SAN DIEGO — If you own a pool, you may have noticed prices of supplies, especially chlorine have gone up. It's part of a nationwide shortage, and with summer right around the corner, people everywhere are scrambling to stock up.
"We know we have the demand. We don't have the supply," said Jeff O'Neill, manager of The Pool Store in Lemon Grove.
He says prices on chlorine tablets have more than doubled since last year. For example, a 50-pound bucket cost used to average around $80 but now sells for $190.
"They yesterday limited us to three buckets a visit so we have to go to our supplier [to] pick them up. We can only get three at a time,” said O’Neill.
The supply issue dates back to August of 2020 when Hurricane Laura caused a chemical fire that shut down one of the largest producers of chlorine tablets.
It happened as demand for pools shot up during the pandemic. Along with the increase in poop demand, other supplies are hard to find as well, after factories were forced to temporarily shut down due to COVID-19.
“Right now, we've been told they're not gonna make single speed pumps. They're only gonna make variable speed pumps," O’Neill said about one of his suppliers.
O’Neill's advice is to buy in bulk now in case the situation gets even worse. "If you find something, you gotta jump on it now....you can't wait," he said.
Also, he recommends a few ways to make the chlorine you do have last.
That includes:
- shower before swimming
- run systems longer to keep water circulating
- keep PH levels high
- keep pets out
One dog in your pool can spread the same amount of dirt as 50 people.
Another option is to change your pool from chlorine to salt water. But to make this change, you'll need a small unit and some electrical work, which could end up costing up to $2,000.
As for how long these issues will last, O’Neill said, “I would gear up for this pool season and into next year before it levels out a little bit.”
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