How to: Store pool chemicals

What’s the best way to store pool chemicals? Whether you're storing pool chemicals away for the off-season, or you’re stocking up in spring to last you the entire in-season, our pool experts are here to help you store your pool chemicals safely:

What’s the ideal environment for storing pool chemicals?

You want to store your pool chemicals in a cool, dry, secure and well-ventilated place. In order to prevent any unnecessary exposure to toxins, pool chemicals should be stored in an area that provides good ventilation to remove any toxic vapors, fumes, mists, or dust that could be floating around. Many chemicals, especially oxidizers and strong acids, can corrode some metals, causing rust or other damage. And you never want to store oxidizers near organic chemicals like gasoline, or in poorly ventilated areas that people enter.

How long can you store pool chemicals before they lose effectiveness?

The effectiveness of a particular pool chemical is really unique to the product and the storage conditions. All chemicals should be used within two pool seasons; however, chlorine and bromine oxidizers and sanitizers are best used within the first season you buy them, especially liquid chlorine or calcium hypochlorite.

What are the most common mistakes people make when storing their pool chemicals?

The most common storage mistake is choosing a bad environment for them – like one that’s damp or exposed to extreme weather temps. Allowing oxidizers to get wet can be dangerous. Also, allowing liquids to freeze can make the product unusable.

Is it so bad to use expired products?

Unless a product has separated, become discolored, or developed a foul odor, it will likely still work, just not as effectively as when it’s fresh.

Why not leave pool chemicals outside? Could anything bad happen?

Many chemicals don't react well to extreme temperatures on either end of the spectrum, which is what you risk when you store them outside. If you store your pool chemicals in a place warmer than 95 degrees Fahrenheit, expansion of liquids or the release of gases caused by high temperatures can cause containers to leak or spill. In some cases, it can cause dangerous conditions that could lead to fire or an explosion. If liquid chemicals are allowed to freeze, they could begin to separate and lose effectiveness or become unusable.