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10 Above Ground Pool Chemical Must-Haves
Once you’ve set up your above ground pool and filled it with water, there are still a couple of things left to do before you can jump in. Adding the right swimming pool chemicals to your water is essential as it’ll ensure you can enjoy a clean, clear and safe pool all summer long.
Don’t want to risk dealing with green, grimy water? Here’s everything you need.
There are several key chemicals and accompanying products every above ground pool owner should have on hand when opening their pool and keeping it maintained when it’s in use.
Inadequate chemical management can lead to bacteria-ridden water as well as damage to the pool itself, providing a less-than-ideal swimming experience.
Above ground pools will largely require the same kind of care as an in-ground pool. While the prospect of pool maintenance may seem daunting at first, once you’ve got to grips with all the necessary chemicals, keeping your water sparkling should be a breeze.
If you’re a new Bestway pool owner, you may find the below guide particularly helpful as it covers some additional points on cleaning your pool and closing it down for the off-season.
The exact dosage of these chemicals and the frequency you’ll need to add them will depend on several factors:
We recommend carefully following the dosage instructions that come with each product to ensure you’re adhering to the right advice for your pool rather than assuming a one size fits all approach. Our guide on how to balance your pool water illustrates the ideal readings for your different chemical levels.
First things first – sanitisers. Chlorine is probably the most well-known pool chemical as it serves the important function of removing bacteria and other contaminants and preventing algae growth.
You’ll find chlorine in liquid, tablet and granule form. Stabilised chlorine granules and tablets are most common for domestic pools – which you use will mostly come down to personal preference. Tablets are slow-release, while granules will work faster, so consider what your needs are.
Multifunctional chlorine tablets are great products for your pool as they also contain algaecide and clarifying agents, slowly dispersing into your water and doing several things at once to keep your pool safe, clean and nice to swim in!
Bromine is a chlorine alternative that does the same thing. You may prefer to use it in place of chlorine as it’s more sensitive on skin and has a milder odour. As with chlorine, you can get bromine tablets and granules to suit your favoured application method.
Pool shocks are designed to increase your water’s chlorine (or chlorine alternative) levels quickly, offering more of a deep clean. The concentration of shock is higher than your everyday chlorine as it also needs to break down chloramine, which is the waste product of regular chlorine.
Using a pool shock treatment is especially useful when first opening your pool, as it provides a clean slate to start off your regular maintenance routine. Depending on how heavily your pool is used, it’s a good idea to shock it every week or at least every two weeks.
pH is a scale that measures acidity and alkalinity/basicity on a scale from 0-14. For pool water, the perfect pH range is slightly above the neutral zone at 7.2-7.6. Water that’s not probably balanced can cause problems.
Pools with low pH are more acidic, making the water corrosive, which can harm different components in your pool. On the other hand, alkalic water can lead to algae and a cloudy, scaled appearance.
pH reducers and increasers are used to help maintain the correct water balance – if your pH drops below 7.2, use pH Plus/soda ash, and if it exceeds 7.6, use pH Minus/dry acid.
Total Alkalinity (TA) goes hand in hand with pH as it helps stabilise the pH level and keep it in the ideal zone.
Like when adjusting your pH, TA can be easily tweaked with TA Plus and Minus.
Another chemical level you’ll need to keep an eye on and adjust with the right water balancers is calcium hardness.
Water with higher levels of calcium is essentially hard water, which can encourage algae growth and cloudiness. Conversely, if calcium hardness is too low, pool water can be acidic and corrosive.
Adding calcium Hardness Plus will increase your water’s calcium levels. If you need to decrease these levels, you may need to lower the water level in your above ground pool and top it back up with fresh water.
Cyanuric acid works as a stabiliser to protect your chlorine against being broken down by sunlight. If you use stabilised chlorine products, cyanuric acid will already be in the mix, so you won’t have to add it separately.
However, if your chlorine is unstabilised, you will need to add cyanuric acid and keep an eye on the levels – it should be somewhere in the range of 30-50 ppm. Cyanuric acid comes in granule form and can be easily added to your pool if needed.
Pool clarifying chemicals work by clumping together smaller contaminants into bigger particles that can be more effectively captured by the Bestway pool filter.
This helps white, cloudy or dull-looking water become clear and inviting, enhancing the overall swimming experience. Pool clarifiers usually come in a liquid that can be easily added to your pool.
Algaecide may not be essential to add when getting your above ground pool up and running, as a well-balanced and maintained pool should be shored up against potential algae growth already. However, if your pool is in a spot that gets a lot of sunlight or there’s lots of traffic from swimmers, your water might be particularly algae-prone.
If you start noticing any signs of algae (green water), adding algaecide with your usual shock treatment will help kill off unwanted contaminants and prevent the growth of more algae.
If you’re planning on leaving your pool unused for a while, a dose of algaecide is recommended so you don’t return to any nasty surprises.
Aside from the chemicals themselves, there are a couple of accompanying products you’ll need to ensure your pool is set up for success. Without regularly testing your pool water, you cannot accurately make the necessary adjustments to your chemicals.
Pool water test strips offer a cheap and easy way to collect readings for the different chemicals in your pool. Different products may test for different things, so make sure you get strips that will test for what we’ve mentioned here. At the very least, you will need to test chlorine, pH and alkalinity levels around once a week to check everything’s where it should be.
Similarly, you will need to ensure you have the right dosage equipment to properly apply your chemicals to the water. If you use any swimming pool chemicals in tablet form, chemical dispensers can be useful for feeding chemicals into the water over a prolonged period.
Chemical feeders can also offer an easy way to dispense your chemicals, helping you maintain the right sanitiser levels with less hassle.
Once you’re stocked up with these pool chemical must-haves, all that’s left is to kick back and embrace all the joys of an at-home swimming pool!
If you have any other concerns about maintaining your above ground pool, the rest of our blog is full of helpful guides and insight.
