As any pool owner knows, proper sanitation is one of the most important parts of pool ownership and management. It is best to think of pool water as a solution rather than water. It is a carefully-balanced mix of water and chemicals that keep the water safe and clean to swim in. When most people think about pool sanitation, they think of chlorine. Chlorine is, of course, the most common means by which pool owners keep their pool water sanitized, but it is not the only means.
Some people use bromine, most often in the form of tablets, as a means to sanitize their pool water. Like chlorine, bromine is a strong chemical substance that is used to kill potentially dangerous pathogens and substances that may make their home in your pool or spa water.
Bromine 101
Like chlorine, bromine is a chemical substance that acts as a means of water sanitization. Bromine is a unique substance in that it is liquid at room temperature and is the only non-metal substance known to have this property. It is used in a variety of capacities from a flame retardant to agricultural use, and of course, as a means to sanitize pool water.
- Keep your pool clean and safe with our bromine tablets for hot tubs, spas, and swimming pools. These bromine tabs are an effective swimming pool disinfectant and sanitizer that will keep your water crystal clear.
- Potent and Fast-Acting: Available bromine is 61% and percent available chlorine is 27%, ensuring your pool stays clean and safe.
- Pre-Stabilized Formula: Our pool bromine tablets are pre-stabilized so they don't require the use of stabilizers. Simply add the tabs into your chlorinator/brominator for easy and convenient use.
- More stable than chlorine at higher temperatures: Bromine is more stable than chlorine at higher temperatures, ensuring that it remains effective even on the hottest days. It also does not add cyanuric acid to your pool water.
- Spa and Hot Tub Safe: Our bromine tablets for spa hot tub use are safe for use in both spas and hot tubs. They have a low odor and cause less eye and skin irritation to better your swimming experience.
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Bromine vs chlorine
Both bromine and chlorine have sanitation capabilities, but they are very different in chemical structure. Chlorine is the most commonly used means of sanitizing pool water and it is available in a range of different forms including liquid, powder, and tablets. It is easily absorbed into the water and is a highly effective means of sanitation. Since chlorine is broken down and thus unable to sanitize when exposed to UV rays, pool stabilizer (cyanuric acid) is often employed in tandem to help increase the “lifespan” of the chlorine.
Bromine is only available in tablet form which means that it has to be used with a chemical feeder for proper sanitation. It is slow to dissolve, so it can take longer to get into your water than chlorine does. Unlike chlorine, bromine doesn’t put off chloramines, which are those bleachy smelling substances that build up in your water as the chlorine is rendered ineffective from sunlight or the pool stabilizer. Bromine will put off a substance called bromanines, but they do not have the bleachy smell of chloramines. Unlike chloramines, which render chlorine inactive, bromamines do not have this effect on bromine.
Interestingly, bromine can be “reactivated” when a pool using it is shocked, something that is not possible with chlorine. And unlike chloramines, bromamines will break down over time. Bromine also does not react as strongly to pH levels as chlorine does. It should be noted, however, that there are algae and other nasties that can only be killed through the use of chlorine.
Bromine is ideal for pools that are located in places with really hot temperatures and as a result, it is also a great means for sanitizing hot tubs.
The Verdict: Which is better?
As with many pool-related questions, the answer to whether chlorine or bromine is a better means of sanitation is it depends. Both of these substances are highly effective at sanitizing pool water and both come with their own set of pros and cons.
If you are a bit forgetful when it comes to adding chemicals to your pool, you might be better off sticking with chlorine. Chlorine is absorbed into the water a lot faster than bromine, so if you are one to forget about your chemical needs, chlorine could be the best option for you. This helps to ensure that your chemicals don’t get severely out of balance.
The cost can also be a deciding factor when choosing between chlorine and bromine. Chlorine is a cheaper alternative to bromine, so many people use chlorine or bromine for this reason alone. People with outdoor pools may prefer to use chlorine or bromine since chlorine can be stabilized with cyanuric acid. Bromine cannot be stabilized in this way.
Some people are highly sensitive to chlorine. For some, it can highly irritate skin and eyes and there is no way to get around that. Those who have chlorine sensitivity, bromine might be a better option for sanitation than chlorine. If you are sensitive to or bothered by the smell of chloramines, bromine might also be a better choice as the bromamines produced do not give off the bleachy odor that chloramines do. Also, if you have a hot tub or spa, bromine is often the best choice for sanitation as it is well-suited for warmer water.
Bromine is, as noted above, only available in tablet form, meaning that it works through water erosion. There are tons of different brands of bromine tablets, easily found online or at your local pool supply store.
It is pretty well impossible to say which of these is a better choice. Both are effective means of keeping your water clean and safe to swim in. For those who have sensitivities to chlorine or don’t like the way that chlorine smells when it breaks down into chloramines, bromine is a solution that will keep your water safe without these downsides. If you are one to forget to add chemicals or have a lot of issues with algae, it might be better to use chlorine since, as noted above, bromine is only available in tablet form and thus takes a while to be fully absorbed into the water.
Bromine cannot be stabilized via cyanuric acid in the way that chlorine can and thus may not be as effective in areas that receive long, extended periods of intense sunlight. UV rays will break down both chlorine and bromine. However, bromine can be reactivated with a shock to the pool, whereas chlorine cannot. It is really up to the pool owner to evaluate their situation, preferences, needs, and the like to determine which of these sanitation solutions is best. It is possible to change a pool over from one type of sanitation to the other, so it is always an option to choose the other form of sanitation if you are unsatisfied with whatever you initially choose.
How Many Bromine Tablets Should I Use In A Pool?
For home pools add 17 tablets for 10,000 gallons every 5-7 days or as needed to maintain a bromine residual of 2-3 ppm at all times. For hot tubs and spas you should add 3 tablets for every 300 gallons of spa water. This should be done with the use of a floating tablet feeder or automatic brominator installed on the hot tube.