Pools Shop Editorial Team

Algae takes hold whenever chlorine drops too low to keep up with the algae spores that constantly enter the water, usually combined with weak circulation, warm temperatures, and nutrients like phosphates or nitrates that give it something to feed on. Fix any one of those and a bloom is far less likely to establish. How … Read more

Rain changes pool water chemistry mainly by diluting it. Fresh rainwater has none of the chlorine, pH buffers or dissolved minerals that pool water does, so a heavy downpour waters everything down at once. Rain can also carry acidity, dust, pollen and runoff into the pool, which pushes readings further off balance. Does rain really … Read more

Yes. A saltwater pool still relies on chlorine to sanitize the water — it just doesn’t come out of a jug or a bucket of tablets. A device called a salt chlorinator uses electricity to convert dissolved salt into chlorine, continuously, right in the plumbing. The chlorine itself works exactly the same way once it’s … Read more

A saltwater pool is still a chlorine pool. Dissolved salt passes through a cell in the equipment pad, and an electrical process called electrolysis splits it apart, generating chlorine on the spot. The pool never runs on salt alone — it runs on chlorine the system makes itself, continuously, instead of chlorine added by hand. … Read more

Test strips are faster and easier for a quick daily check, while liquid test kits give more precise readings for the numbers that matter most — chlorine, pH, and alkalinity. Most pool owners get the best results using strips for routine glances and a liquid kit for weekly, more careful testing. What’s the difference between … Read more

Liquid chlorine, tablets and granules all sanitise pool water, but they differ in strength, how they’re added, and what else they bring with them. Liquid works fast and adds nothing extra. Tablets are slow-release and usually contain stabiliser. Granules dissolve quickly and vary by type. The “best” one depends on the pool and the routine. … Read more

Shocking a pool means adding a large, one-time dose of a chlorine-based (or non-chlorine) oxidizer to raise chlorine sharply above its normal level. The jolt breaks down built-up waste — sweat, oils, urine, algae — that regular daily chlorine dosing hasn’t been able to keep up with. It’s done periodically, not every day. What does … Read more

A strong chlorine smell with a low test reading almost always means chloramines, not too much chlorine. Chlorine reacts with sweat, oils, urine and other nitrogen compounds and gets used up forming smelly byproducts, leaving little active chlorine behind to test for. The smell signals used-up chlorine, not fresh chlorine. Why does the pool smell … Read more

“Chlorine lock” is a nickname, not an official chemical term — it describes chlorine that stops sanitizing effectively, usually because cyanuric acid (stabilizer) has built up too high, or because something in the water is consuming chlorine faster than it can work. Testing, not guessing, tells you which. What does “chlorine lock” actually mean? Pool … Read more

Cyanuric acid is a chemical compound that shields chlorine from being broken down by sunlight. It’s nicknamed “pool stabiliser” because it stabilises chlorine’s strength outdoors — without it, UV rays can burn off unprotected chlorine surprisingly fast, especially in strong sun. Many chlorine products already contain it. What does cyanuric acid actually do in a … Read more