Chlorine tablet shortages are affecting more than pool owners

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI)- We’re just weeks away from summer and that means long days by the pool, but maintaining that backyard oasis could be a bit more costly this year. A fire in a manufacturing plant that makes chlorine tablets has slowed production, but there are options to keep your pool clean without spending too much money. Pool owners are having to dig a little deeper in their pockets to try and use chlorine tablets to clean their pool and they’re limited to a few options.

“We’re selling a 25-pound bucket which you would get about 50 tablets in that bucket and then also a 50 pound which you would get about 100 tablets in that bucket,” said service manager of Modern Pool and Spa Quetta Cole.

Cole said the tablets have increased between 20 to 40 dollars and they are selling them with limited supply.

“We’re limiting customers to one bucket per customer per month so everyone gets a chance and don’t just panic and buy everything at once,” said Cole.

Chlorine tablets may be limited, yet pools have been built more throughout the pandemic. New Dimension Pool and Spa owner Roy Webber said they found an alternate way to sanitize the pool.

“It converts saltwater into a chlorine gas that is used in the pool instead of the chlorine tablets,” said Webber.

Converting pools to saltwater will not only give it a chlorine cleaning, but it will save pool owners money, and Webber said the shortage has pushed them more than ever to convert the cleaning strategy.

“We’ve been converting pools for several years now, but we’ve just actually started the real hard push because of the chlorine shortage,” said Webber.

Unemployment and the factory fire are seen as major contributors to why chlorine tablet production has been slowed, but it may also cause other items to go through the same problem.

“The fire in the plant the Rosen that they use to make plastic there’s a shortage of it and it’s going to create an additional problem,” said Webber.

If anyone wants to order chlorine tablets they’re advised to get them as early as possible and only get as many as you need.