Swimming Pool Chemicals

Owning your own pool can make every day seem like a holiday, especially if you have an indoor heated one that allows you to take a dip throughout the year. But, like all good things, a pool needs care and attention if you are to get the best out of it.

Ideally you should be able to enjoy swimming in crystal clear water with minimum of fuss. And with our simple category guides you can achieve that perfect water quality from a complete range of pool care products that will give you the brilliant water required throughout the season.

Above Ground Pool Chemicals Most products in our Swimming Pool Chemical section are suitable for Above Ground Pools. However, we have selected a few kits below which include all ...	Algicides If algae gets into the pool, or if there are tiny suspended particles in the water, it can spoil the appearance and in some cases even stop you using ...
Bromine Tablets Bromine Tablets contain an active ingredient named 1-bromo-3-chloro-5,5-dimethyl hydantoin. These tablets can only be used in a feeder device or floating ...	Chlorine Although they belong to the same chemical family, there are some differences between chlorine and bromine. When you dissolve Chlorine Granules they ...
Chemical Feeders Chemical feeders are generally used for small chlorine tablets and bromine tablets. There are a variety of systems available from inline feeders to those ...	Clarifiers / Floculants When wastes like sun tan lotion, perspiration and cosmetics build up in your pool it affects the effectiveness of sanitiser causing the water to look ...
Cleaning Chemicals Cleaning oil deposits along the water line (often due to the use of sun screen or body lotions) not only improves the appearance of the pool, but perhaps ...	Shock Treatments Shock Treatment Chemicals will breakdown chloramines and clear green pools There are other impurities in pool water ...
Spa Chemicals Your spa is designed to give many years of relaxing enjoyment. All that is needed is to carry out some simple tests, follow these guidelines and use ...	Stabilisers There are other things you can do to get the best out of the chemicals you use to sanitise the pool and to keep the water clear, blue and inviting. ...
Stain & Scale Chemicals Stains can be caused by debris that has fallen to the bottom of the pool or by dissolved metals. When pool water pH, calcium hardness or total alkalinity ...	Water Balance Chemicals Water Balance Chemicals includes pH & Alkalinity Increasers and Reducers and Calcium Hardness Adjusters The degree of ...
Water Testing You don't have to be a chemist to keep your pool sparkling clean. To keep things simple, use a testing method that you find fast, easy and convenient. ...

Swimming pool water is re-circulated and constantly re-used and some of the bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms deposited by bathers must be destroyed before they can pass from one bather to another.

Bacteria are so small they're invisible to the naked eye, but that doesn't mean they can be ignored. Living organisms such as bacteria need, as we do, food and water to survive and flourish. The water is already present; the food is usually in the form of organic material and because you consist mainly of organic matter, each time you climb into the pool you introduce this in the form of skin particles which are covered in bacteria, along with other nutrients. You must, therefore, treat the water and kill off these bacteria.

Don't underestimate the size of the potential problem. Bacteria multiply rapidly and, if left untreated, their numbers could increase to 20 million in just eight hours and 160 million in nine hours! By the time the water starts to look cloudy, there could be many millions of bacteria per five litres of water. So it makes sense to control them in the early stages rather than when the numbers are up in the billions.

It is, therefore, crucial to treat the water correctly, using Bromine Tablets, Chlorine Granules or Chlorine Tablets. Bromine or chlorine sanitise the water, killing any living micro- organisms, but they also act as oxidisers; chemically burning out the dead micro-organisms and other organic material present in the water.

In addition to using a pool sanitiser it is also necessary to maintain other water balance levels including pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness. A variety of chemicals are available to ensure these levels are maintained and that the water does not pose a health risk to bathers and/or present a long-term threat to the pool surround.