Why Pool Chlorine is Very Expensive Now?

We typically use chlorine to disinfect pool water. It prevents algae growth and eliminates most disease-causing bacteria and viruses. Unfortunately, while already essential for pool sanitation, the demand for chlorine products has skyrocketed since the pandemic started and eventually resulted in shortages. Back in 2019, a 45kg Hi-Chlon or Ni-chlon chlorine drum retailed between 5,500 to 8,500 PHP, depending on the retail store. In 2022, prices have already reached the range of 10,000-20,000 PHP for the same products. Even the prices of chlorine from China and India have almost doubled.

What happened?

Demand VS Supply

The COVID-19 situation made us stay at home as much as possible in order to keep ourselves safe. We were also forced to cancel our travel plans, which led to pool owners spending more time swimming to enjoy a refreshing respite from the heat. Now that we spend more time in our homes, we often look for ways to kill time. Of course, if you have a pool at home, it’s natural to go swimming frequently. In fact, the interest in pools has gone up during the pandemic. There are actually a lot more people renovating homes and adding pools, leading to an increased number of pool owners. Since there aren’t a lot of companies that make pool chlorine tablets and granular chlorine, this leads to an increasingly short supply of pool chlorine.

Since there is high demand but a short supply of chlorine products, prices have gone up tremendously. Before the pandemic, you could buy chlorine in pool supply stores, home improvement outlets, and online at reasonable prices. Now that it’s in short supply, you have to pay more than you’re used to.

The BioLab accident

Aside from supply shortages due to increased demand, another reason why pool chlorine became expensive is the accident that occurred at The BioLab chlorine plant. The chlorine plant in Westlake, L.A., owned by KIK, one of the largest chlorine manufacturers in the U.S., was destroyed by Hurricane Laura and burned for nearly three days in August 2020.

KIK Consumer Products spent $170 million to build a new chlorine products facility. This accident put a huge dent in the production of chlorine tablets. The remaining chlorine manufacturers cannot keep up with the current chlorine demand, leading to an almost 50% rise in chlorine prices.

Just in January this year, a massive fire broke out in a three-story building in New Jersey. The building was vacant, but it was used to store plastics, pallets, and chlorine. The fire was contained, but the building collapsed.

Accidents like these cause a chlorine shortage in the Philippines. When there’s a shortage of chlorine supply in the USA, and demand there is still increasing, the USA imports more from countries like China and Japan, causing a shortage worldwide.

Prolong the life of your existing pool chlorine

Since there’s a shortage of chlorine, we should learn to conserve our supply. Cyanuric Acid (CYA) helps chlorine last longer. It is known as a chlorine stabilizer or pool conditioner as it stabilizes the chlorine in your pool. Without this chemical, your chlorine will quickly break down under the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Sunlight can wipe out the chlorine in your pool by up to 75-90% in just 2 hours. Cyanuric Acid shields chlorine against sunlight, so it won’t be gone quickly, and you won’t need to add chlorine frequently.

Chlorine alternatives

Given the shortage and price spikes, what can you do? It may be time to invest in better sanitizers such as salt chlorine generators, UV sterilizers, and Ozone generators, reducing our dependence on chlorine. These solutions reduce chlorine requirements while also killing microorganisms such as giardia and cryptosporidium that chlorine alone cannot handle. Since chlorine is harmful to your eyes, skin, and hair, these newer sanitizers also reduce allergy issues.

Salt Chlorine Generators

Pentair PNR-Chlor and Maytronics EcoSwim salt chlorine generators use electrolysis to convert salt to chlorine. Instead of using standard granular chlorine, you add inexpensive salt to your pool water and use the chlorine generators to produce your needed chlorine. Make sure the salt you use is solar or pool salt, not the iodized type.

Ozone Generators

Maytronics Ozone Swim uses ozone to oxidize passing water, eliminating microorganisms. This will also reduce your chlorine requirements by at least 50%. Another side benefit of ozone is that it gives you the clearest pool water. You can swim safely with fewer allergy issues. Ozone Swim Fusion comes bundled with a salt chlorine generator, so you don’t need to stock up on chlorine anymore.

UV Sterilizers

Bio-UV UV pool sanitizers emit UV light that kills microorganisms and eliminates chloramines, the pungent smell we usually associate with chlorine. UV sanitizers act as a secondary sanitizer, meaning you will still need chlorine, but it will be reduced by 50% or more.

Bio-UV O’Clear is a more advanced sanitation system. It combines a UV sterilizer, salt-chlorine generator, and a pH dosing system to completely maintain your pool pH level and chlorine chemistry.

Conclusion

As a pool owner, you want to treat your pool to make sure it’s safe to swim in. You can achieve that without relying too much on chlorine. The mentioned alternatives to chlorine for pools are at first more expensive. Nevertheless, over time, you will be enjoying healthier, worry-free swims.