Chlorine Shortages + Price Increases Lead To Alternative Solutions

The shortage of products and the decreasing ability for new production caused a quick increase in prices, sometimes up to 60% more costly than pre-pandemic price points. Before the world of COVID-19, a 50lb bucket of chlorine tabs typically cost you between $70-$75. Now that same bucket can be found for upwards of $200-$280, assuming it's even available and in stock. This is a major cause of the price increase you may have had from your pool service company in the last year. 

Between low/no stock, and new inventory taking months to come in, many folks started to stock up early on the tablets they could find. However, no one wants to stockpile overpriced chlorine tablets. So while there isn't a true alternative to chlorine, there are other options to help you use much less chlorine, allowing what you have to last longer and still maintain the proper water chemistry. 

How To Lower Your Need for Chlorine

The easiest things you can do to combat the need for more chlorine for your pool are items that should already be a priority:

• Maintaining balanced water chemistry
• Keeping pool equipment in good condition
• Using preventative algaecides

These three preventative procedures will reduce the pool’s need for additional chlorine. The chlorine itself is meant to tackle the three main things it takes to keep your pool clean:

1. Sanitation (killing bacteria)
2. Oxidization (controlling natural debris caused by body oils and perspiration)
3. Deterring algae

Chlorine has been traditionally popular for handling these dirty jobs on top of being one of the cheapest options out there (even though it may not hold the title for being the most cost-effective choice in many areas anymore). Essentially, you're looking for options that take the weight of those three tasks off of having to be met solely by chlorine. But make sure to do some homework as many of these have setbacks outside of the cost difference.

Alternative Options to Use Less Chlorine

• Ozonators
  • UV Light Systems and Corona Discharge (how appropriate) are the two types of ozonator machines that attach to your filtration line. These can reduce up to 90% of your chlorine usage, but you'll have to run your pump 24/7 to keep the water circulating.
• Ionizers
  • Good as an algaecide and sanitizer, but still misses the oxidizer component. Ionizers will not be able to properly sanitize a high-traffic pool or one with heavy debris. Due to the high metal in ionizers, frequent swimmers can expect to see green hair and/or nail beds. Your pump would also need to run continuously as this sanitation depends on moving water.
• Bromine
  • This is a good choice for higher-temperature areas and spas. It's a good sanitizer, but just an okay oxidizer. For this reason, pure bromine can leave your pool a bit green and foamy. You could use a hybrid BCDMH, which is essentially a chlorine tablet made up of 66% bromine instead of 100% chlorine. 
• PHMB
  
  • While you will be able to go completely chlorine-free, PHMB does not oxidize, meaning you'll still need to use other products like hydrogen peroxide and an algaecide. Additionally, no matter what kind of filter you have, it will need to be cleaned every 4-6 weeks. 
• Salt Chlorinator Systems
  
  • These are electronic chlorine generators that essentially turn table salt into chlorine. While you wouldn't incorporate tablets into your regular maintenance, you would still need to use chlorine to shock your pool occasionally (unless using EZ POOL or PEPPER). Besides the higher upfront costs, the downside of salt is that it is very corrosive and could rust your panels, equipment, etc. Salt System owners need sacrificial anodes to reduce these risks. 

I'm sure  if you're like most pool owners you're thinking, "Yeah, I want to reduce my chlorine usage but all of these options seem like a lot more work and I still won't necessarily be saving any money."

The Solution: Completely Remove The Need for Tablets

The good news-There is another solution outside of stockpiling overpriced chlorine tablets or switching to pairing your chlorine with several other chemicals.  You pair two trusted names in the pool industry to get one unrivaled sanitation system: EZPool and the Frog System with BacPacs.

Let's break it down. 

Frog Mineral System

The Frog Mineral Systems and the utilization of the BacPac provide that lower chlorine environment we're all searching for right now. But additional Frog System benefits, as stated by King Technologies are:

• Fresh Mineral Water System for Pools 10,000 to 25,000 gallons
• Pre-filled cartridges for no mess, no guess, and no stress pool care
• Kills bacteria with up to 50% less chlorine*
• The Mineral Reservoir lasts all summer or 6 months, whichever is shorter in your area
• The 2 lb. Bac Pac® of chlorine lasts 2-3 weeks depending on pool usage
• Use with FROG BAM® for a 90 Day No Algae Guarantee!
• Easy to use with weeks of consistent and effective water sanitization
• Bac Pacs and FROG BAM containers are recyclable when empty
  
  

EZ-POOL

API, the manufacturer of EZ-POOL, EZ SPA, REVIVE and  PEPPER has been the leader in nonchlorine solutions for over 25 years. It's only natural that many pool owners have turned to them during this time of chlorine shortage. Like other chlorine alternatives, E-Z POOL still requires the use of some chlorine which is represented in the above image as the "sanitizer" however unlike the other options out there, you don't need to add additional products or chemicals to the mix, and you'll still be using less chlorine.