Pool Chemicals

Pool Chemical Supplies

Over the last 55 years we’ve learned a lot about making pro-grade pool chemicals. Our expertise–and our Lowest Price Promise–is why our customers choose us to help them keep their pools clean, and clear.

Pool Chemicals Explained

We get it. Maintaining your own pool can seem daunting, at first. There are so many pool cleaning chemicals with so many uses. How do you know which ones to use? When do I use them? At Doheny’s we believe–with a bit of expert advice–anyone can be their own pool pro. Here, we’ll break down the several different categories of pool chemicals and their uses to help you make your pool perfect.

Chlorine

We’ll start with the most common pool chemical–chlorine. An effective pool water sanitizer, pool chlorine kills bacteria that could otherwise make swimmers sick. The most popular type of pool chlorine for everyday pool use is Trichlor-S-Triazinetrione, otherwise known as trichlor chlorine. Trichlor is stabilized, meaning it contains cyanuric acid, which acts like a sunscreen to slow down chlorine burnoff. The best value for your money, our 3” chlorine tabs contain a full 8 ounces with 99% pure Trichloro-S-Triazinetrione and 90% available stabilized chlorine without any fillers or binders. That's the strongest concentration available–just what you need to keep your pool clean and clear.

Shock

Another important pool chemical to add to your arsenal is Shock. Pool Shock is a form of chlorine, but it does more than sanitize your pool. It also takes care of the by-product left by the chlorine in your pool as it breaks down. Here’s how shock works. When chlorine breaks down, it forms tiny particles called chloramines. They can irritate your skin and eyes and create a strong odor. Plus, they can greatly reduce the effectiveness of your chlorine. These little guys will float around your pool until something comes along to get rid of them. That’s where the pool chemical shock comes in. It attacks those inactive particles and breaks them apart. At Doheny’s, we offer a wide selection of pro-grade shock, including cal-hypo,di-chlor, and chlorine-free oxidizing shock.

Balancers

Having crystal clear water in your pool all year long means having the right balance of chemicals–that’s where pool chemicals called balancers come in. There are many aspects of water chemistry to consider when balancing your pool water, including total alkalinity, pH level, and calcium hardness, just to name a few. With Doheny’s selection of Pool Balancing Chemicalsfrom trusted brands like Natural Chemistry, Jack’s Magic, as well as our own Doheny’s pro-grade formulas, you can easily achieve a beautiful, well-balanced pool that’s clean, clear and safe.

Algaecide

As the name implies, pool chemicals labeled as Algaecides are used to kill algae. Algae preventers are used to inhibit algae growth before it starts. Algae growth in your pool can be difficult to get rid of and it can cause your water to become cloudy and discolored. Left unchecked, it may also cause skin rashes and damage your pool equipment. Our algaecides and algae preventers are effective against all common algaes and they won’t foam or cloud your swimming pool.

Clarifiers and Enzymes

Water clarifiers are pool chemicals that help keep your water clear. Often, pool cloudiness is caused by particles in the water that are too tiny for your filter to grab. Water clarifiers bind these tiny particles together, so they are large enough to be trapped. If we notice our pool looking cloudy, we add Doheny’s Water Clarifier Plus. It's non foaming, the non-staining formula works quickly to clear out those particles and bring your pool water back to life.

Enzymes are naturally occurring proteins that speed up the process of breaking down oils and other contaminants in our pool, increasing the effectiveness of other pool chemicals.

Stain and Metal Removers

Stain removers are exactly what they sound like–pool chemicals formulated to eliminate stains caused by debris or metals. As with most pool issues, the best way of dealing with pool stains is prevention. Keeping your pool free from organic remnants and metals can be a bit of a challenge, but is often worth the effort. Removing debris is done through filtering and cleaning, but how do you remove metals? Read on to learn about metal removers.

Metal removers are pool chemicals used to reduce the level of metal in your water. All pool water contains trace amounts of metals such as copper and iron in solution. At normal levels, they are harmless and even at higher levels, they are nontoxic. The issues they cause are aesthetic ones. High metal levels can cause staining, scaling and discoloration of your pool. If you have elevated levels of metal in your pool use Doheny’s Metal removers to bring those levels down and prevent unsightly stains.

Value Packs and Kits

Value packs and kits combine several different pool chemicals. They’re an easy way to provide a wide range of benefits. Plus, they save you time and money. For example, if you’re getting ready to open or close your pool, our opening and closing kits contain all the pool chemicals you need in one convenient pack. Value packs contain important pool chemicals used to treat a specific problem, like algae or stains.

There you have it. A simple breakdown of the most common pool cleaning chemicals. To find out more about our pool chemical supplies and which products to choose for your pool and region, call a Doheny’s pool product expert at 1-800-574-7665