Spike in prices expected this summer amid chlorine shortage

Going into the summer months, a chlorine shortage could pose a big problem for people’s pocket books. The shortage is seeing a spike in prices.

The first reason for the spike in chlorine prices is the economy, and the next reason is due to an uptick in new pools. Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, more people have been adding pools to their homes or taking care of and using them more often.

“Summer gets hot,” Holly Rood said. “If there is a chlorine shortage, our pool is going to look like pea soup, and I don’t want that to happen.”

Rood is already concerned about a chlorine shortage.

“I don’t want the prices to increase,” Rood said.

But with a shortage, prices are expected to go up. It’s not a challenge for pool owners alone but pool companies too.

“It makes it very challenging for us,” said Harry Geller with Magnolia Pool and Spa. “We want to do everything we can to take care of our customers.”

Geller has already started to see the supply and demand issues.

“The past few months, chlorine tablets and acid have gone up in price,” Geller said. “And we do expect liquid chlorine to go up as well.”

That means pool stores and companies are stocking up now.

Before you run to the store to stock up there’s one thing you should know.

“We need to stock up and make sure we have the supplies for all our customers throughout the summer,” Geller said.

Pool owners can stock up now chlorine now before the prices spike too.

Liquid chlorine has the shortest shelf life of all your pool chemicals which will reach its half-life at approximately 180 days when stored at a temperature of 77 degrees and in Florida’s summer heat of 95 degrees the half-life is only 48 days.

Dry chlorine has a much longer shelf life.

It’s also recommended to run your pool pump a few more hours a day. Pool experts expect the shortage to go throughout the summer.