The why, the truth and the solution.
During the pandemic, chlorine began leaking at the Bio Lab Factory in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This chlorine leak generated enough heat to begin burning on the morning of August 27th, 2020. The determining cause of this leak was the landfall of Hurricane Laura hours prior. Luckily, the factory had already been evacuated due to the hurricane. When the storm hit, Bio Lab was storing 835 tons of tablets made up of trichloroisocyanuric acid (tri-chlor). These tablets are used in pool chlorinators and floaters and help maintain chlorine levels all summer long. And now, there is a mass shortage across the industry in chlorine tablets.
One fact left out by the media; there is no shortage of liquid or powder chlorine. Tri-chlor tablets are what has become scarce across the entire industry. As a professional pool dealer, we have been promised only 80% of the amount of tablets we sold last year. Thankfully, our distributors have made it a priority to make sure professional pool dealers are taken care of before the big box stores. However, we are now met with the demand of big box store shoppers looking for chlorine tablets.
While the media constantly runs stories about the “chlorine” shortage (tablet shortage), we are now witnessing the same hysteria over stocking up on toilet paper when Covid first hit. It has now forced us to limit 1 bucket of tablets (if we have any) per household.
We realize this will be an issue in the upcoming months, and we want you to be equipped with the knowledge and product to keep your pool clean and safe this season. It is possible to run your pool solely on liquid and powder chlorine. In light of the shortage, we look forward to the opportunity to educate you on how to properly sanitize your pool. And the widely unknown damage the excessive use of chlorine tablets can cause to swimming pools.
We will be providing a micro Pool School series every Tuesday during the summer months, hosting 10 attendees per class. Starting Tuesday, June 1st, the first class begins at 10am and the second class at 2pm. During this series, our professional staff will teach you how to maintain a clean and clear pool without relying on tri-chlor tablets. Save your seat and RSVP today!
Keep your eye out for our social media channels, emails, and blogs while we continue to keep everyone educated and worry-free during this crisis.