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IS HYDROGEN PEROXIDE SAFE FOR YOUR POOL OR HOT TUB FILTER AND PUMP?

Some pool and spa chemical suppliers and Internet retailers warn that hydrogen peroxide will damage the pump and/or filtration system. Is this true? No.

Hydrogen peroxide will kill the organics - and convert itself to pure water and pure oxygen in doing so. What hydrogen peroxide remains will also convert to water and oxygen over the next few days by reaction to the U.V. in sunlight. No only does h2o2 purge your pool of organic contamination, it also then purges your pool of itself. There is no increasingly chemical build up with h2o2.

The only exception is wooden hot tubs as over time the hydrogen peroxide will lighten the color of the wood, but pool chemicals do that same.

The best time to add h2o2 to a swimming pool or hot tub is to add it at night, turn off the pump and forget about it. Across the night the atoms of h2o2 will destroy micro-organisms. The pool owner can turn on the pump anytime.

Hydrogen peroxide does not build up chemical film.

TERRIBLY FOULED POOLS AND SPAS:

Some pools and spas are neglected for months and even years, resulting in terrible levels of growth fouling. As the pool or spa dries out time to time, this also forms a thick crust, like a contaminated ship bottom. A high concentration of hydrogen peroxide will kill the growth and even will remove surface layers of it, but will not remove dense dead growth on the pool surfaces. This would allow renewed usage of the pool without further growth from the fouled surfaces, but there would still be the unsightly appearance.

There are rare instances where this is desirable, however, in the instance of decorative ponds or "pond pools" in which the pool is stone lined or otherwise made to look like a natural pond in a natural setting. Having a natural appearing pond or pool, but also with clear and clean water, is a challenge not met by pool chemicals.

HOW TO USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN YOUR POOL OR HOT TUB?

It is very simple.

For a hot tub, we do suggest that you drain it to get rid of all chemicals. However, this is not necessary and h2o2 will not adversely interact with current pool chemicals and some will transition to h2o2 usage. If your pool is highly organically fouled, you may want to use a much higher initial level of h2o2 to kill the organics, drain this, and then go to the same maintenance levels as for a pool.

For a pool, it is not necessary to drain the pool if you do not want to until when you would regularly drain the pool while using pool chemicals. Or you may want to transition to h2o2 at that time. Hydrogen peroxide will not have any adverse reaction or interaction with pool chemicals. The level of h2o2 suggested below will vary by the amount of organic material that comes into the water (leaves, dust) and by pool usage that then also brings contaminating organics into the water. Within the context of the water volume in a swimming pool, increasing concentration to address high pool usage or high organic content can not reach a harmful level no matter how high a concentration you decide to use.

Keeping your swimming pool crystal clear and with no bleach and chemical smell is as easy as pouring it in.

Below are the recommended levels. You may then adjust this later as you feel necessary:
Swimming Pool and Hot Tub usage:

Getting started –

Many recommend shocking your pool or tub to start using hydrogen peroxide.

To “SHOCK” your pool or hot tub, a relatively high level is used at a ratio of 1 cup of 35% concentration for every 250 gallons. DO NOT RUN your pump continuously. Rather, run it only long enough to circulate the water and then turn off the pump. Ideally, you should add the h2o2 at sunset and allow the water to sit 24 hours before turning the pump back on. The tub or pool may be used afterwards.

It is NOT necessary to shock your pool or hot tub if you are starting with fresh water. H2o2 will not adversely interact with other pool chemicals.

POOL AND HOT TUB MAINTENANCE:

This depends quite a bit on the water source and the amount of organic materials that enter the water (dust, leaves, number of people using the pool etc.) If you are starting with new water, a good starting point is 1 cup of 35% h2o2 for every 500 gallons of water.

H2o2 interacts with and oxidizes organic materials and decomposes with UV light. This is a reason that h2o2 must be added time to time to maintain its level in the water. There is no danger of h2o2 levels increasing or forming dangerous residual chemicals.

TEST STRIPS: Ideally, you would keep the concentration level measuring between 50 and 100 ppm. For areas with high levels of organic contamination potential, this can be increased as high as 1000 ppm. Don't worry, if the water is over 100ppms this is good for you. Do NOT go over 1000ppms as this could cause eye damage like extreme levels of other chemicals could do.

When your water is as you wish, keep in the 50ppm to 100ppm range. If it falls below this don't worry. Just raise it back to 50ppm to 100ppm.

We have test strips on our order page and they come with many of our packages for such testing.

CHECK YOUR FILTERS OFTEN: As with any pool or hot tub with a filtration system, you should regularly check your filter(s) as clogged filters will damage some pumping systems.

STORAGE: H2o2 should ALWAYS be stored in TOTAL DARKNESS and a cool location. UV light causes h2o2 to decompose.

CAUTION: wear plastic gloves and safety goggles when adding h2o2 to the water as it can splash or spill. You simply add the hydrogen peroxide to the water and no special injection system is necessary.

HYBRID USAGE OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE?

Some people will use a mix of the pool chemicals they have been using with hydrogen peroxide - and then reducing the amount of pool chemicals used. This is particularly true of commercial or public swimming pools (such as hotels, apartment complexes etc.) where the fear of the spread of disease is a major liability issue. Legal liability is not always about doing the right thing, but rather about doing the typical thing. For this reason, they want to be able to say honestly that they used the typical pool chemicals. This is a valid option. While a person should eat healthy meals 100% of the time, if not then why not eat healthy 50% of the time?

Hydrogen peroxide will not have any reaction with pool chemicals. If in doubt or wanting to transition from chemicals to hydrogen peroxide, it is reasonable to reduce pool chemical usage by 1/3 and then use 1/3 the level of hydrogen peroxide treatment. If you like the results, go to 50/50 and so forth.

Another hybrid usage is that some people will blast their pool with chemicals the day (or night) before draining it if they have a SEVERE problem requiring draining the pool or hot tub - and then convert to hydrogen peroxide. But again you can transition without draining your swimming pool.

While a hybrid usage of hydrogen peroxide in a pool is a valid decision, it makes little sense in a spa - given how easily and inexpensively a spa can be drained. For a spa, we suggest trying 100% h2o2 treatment. However, you also can do a hybrid treatment if you wish.

Maybe the most amazing part of using hydrogen peroxide for pool and spa treatment is the simplicity of it. It can not chemically build up in your pool. You do not have to continually be balancing chemicals against more chemicals to make it work. It does not require complex filters or machinery. It does not require exact levels of concentration to work. It bio-degrades completely to only healthy substances of water and oxygen - good for you and your pool/spa. It contains no toxins. You do not have to fear how it interacts with other chemicals.

Nothing in hydrogen peroxide causes cancer, sterility, birth defects, brain damage, tumors, nervous system damage. It does not smell bad. Hydrogen peroxide for pool and spa usage does not produce toxic vapors. There is no complex transition to change to h2o2 for pool and spa treatment. Hydrogen peroxide diluted in water is good for your health.

Anything else you need to add to your swimming pool or hot tub?

No. That's is all you need to do.

Want to improve the health quality of the water more? ADD SEA SOAK!

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To learn more about Sea Soak - Click here

Many more uses of hydrogen peroxide for home, kitchen, garden - Click Here

Return to swimming pool & hot tub page - Click here

NOTE OF APPRECIATION:
A special thank you to all those who contribute to the growing knowledge base for usages and benefits of food grade hydrogen peroxide. If you know of an application we do not list, drop us an email. We'd be glad to give you acknowledgement if you wish. Thank you.