors are all larger contributors to algae blooms than phosphates can ever dream.
I have been watching massive Phosphate levels in La Vernia for 14 years now.
3. Non-Chlorine Shock
Don’t get me wrong. Non-chlorine is a great product to use for your pool. It is totally under-rated.
Non-chlorine shock is an oxidizer, not a replacement for chlorine sanitation. It is a great supplement for bodies of water with little to no chlorine or high combined chlorine, but if your pool is low on chlorine, has an active algae problem, or needs to be properly sanitized, non-chlorine shock isn’t the answer by itself.
If you’re reaching for it every week simply because the label says “shock,” you may be spending money without addressing what your pool actually needs.
Remember, it is a supplement, not a sterilizer.
4. Algaecide
This one is probably going to make some pool owners nervous.
We sell algaecide.
But that doesn’t mean every pool needs it.
Just like phosphate remover, if your pool is properly sanitized and your pH and alkalinity level is maintained, you shouldn’t have to continuously rely on algaecide to keep algae away.
When a pool keeps turning green despite repeated doses of algaecide, the answer usually isn’t more algaecide.
It’s time to figure out why the algae keeps winning.
Is your chlorine too low?
Is your water balance off?
Is circulation poor?
Is something consuming your chlorine?
If the answer is NO to all of these questions and you are still brushing algae off every 2-3 days then stay tuned for my raving post about my Arch-Nemesis MUSTARD ALGAE
Algaecide can be useful in the right situation, it can even be used as a deterent for wasps and bees, but it shouldn’t become a substitute for proper pool maintenance.
5. Pool Clarifier
Don’t come at me, you know how much I love this LIQUID GOLD
And when you can’t see the bottom of your pool, it’s tempting to grab a bottle of clarifier because that is what it is for and there is no harm in using this product.
Clarifier can help certain pools by gathering tiny particles so your filtration system can remove them. It acts as a clumper. It doesn’t affect your chlorine, pH, alkalinity. It’s not a metal, it’s not a phosphate. That’s why we call it “Liquid Gold”.
But it doesn’t fix why your water became cloudy.
If the problem is poor circulation, a dirty filter, improper water chemistry, high contaminant load, algae, or another underlying issue, clarifier is only treating the appearance of the problem.
Sometimes the right answer isn’t another bottle.
It’s cleaning the filter.
Improving circulation.
Correcting your chemistry.
Or simply giving your filtration system enough time to do its job.
The Point Isn’t That These Chemicals Are Bad
We carry these products for a reason.
There are situations where every one of them can be useful.
The point is that you shouldn’t automatically reach for a chemical just because something looks wrong.
Your pool is a system.
When something changes, there’s usually a reason.
Before you buy another chemical, ask:
What problem am I actually trying to solve?
Then test your water and find the cause.
Not all pools are created equal.
Again, I’m not telling you to stop spending money on these products. I’m simply saying you can hold off on using them until the need actually arises. Regularly testing and treating your water, routinely cleaning your filter, and keeping your baskets empty are the keys to successfully maintaining your pool yourself.
One or more of these products might become essential to your routine over time. You find whats best for you and your pool and your lifestyle.
At La Vernia Pool & Spa, that’s why we offer free professional water testing. We don’t want to sell you five products when you only need one—or tell you to buy something you don’t need at all.