Chlorine lock? What is that? It sounds complicated but a chlorine lock essentially refers to an overstabilised pool. You might now be asking what is an overstabilised pool?
An overstabilised pool happens when there is excessive use of pool chemicals containing stabiliser. This includes Aqua Pro Ultra Violet, stabilised chlorine and stabilised chlorine floaters. The recommended stabiliser level in a pool is 30-50 ppm (parts per million). The stabiliser level in a pool can gradually increase over time resulting in other chemicals, including chlorine becoming less effective, leaving your pool water unsanitised and potentially green.
How to Cure an Overstabilised Pool
Before we explain how to cure an over stabilised pool, it is important to understand more about the difference between stabilised and non stabilised chlorine.
When cyanuric acid is compounded with chlorine, this creates stabilised chlorine. The benefit of stabilised chlorine is protection from the sun’s UV rays, keeping the chlorine in the pool for longer. Non-stabilised chlorine does not contain cyanuric acid, allowing the chlorine to react and dissolve quicker when exposed to the sun. An overstabilised pool will render the chlorine and other chemicals less effective.
In order to cure an overstabilised pool, the pool water level would need to be lowered and diluted with fresh water in order to neutralise the stabiliser level.
Pro Tip:
The Pool Team recommends alternating between a stabilised and non-stabilised chlorine floater in order to keep the pool water’s stabiliser level within range.
Bring a water sample down to any of The Pool Team stores for a complimentary water analysis to check your stabiliser levels.
Contact a professional for further advice on your personal stabiliser solution.
2 years ago
