Maintaining your own pool requires you to use and handle pool chemicals. They are the backbone of keeping your pool water balanced and clean of any contaminants.
Knowing how to safely use and store pool chemicals is important for keeping you and everyone around the pool safe.
Remember, it is only a severe hazard if you make it one in the first place. Take some time to learn more about the proper way to store all your pool chemicals safely and securely.
How to Store Your Pool Chemicals
Before deciding where to store your chemicals, it is important to know how they should be stored. It is highly recommended that you read each chemical’s safety labels or instructions to better understand its compound makeup.
Ultimately, these are dangerous chemicals that can cause potential explosions if stored incorrectly. Even different types of chlorine should not be stored close together.
That isn’t meant to scare you, but the safety labels are there for a reason and should be referenced before storing.
Follow these guidelines to ensure your chemicals are properly stored and cared for.
Keep Your Pool Chemicals in Their Original Containers
You never want to switch chemicals out of their original container. Each container was designed and created for that chemical’s specific storage requirements, so it must stay there and be properly disposed of when finished.
Even if it is the same type of chemical and you want to combine it to save space, mixing the newer chemical with an older batch can cause a negative chemical reaction.
The only time a chemical should be removed from its container is when it’s being used in the pool.
Do Not Stack Chemicals on Top of Eachother
Stacking chemicals may seem like it saves space, but it can create unforeseen hazards. Never stack liquids above the dry or powdered chemicals, as the liquid may spill and potentially mix with the dry items.
If you are storing chemicals on shelves, avoid storing them above your head to prevent accidental spills or dropping them when taking them down.
You can keep them around shoulder length where they are still high enough for the younger children who cannot reach them.
Do Not Store Near Other Flammable Items
Your chemical storage location will likely contain not only various pool items but also other chemicals, such as paints, oils, gasoline, and gas-powered equipment.
These need to be separated far enough that there is no chance of a mixing reaction.
If the storage location is too small for these items to be together, it might be time to think of a new location for your pool chemicals.
Where To Store Your Pool Chemicals
Pool chemicals naturally break down and lose their potency over time. Proper storage in the right conditions is the best way to prolong their effectiveness.
Whether you use chemicals year-round or store them during the winter for next year, following these guidelines will ensure the safest storage environment possible.
Find a Dark, Dry, and Ventilated Area
Chemicals can be safely stored either inside or outside.
However, the number one priority is that they be stored in a dry, cool, and well-ventilated environment. Prolonged exposure to the sun and extremely hot temperatures can potentially create toxic chemical reactions upon opening.
If you live in a hot and humid area year-round, finding a continuously shaded location is a great idea.
Sheds and storage units from companies like Rubbermaid and Suncast are perfect for pool chemical storage boxes and can be used both indoors and outdoors.
Resin weather-resistant shed to safely store pool chemicals from heat and rain.
Know Your Climate
Not everyone lives in a temperate climate, so it might be a little more difficult to find the right storage location. Areas that are hot and humid year-round will have a bit of a harder time finding an area than those in more temperate areas.
As mentioned above, chemicals exposed to direct sunlight and heat cause unwanted chemical reactions and reduce the chemical’s effectiveness.
Conversely, it is best to avoid storing chemicals in freezing conditions. While chemicals have a greater sensitivity to heat than cold, freezing temperatures can still dilute chemical potency.
Storing Outside
If the climate allows, it is perfectly fine to store outside without any shed or container, but the area must get little to no sunlight.
If you aren’t using a bin or container, avoid placing chemicals directly on the ground. To protect the chemicals from rain and wet conditions, use wooden pellets and a tarp (with some holes).
Note: Be very careful if kids can get to the area! Be mindful of the risk if you have kids running around where the chemicals are store outside.
If Possible, Avoid the Garage
A garage may seem like the perfect place for your chemicals to live. However, chemical components like acids and oxidizers can rust and corrode metal objects like cars.
It is possible that the garage is really the only option, as it is generally relatively cooler and dryer. If this is the case, store them in a storage bin or container and consider cracking open the garage door for extra ventilation.
Additional Safety Tips When Storing
In addition to the above, keep the following tips and instructions in mind when thinking about pool chemical storage:
- Pool chemical containers are not airtight. They are intentionally made to be breathable, so fumes will escape no matter how tightly you close the lid. Proper ventilation will help keep airflow moving.
- It is OK to keep similar chemicals together. Different strengths of muriatic acid can be stored together as an example. However, do not store different types of chlorine together. Liquid chlorine should not be right beside or set on top trichlor or dichlor tablets.
- To reiterate the above, read each chemical’s warning labels and instructions. Products have different handling instructions so be sure to understand each.
- If you happen to spill or notice a leak, clean it up right away with a rag or towel. Do not throw the rags directly in the trash; flush them with water and a heavy detergent and let them air dry. If it needs to be disposed of, call your local hazardous waste or recycling center.
- When a chemical is empty, rinse out the container and dispose of it. Most bottles are recyclable but call your recycling center first to make sure.
Safety is the Top Priority
Pool chemical usage and storage are all part of the pool ownership journey. It may seem overwhelming and dangerous at the onset, but these guidelines should put you a little more at ease when handling and storing chemicals.
Storing not only helps keep chemicals in a safe space, but they also preserve their effectiveness allowing you to stretch them out over longer periods of time, ultimately saving money. Then you can spend that on more important things like floats and volleyball nets!