Chlorine tablets, or “pucks,” are a fast and easy way to adjust the level of chlorine in your pool. Here are the best options currently on the market and what you should know about how I picked them. In this article, I’ll also go over how to add them to your pool effectively and safely.
Main Takeaways
- The best overall chlorine tablets are the In The Swim 3″ Pool Chlorine Tablets.
- The best chlorine granules are the In the Swim Cal-Hypo Non-Stabilized Pool Chlorine Granules.
- Chlorine tablets are good for maintenance, low effort, and highly effective.
- To add chlorine tablets to your pool, you can use floating chlorine dispensers, automatic chlorinators, direct sprinkling, or the pool skimmer.
Chlorine Tablets: My Top Picks
In The Swim 3” Pool Chlorine Tablets
⭐ Best Overall
In The Swim sells very effective chlorine tablets, and the bucket comes in various sizes. I like the 50-lb buckets the best, but they also come in 10, 25, and 100-lb (actually two 50-lb) options as well. Each bucket contains individually wrapped 3-inch tablets that you can use as directed, typically in a floater or automatic chlorine feeder.
Safety Note: Do not drop chlorine tablets directly into your pool unless directed to do so on the product label. These tablets are not meant for that sort of use.
Each of these tablets contains enough chlorine to help manage 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of pool water, depending on the concentration of water you need. The tablets are 99% pure, with about 90% available chlorine, which is about as high as you can realistically get with such products.
In The Swim sells other tablet sizes, including 1” chlorine tabs and 3” Super Multi-Tabs, but I think the simple 3” chlorine tabs are the most effective for regular household pools. If you have a small pool of 5,000 gallons or less, consider getting the 1” tabs instead.
These basic trichlor tablets are perfect for most swimming pool owners.
Specs:
- Minimum Available Chlorine: 90%
- Main Active Ingredient Ratio: 99%
- Salt Water Pool Compatible?: Yes
- Works With Feeders/Floaters?: Yes
- Individually Wrapped?: Yes
- UV-Resistant Tabs?: Yes
Pros:
- Individual wrappers make these tablets safe and easy to handle
- Extremely high overall purity, with a minimal amount of stabilizer
- They have a long shelf life
- Available in sizes big enough to last a pool for one or more seasons
- Help provide a consistent level of chlorine in a pool
Cons:
- Heavy buckets can be difficult to store too close to your pool
- Tablets are fragile and may become powder if hit too hard during shipping
- Individual wrappers can be hard to open
Clorox Pool & Spa XtraBlue Long Lasting Chlorine Tablets
⭐ Runner Up
These trichlor tablets are also a good option.
Clorox typically produces household cleaning products such as bleach. However, this company also has some pretty effective pool sanitation products as well! The Pool & Spa XtraBlue Chlorine Tablets are easy to use and will keep the chlorine level in your pool balanced for an extended amount of time. Each tablet takes 5-6 days to dissolve, so they will continuously release chlorine into the pool as they break down.
One tablet should be used for every 5,000 gallons of pool water. But Clorox also recommends rounding up. So, if you have 13,000 gallons, you should use 3 XtraBlue tablets. The product is very pure, with around 95% trichlor chlorine in each tablet, 84.6% of which is available chlorine.
The one downside I found with the Clorox XtraBlue Tablets is that they are not shipped individually wrapped (meaning each tablet is wrapped in plastic). This means that some tablets may break apart. When tablets break in half, they don’t last as long in floating chlorinators. That said, you shouldn’t find more than 1-3 tablets broken in each bucket. But if you do find more than 3 broken tablets, contact Clorox to organize a replacement.
Specs:
- Minimum Available Chlorine: 84.6%
- Main Active Ingredient Ratio: 6%
- Salt Water Pool Compatible?: Yes
- Works With Feeders/Floaters?: Yes
- Individually Wrapped?: No
- UV-Resistant Tabs?: Yes
Pros:
- Easy to use in floating chlorinators
- Keeps the pool clean and the chlorine levels balanced for a long time
- Very high-purity tablets that dissolve slowly in pool water
- Uses Trichloroisocyanurate, which is a very potent and stabilized type of chlorine for pool
Cons:
- Tablets are not individually sealed, so some may break during shipping
- Won’t last as long as other chlorine tablets (5-6 days vs. up to 9 days with other products)
In the Swim Cal-Hypo Non-Stabilized Pool Chlorine Granules
⭐ Best Chlorine Granules
I have to admit that these aren’t proper tablets like the other two products on this list. Instead, chlorine granules are fast-dissolving alternatives to granules you can add to your pool for rapid results when tablets aren’t quite fast enough.
The reason I decided to add this product to the list is that tablets alone aren’t always enough to get your pool where it needs to be. The steady release of chlorine is great for maintaining a pool, but when you’re first opening it for the season, you need something faster. That’s where this formula comes into play.
The non-stabilized formula works quickly to clean and sanitize pools, including for both shocking and regular use. It doesn’t contain any cyanuric acid, though you may need to pre-dissolve it in water if you have a vinyl pool.
Personally, I recommend purchasing this in a smaller size and adding it as needed. Be sure to store it properly, too. Since it’s not as stable as tablets, errors in storage could cause significantly more problems. The 25-lb bucket is good enough for most buyers, but In The Swim sells it in batches of up to 1200 lbs at a time.
In The Swim makes a very affordable cal hypo solution.
Specs:
- Minimum Available Chlorine: 68%
- Salt Water Pool Compatible: Yes
- Works With Feeders/Floaters: No
- Works With Skimmers/Direct Application: Yes
- Individually Wrapped?: No
Pros:
- Easy to add to a pool for shock treatments
- Ideal for both residential and commercial use
- Available in varying amounts to suit any need
- Highly effective at removing contaminants
Cons:
- More expensive for long-term use than tablets
- Usually requires signatures for delivery, limiting options
- Not stabilized
Recap: The Best Chlorine Tablets for Your Pool
- In the Swim 3” Pool Chlorine Tablets: Best overall
- Clorox Pool & Spa XtraBlue Long Lasting Chlorine Tablets: Runner up
- In the Swim Cal-Hypo Non-Stabilized Pool Chlorine Granules: Best chlorine granules
My Research Criteria
Here are the factors that went into my research and why the tablets I chose rose to the top. I’ll also dive into some of the benefits of adding these tablets to your pool and how to add them safely and effectively.
Quality & Purity
Quality is a straightforward measure of purity and the type of chlorine used. Chlorine tablets are interesting because there isn’t much variety in them. 98%-99% pure chemicals are almost unnoticeably different from each other when it comes to pools. Higher purity is generally better, but 100% pure chlorine is impossible to sell and ship in tablet form.
Stabilized vs. Unstabilized Chlorine
Depending on what type of pool you have or when you are adding chlorine, you’ll want to choose either unstabilized or stabilized chlorine. So, I made sure to include options for both types here. For more information on the key differences, read my full article on unstabilized chlorine vs. stabilized chlorine.
Effectiveness & Ability to Spread
Chlorine tablets are effective because you know exactly how much you put in your pool. The good tablets dissolve quickly, too, so I tested each to ensure they spread across your pool easily.
Price
Most chlorine tablets really don’t differ all that much in terms of quality. Therefore, price should be a big component of your search and was also an important factor for me. I eliminated several brands that were simply just too expensive for the simple product you’re getting. Plus, chlorine is super expensive right now due to supply chain issues. You should look for the best deal.
Benefits Of Adding Chlorine Tablets
There are several major benefits to adding chlorine tablets to your pool. These include:
- Good For Maintenance: High-quality chlorine tablets are good for maintaining the chlorine levels in a pool, which act as a sanitizer for your pool water. This is very different from shocking a pool or adjusting it from a very low or high starting point.
- Low Effort: Tablets require less active use and maintenance when compared to other ways of managing chlorine. Most tablets last at least a week, and replacing them takes seconds. Some people prefer tablets that last at least two weeks, but either way, these help minimize the effort needed to maintain your pool.
- High Effectiveness: Chlorine tablets are generally effective for destroying germs, preventing algae growth, and generally keeping pool areas cleaner. People use them in both residential and commercial areas because they work.
How To Add Chlorine Tablets To Your Pool
Here are the best ways to add chlorine tablets to your home pool. You can use the chlorine calculator I built to figure out how much to add.
- Floating Chlorine Dispensers: Floating dispensers, as the name implies, float around a pool to deposit the chlorine. They’re largely passive and move with the currents. However, if they get stuck, these can dispense too much chlorine in one location, so make sure to get a dispenser that’s guaranteed to keep moving.
- Automatic Chlorinator: This is generally the best method. Automatic chlorinators let you set a specific rate of dispensing based on the needs of your pool, and it’s easy to refill it with new tablets.
- Direct Sprinkling: This only works with granules, but you can sprinkle chlorine directly into your pool. This is more localized than other methods, though, so make sure to walk around your pool and ensure you sprinkle some into different areas.
- Pool Skimmer: Some pool skimmers support chlorine tablets. These ensure a consistent flow of water over the tablets. However, the tablets will dissolve regardless of whether or not the filter is running, which can create highly corrosive water and damage equipment.
Always follow the instructions on any chlorine tablet products you buy. These products are safe when used as directed, but failure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions could result in serious harm or permanent damage to your pool.
And make sure to test your pool water chemistry with a test kit before you go adding a bunch of pool chemicals! Check out my favorite test kits for recommendations.
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