Each time when you go to the pool store to get chemicals — or floaties for the kids’ arms — one of the men or women at the counter probably suggests that you add some sort of pool water clarifier (sometimes called a pool water polisher) to give it that perfectly clear appearance… but do they ever take the time to explain what the contents of that magical bottle actually DO?

If not, then today’s your lucky day because we will now tell you, in really simple terms, what that mystery stuff does: It makes suspended solids in the pool water stick to one another so that the filter can more easily catch them.

Each brand of pool clarifier has a slightly different method of accomplishing that goal, but in the end they all pretty much do the same thing.

OK, well what is a pool FLOCCULANT, then?

The term flocculant refers to chemical compounds that cause smaller suspended particles to stick together for the purpose of making it easier for a filter to catch them or to cause them to precipitate out of the water and fall to the bottom where a pool vacuum then removes them from the water.

More or less all clarifiers and water polishers qualify as flocculants but, according to recent pool chemical marketing trends, the ones that actually CALL themselves flocculants get recommended for more serious pool water clarity problems.

Any problem with using clarifiers on a regular basis?

With chlorine based sanitizer systems (powders, tablets, liquid, sticks, etc.) we have not heard of any real reason to not use clarifiers on a regular basis. As always, though, we suggest reading and following the directions on the bottle. Not all clarifiers have the same directions for use!

Pressure building in filter after adding clarifiers?

Do not panic! Roughly 9 times out of 10 this means the clarifier has made it easier for your filter to catch dissolved solids previously too small for the filter to catch. Simply backwash the filter each time this happens — or ‘bump’ your DE filter if you have that option — and let your filter get back to doing its job.

Filters that use DE (Diatomaceous Earth) to coat their filter elements will tend to clog and require ‘bumping’ or backwashing more quickly than sand filters due to the efficiency of their filtering mechanisms. In extreme cases the filter elements (fingers, grids, etc.) may need a good cleaning and possibly acid washing soon after you clear up your water problem.

Read the label on the clarifier you select and make sure to heed any warnings regarding the use of that product with certain types of filters.

Can clarifiers take the place of chlorine, bromine, etc.?

Absolutely NOT! Chlorine, bromine and other pool water sanitizer systems serve a completely different purpose and you should not decrease the amount them used because you start adding a clarifier product to your water.

Pool sanitizers help to keep the water in a pool safe from bacteria, germs, etc. Pool clarifiers help get unwanted dissolved solids out of the water.

Rather than go into a (boring) chemistry lesson we will address the reason WHY so many of you have asked us this question: You want to know what it is because the pool guys left a bag of suspicious looking white powder at your house and didn’t tell you why.

DE (Diatomaceous Earth) Pool Filters

While many swimming pool filters use just sand as their primary filtration media, a good number of other pool filters use cloth-like filters covered in diatomaceous earth to filter pool water. The DE powder filters out particles far smaller than sand can remove and the cloth-like material over plastic framework stops large particles and debris from getting through.

Proper Use/Addition of Diatomaceous Earth

First and foremost, consult the manual that came with your filter system to make sure you actually HAVE a DE filter. Then, while you have the manual out, read the sections about starting a DE filter, backwashing a DE filter and cleaning a DE filter. Taking a few minutes right then and there to learn the correct way to care for YOUR filter system will save you innumerable headaches — and possibly a huge amount of money — down the road!

Now that you’ve read the manual you know that you should never operate a DE filter without adding the correct amount of DE through the skimmer, you need to replenish DE powder after backwashing and that once or twice a year you may need to put your filter elements (the ‘cloth’ covered things in your filter) through a process called acid washing (i.e. muriatic acid bath) to dislodge embedded microscopic particulates from their cloth covers…. right?!?

And for the record, you may NOT substitute cyanuric acid for muriatic acid, a chemical you will have to get from your local pool store or hardware store. Careful, though, if using product from a hardware store as it may have a much stronger concentration than its counterparts from the pool supply store!

Oh, and before we forget, many pool supply stores offer acid washing services with 48 hour turnaround times… in case you don’t feel like messing around with caustic chemicals in your backyard.

Whether your pool/spa sits outside or under the protective cover of a roof, it still collects dust, debris and other nasty things which can ruin the fun of an afternoon swim or late night soak. Those same nasty items can ruin your health.

In an effort to prevent either of those tragedies, pool and spas come equipped with inline filtration systems designed to remove unwanted items from the water. Several different types of systems are commonly used:

• Sand — Often found on aboveground pools and on commercial pools. Water passes through a body of sand and as it does so, larger particles get filtered out.
• Diatomaceous Earth — Often found on inground pools of all sizes. Cloth covered fins or ‘fingers’ coated in a silt-like, white, material which looks very much like finely ground chalk filter out unwanted solids.
• Cartridge — Often found in spas and on very small aboveground pools. Porous paper sheets filter out unwanted solids.

Cartridge Filters

Sand Filters

DE Filters