Chlorine and Swimming Pools: Part 1

Chlorine

Everyone in the swimming pool industry is already well familiar with chlorine, as it is a highly effective, low-cost disinfectant that is widely used. Most swimming pools in Thailand use chlorine for disinfection... or sometimes, when unsure what to do, people add chlorine. If the water is cloudy, green, not clear, or unsatisfactory, more chlorine is added. Is this method really correct?

Chlorine has been in use worldwide since 1774 A.D., or 2317 B.E., which is over 244 years ago. Although it is very old, chlorine is still recognized today as the most effective, most widely used, and certainly the best disinfectant product.

Chlorine production explained in simple processes:

It involves dissolving salt (table salt) in water, then passing it through an electrical process to obtain chlorine in gaseous form. This gas is then mixed with salt compounds to form crystals or flakes, which are then packaged as seen in general markets. This is why different brands of chlorine are not the same; some brands have 90% chlorine content, while others have 80% or 50% (liquid chlorine only has 10-15% chlorine). The remaining part is salt compounds, as mentioned before, or may contain other minor additives such as stabilizers. Therefore, even though 50% concentrated chlorine products are much, much cheaper than 90% chlorine, upon reflection, the amount of chlorine the buyer receives will be less. Ultimately, more chlorine has to be added, leading to greater expense and increased exposure to impurities.

As for salt water pools or salt chlorinators, they use the same method as industrial chlorine production: dissolving salt in water and passing it through an electrical process. However, the system directly injects the produced chlorine into our pool. There are no impurities or unnecessary chemicals added, making pools using this system safe and not causing allergies or irritation. Yet, it remains highly effective in disinfection, similar to adding chlorine. It is therefore very suitable for children's pools or those with sensitive skin prone to irritation.

The topic of chlorine is very, very long!

Next, let's look at:

• How chlorine disinfects
• Can chlorine alone solve all swimming pool water problems?
• What is high-quality chlorine like, and how is it better?

Read more: Chlorine... and Swimming Pools Part 2