What do Phosphates Have to do with Swimming Pool Water?
Wed, Jul 28th, 2021
One of the most important things about owning a swimming pool is keeping the pool water healthy and beautiful. When it comes to pool health and beauty, chlorine is the common chemical used for this. Some of the drawbacks of using chlorine are it doesn't feel so good on your skin, it is irritating to the eyes, harsh on hair and very corrosive.
Many people ask about green pools and they want chlorine to combat algae. That is not 100% correct. Although chlorine does attack and kills algae, it is not the proper chemical for that job.
In Southwest Florida, we are aware that many bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics. Well, guess what happened to chlorine and algae? Algae has become chlorine resistant. If you think about it, if there is an algae bloom in your pool, there was probably already chlorine in it.
How did that happen if there was already chlorine in my water? One of the things Sweetwater Pool Service does is every 90 days we add dedicated products that are 100% environmentally safe and 100% safe for you and your family (pool algicide and a phosphate remover).
What Are Phosphates? What is a Phosphate Remover?
Phosphates are the building blocks for algae to grow. They get in your pool from leaves that come through your pool cage screen, dead bugs, skin and fertilizer (from mowers go by the pool cage and mowing the yard, grass clippings get stuck on the screen, it rains on them and the water goes in the pool).
Phosphates are also introduced into your pool through the municipal water system. Municipalities use phosphates in the water because it protects their pipes from corrosion. An unfortunate drawback of it is water has phosphates in it already as you are filling up your pool from natural evaporation, from splashout and other things that remove water from your pool. Also, if you use well water there will be lots of phosphates too because of all the groundwater seepage that goes through it.
The only way to get fertilizers and phosphates out of your water is to use a phosphate remover.
Even if your pool water is crystal clear there are probably still phosphates in the water. Sweetwater Pool Service uses a phosphate tester to check for phosphate levels in the pool water.
Are Phosphates Bad For You?
Phosphates are not bad for people but they feed the algae that help them to bloom and grow.
Do I Really Even Need Chlorine in My Pool?
You need chlorine in your pool to work as an oxidizer to kill viruses and bacteria that may be harmful to your health.
Along with the dedicated products that are 100% environmentally safe and 100% safe for you and your family, the pool algicide, the phosphate remover, the low clor additive along with some chlorine, your pool will be healthy and safe!
At Sweetwater Pool Service we keep your pool healthy and beautiful but we use the lowest levels of chlorine that are necessary and keep it at a smart level. We also have the other friendly products mentioned above that we can use to decrease the amount of chlorine used even more!