New to pools. Questions about Bromine

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Bailey Kate

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May 5, 2015
3
Belle Plaine, IA
Hello!

I just got my first pool and plan to set it up as soon as I have all the supplies I need.. And as soon as I really understand what I need. I ordered a test kit, a Taylor K-1004 (hopefully that has everything I need). Due to chlorine allergies I would like to try Bromine, but I'm not really clear on what amount I need. Looks like I can buy anywhere from 1 lb to 50 lb. Roughly how much would a 1500 gallon pool go through in , say, 3 months?
Are those floaty dispensers good for small pools, or are they more for hot tubs?

This pool adventure is a test for me. If I can figure this out and be responsible about caring for it I can upgrade my set up next year. :D
 
Welcome to TFP!

Here's the bad news about bromine. It's more expensive than chlorine, you still need chlorine to make it work right, and once bromine is in the water you are stuck with it. Bromine is more popular with spas and hot tubs since it can tolerate high temperatures better.

Here's the simple version of how bromine works (more info in the spa section of the forum). You use the bromine tabs to establish a bromine "bank". As the bromine is used sanitizing your water it turns into bromide. In order to turn bromide back into useful bromine, it needs to be oxidized. That's where chlorine comes into play, it oxidizes the bromide back into bromine.

Very few people truly have chlorine allergies and/or sensitivity. Most people have more of a reaction to chloramines (what chlorine turns into as it is used while sanitizing). Chloramines are responsible for the chlorine "smell", especially at indoor pools, or poorly managed outdoor ones. A properly managed chlorine pool, has very little to no chloramines, and you are barely able to tell the pool is chlorinated in the first place!

1500 gallons would not take a lot of chlorine to manage, but being indoors, you would need to take additional steps to avoid the chloramine smell. One of the biggest is adequate ventilation. UV light works very well at breaking down chlormine, which is why well managed outdoor pools don't have the chloramine problem. UV light is an optional device for filtration/pump systems.

If you are truly allergic to chlorine, then the chlorine free alternative is biguanide/PHMB, better known as Softswim or Baquacil. It uses biguanide as the algacide, but needs hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer, and other chems for sanitizing. It is more labor intensive than chlorine, and a LOT more expensive.
 
For 1500 gallons, almost 1 quart of 12.5% strength chlorine to oxidize the bromide. To put that into some perspective, my 20,000 gallon pool usually requires 2 quarts on a sunny day to maintain an adequate free chlorine (FC) level of about 5 ppm.

Here's a link to a thread in the spa section that has a lot more info on bromine:

http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/84-How-do-I-use-Bromine-in-my-spa-(or-pool)
 
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