- [Narrator] If you've got cloudy pool water,
should you use pool clarifier or pool flocculant?
While they both help clear up a cloudy pool,
it's important to know which one to use and when.
Check it out.
All right let's start with pool clarifier.
Pool clarifier contains polymers
that clump together those nasty tiny particles
that cloud up your pool.
When you add clarifier to cloudy water,
all those tiny particles coagulate together
into bigger particles that your filter can actually capture.
Pool clarifier has a few benefits.
First,
it's less work.
Just add the pool clarifier to your water
and wait for your filter to do its job.
Second it's good for mild cloudiness.
If your pool is just a little cloudy,
but you can still see through it,
clarifier is the way to go.
Third it saves water.
It helps your filter to work more efficiently
so you won't have to remove any water from your pool
to clear things up.
And finally,
it can be used anytime.
Even when your pool's not cloudy,
you can add a little clarifier
to give your pool that water clearing boost.
But of course clarifier has a few drawbacks.
First,
it works slowly.
It may be a few days before your pool is completely clear
depending on how cloudy it is.
Secondly,
you'll need to clean the filter.
Once the clarifier has worked,
all those clumped particles will be in your filter
which means it'll need a good cleaning.
Okay,
let's move on to pool flocculant AKA pool floc.
Just like pool clarifier,
pool floc coagulates together particles
but it creates larger clumps
that sink to the bottom of the pool.
These can't be removed by your filter
and must be removed with a manual vacuum.
What are the benefits of using pool floc?
Well for one,
it works quickly.
You won't have to wait days for your pool to clear.
Particles clump together at the bottom of your pool
in a matter of hours and it's effective.
No particles get left behind
so you won't get stuck with cloudy spots in your pool.
And it's ideal for sand filters and DE filters.
Sand and DE filters
usually have multi port valves with a waste setting.
That means it's easy to bypass the filter
when vacuuming out the clumped particles and flocculant.
But of course,
pool floc has a few drawbacks.
It's definitely more work.
Once the clumps form at the bottom of your pool,
you will need to remove them with a manual pool vacuum.
And when you vacuum,
it may stir those particles back up
clouding your pool again.
Now if this happens,
take a break and allow those particles to resettle.
Then begin vacuuming again.
You may want to vacuum two or three times
to remove all of the clumps and you want to vacuum slowly.
Secondly,
you'll lose pool water.
When you vacuum the clumps out,
you will need to vacuum to waste to bypass the filter.
Your water level will decrease
and you will need to replace what's been lost.
Finally,
you cannot use pool floc with a cartridge filter.
You do not want flocculant in your filter.
That heavy duty floc will block everything else.
That's why you have to bypass your filter when you vacuum.
So unless you have a custom plumbing setup
that allows for this,
you won't be able to use this with a cartridge filter.
So which one should you use?
If you want your water clear ASAP
or you've got a really cloudy pool,
then go for pool floc.
The vacuum intakes more work but it's faster.
If you just opened your pool or it's just a little cloudy,
opt for the pool clarifier.
You'll also have to use pool clarifier
if you can't vacuum to waste or bypass your filter.
If you're looking for an easy to follow tutorial
that'll answer all your pool questions,
go check out our pool care handbook and video course.
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That's it.
Thanks again and happy swimming.