How to Solve Chlorine Lock and Chlorine Demand

Pools offer countless hours of entertainment and relaxation. But things can’t always be fun and games. Swimming pools require maintenance to operate at full capacity, and chlorine is the most important sanitizing chemical used in swimming pools. A couple of terms you’ve likely come across are “chlorine lock” and “chlorine demand” – I break down what each of those means and how to solve them below.

Main Takeaways

• “Chlorine lock” is a term used for when too much cyanuric acid has been added to a pool which locks up the sanitizing ability of the chlorine.
• Chlorine lock is a made-up term, but the concept still holds true.
• “Chlorine demand” is a term used to describe a pool’s need for more chlorine.
• Fix chlorine lock by diluting the water or adding CYA reducer, and fix chlorine demand by shocking the pool.

What Is Chlorine Lock?

In recent times, chlorine lock has been the topic of controversy among pool owners and experts. Chlorine lock is a supposed condition when your pool has too much cyanuric acid in the water. The confusion surrounding this event comes from the use of the term “lock.” Essentially, adding too much cyanuric acid (chlorine stabilizer) is believed to “lock up” the functionality of your chlorine.

Chlorine acts as a sanitizing agent that keeps your pool clean. Through a chemical reaction, chlorine kills bacteria found in pools. Chlorine lock claims that the chemical reaction is locked, thus rendering your chlorine ineffective at eliminating bacteria.

How to Break Chlorine Lock

For obvious reasons, this seems like a real concern. How do you break chlorine lock? The last thing a pool owner wants is bacteria running rampant in their pool water. While “chlorine lock” may be a made-up term, you can still have too much cyanuric acid in the water, thereby “locking” the chlorine and preventing it from effectively cleaning your pool.

To break chlorine lock, the best thing is to do a partial drain and refill, which should bring your CYA levels to more appropriate levels. As a reminder, the CYA of your pool should be between 30 and 50 ppm. Be sure to check out my guide on using cyanuric acid in your pool for more on this.

Alternatively, you can use a cyanuric acid reducer. Read my article on lowering CYA levels for more.

Signs of Chlorine Lock

There are a few different signs to look out for that may indicate chlorine lock. But first, it’s important to point out that while CYA is beneficial in maintaining chlorine’s effectiveness, excessively high CYA levels can cause “chlorine lock” by reducing free chlorine effectiveness and, therefore, increasing chlorine demand.

Signs of chlorine lock due to high CYA levels may include:

• Frequent algae growth
• Cloudy water
• Difficulty maintaining a free chlorine in the recommended range
• High CYA levels from testing the water
• Skin and eye irritation among swimmers
• Reduced sanitizer effectiveness

Are Chlorine Lock and Demand the Same Thing?

I’ve seen chlorine lock and demand used as a sales tactic to confuse pool owners – the terms cause a lot of headaches! But lock and demand are not the same things. Below, I go into what chlorine demand is and how it differs from chlorine lock.

What Is Chlorine Demand and What Causes It?

Pool owners often confuse “chlorine lock” with what is actually chlorine demand. But whereas chlorine lock is what happens if excessively high CYA levels prevent the chlorine from effectively disinfecting your pool, chlorine demand is a broader issue. Basically, chlorine demand occurs when something throws a wrench in your pool’s chemical balance. In other words, your swimming pool isn’t getting the chlorine it needs to sustain its quality.

We see chlorine demand come into play when outside forces influence the chemical balance of pools. For example, if your pool placement is susceptible to organic contaminants or debris, such as tree branches, additional chlorine is needed to stabilize the water quality. So, the demand for chlorine in your pool is higher. If you don’t add more, the chlorine will become less effective overall.

Other Contributing Factors

Aside from debris, what are some other factors that contribute to chlorine demand?

• Time of year: Chlorine demand is more prevalent in the spring when pools begin to open. The reason is that the water has remained stagnant throughout the winter. During this time, a buildup of contaminants would have likely occurred. That requires additional chlorine to create a balance.
• Improper pool maintenance: It is crucial to treat your pool continuously. If a pool is not constantly maintained, the water becomes stagnant. Stagnant water hoards organic matter, such as dirt, debris, and leaves, which will consume your water’s chlorine.
• Rainfall: Rainfall messes with your pool’s chemical balance because of the acidity of the rain. If you find yourself with low chlorine levels after a rainstorm, this is likely why.

How to Diagnose Chlorine Demand

Snuffing out the issue as soon as it occurs is critical in getting your pool back in excellent shape. Testing is the most effective method to discover if your pool suffers from chlorine demand. You’ll want to begin by adding chlorine to your pool. After the newly added chlorine is given time to circulate, grab your testing kit.

Test your water’s chlorine level. If you indeed have a case of chlorine demand, you will get a low reading or sometimes no reading at all.

Other Signs of Chlorine Demand

Besides a low or no reading when you test your pool’s chlorine level, you may also see changes in your pool. You likely won’t see the effects on the surface of the pool water itself. So, you’ll need to play a little detective.

Green or pink slimy residue is known to grow around the inside lines of your pool if you have no to low free chlorine. You can also find this substance in skimmers and light fixtures.

You may also notice a very strong chlorine smell coming out of your pool. Contrary to what most people think, this “chlorine smell” is not the smell of the sanitizing agent but rather of chloramines.

How to Fix Chlorine Demand

So, you have determined that your pool has an issue with chlorine demand. What do you do next? Luckily, this is a relatively easy fix!

Shock Your Pool

Shocking your pool is the best way to fix chlorine demand. For pool newcomers, shocking a pool is the process of adding a large amount of chlorine to your water at once to “shock the system.” Pool shock is generally calcium hypochlorite, which does not contain cyanuric acid.

When performing a shock treatment, it is essential to calculate the correct quantity of pool shock. You’ll want to follow the rule of 3 pounds of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water. Yes, unfortunately, some math is required. To correctly calculate quantities, you’ll have to know the water capacity of your pool; feel free to use my volume calculator if you don’t know the number of gallons of water in your pool. This shock treatment should do the trick.

I highly recommend shocking your pool at night. This is because chlorine can quickly dissipate in the sun, lessening its effectiveness.

What to Do After Shocking

After shocking the pool, test the water. If you’re lucky, you may have already solved the issue.

However, in some cases, you might still be dealing with chlorine demand after shocking the pool. That is, your chlorine levels are still coming up as low to none. If this happens, just keep adding chlorine until your chlorine levels are back to normal!

Protecting Your Pool Against Chlorine Demand

Here are some of my top tips to protect your pool against chlorine demand so that you can prevent this issue from occurring in the first place:

Proper Maintenance

Proper pool maintenance is the obvious solution. As we discovered, the issue is caused by contaminants disrupting your pool chemistry. If the chemical balance is maintained, we can avoid the issue. Make sure you have a rigorous maintenance schedule to add chlorine regularly and test your pool water often.

Use a Pool Cover

Sometimes, a proper schedule isn’t enough to combat chlorine demand. If your pool is highly susceptible to leaves and dirt, adding a pool cover to place over the water when it’s not in use is a fantastic idea. Most bacteria are transferred to your water via these outside influences, such as leaves. A cover should catch these unwanted intruders.

Winterize the Pool Properly

For many pool owners, climate prohibits them from having pools open during all four seasons. When a pool is closed, it is susceptible to bacteria buildup due to its stagnant nature. In cold climates, where pools must close during the winter, it is crucial to execute this task with the utmost care. Covering your pool is a great idea. In addition, you can put a Winterpill to great use.

The Winterpill capsule is filled with chemicals that keep your water healthy throughout the winter. It offers some protection against bacteria and stabilizes the water without requiring constant maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you swim in a pool with chlorine lock?

I would not recommend swimming in a pool with a chlorine lock. This is because the chlorine is not effectively sanitizing the pool, meaning the pool water is not clean. For your safety and the safety of other swimmers, I urge you to fix the chlorine lock before taking a swim.

Will chlorine lock fix itself?

No, chlorine lock will not fix itself. Because cyanuric acid does not dissipate, the only way to fix the chlorine lock is to manually lower the CYA levels or dilute your pool water.

Is chlorine lock a myth?

While “chlorine lock” as a term is definitely made up, this doesn’t mean the concept isn’t real. You can certainly “lock” chlorine by going overboard with the cyanuric acid levels of your pool.

Keep Your Chlorine in Check!

Thankfully, chlorine demand is an issue that can be solved by taking the proper steps and preventative methods. A shock treatment works exceptionally well. You’ll begin to register proper chlorine levels in no time. And while chlorine lock may be a made-up term, you can develop a “locking” issue by adding too much cyanuric acid!

Have more questions about chlorine and other pool chemistry issues? Drop me a line!