UV and chlorine

[ka8yiu]

I take it that the culprit during the day that causes the loss of chlorine is UV. Now in the south the UV is a year-round issue. However, the UV index may still max out lower in the winter months.

So, has anyone with a year-round pool noticed a measurable decrease in the amount of chlorine lost in the winter vs. summer?

 

[Isaac-1]

There are other factors at play here, for one thing chlorine consumption greatly drops off with temperature decrease, this happens fairly dramaticly once the water goes below about 60F

 

[pooldv]

+1 to that colder water, less sun, shorter days equals far less FC consumption.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Short answer is yes. The sun is lower in the sky during winter months so there is a measurable drop in incident UV radiation. Temperatures are cooler and algae reproduction rates are insignificant below 60F.

During the winter my SWG shuts off due to cold water. I typically use less than 3 gallons of bleach over 4 months.

 

[Cinic]

Yes - far less FC use in the winter even here in AZ.

In fact I got so complacent with it last winter, that in the spring when the days got a bit longer and we got a bit warmer, my pool took on a funny green color from the algae.