used by only 5 percent of those who responded.
Respondents from this region indicated greater reliance on trichlor tabs as a chlorination method: 86 percent use trichlor. This area pays an average price of about $206.00 for 50 pounds, or $4.58 per pound available chlorine. Liquid chlorine is used by 64 percent where the cost of liquid chlorine was reported to be $5.00 per gallon.
Calcium hypochlorite is also widely used by 68 percent of those responding to the survey, where they pay a relatively low median price of $2.40 per pound of available chlorine. About 32 percent of respondents use dichlor, paying a median price of between $8.05 and $7.27 per pound of available chlorine, depending on whether or not the dichlor is anhydrous.
Respondents indicated that about 86 percent of all pools employ an automatic cleaner. Slightly more service professionals reported the use of pressure-side cleaners over suction-side cleaners, used in 50 percent and 46 percent of pools respectively, with 3 percent of pools using robotic cleaners.
Chlorine generators are employed on an average of 12 percent of those responding to our survey.
For secondary sanitation systems, 64 percent of service techs encounter UV on at least one of the pools that they service, 59 percent encounter ozone, and 23 percent see Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) technology.
Respondents indicated that about 3 percent of their total pools utilize UV while 5 percent incorporate ozone.
Florida
The Service Industry within Florida is large enough for it to qualify as a separate region. Florida represented 8 percent of the responses received.
Floridians have typically reported a high use of liquid chlorine in years past, with 100 percent of service professionals reported relying on liquid chlorine. Compared to the rest of the country, they get a great deal on the chemical at an average price of $1.41 a gallon.
With the high price of trichlor, its use is much less common, used by 20 percent of respondents, averaging $225 per 50 pounds, or $5 per pound of available chlorine.
60 percent of service professionals reported to using calcium hypochlorite at $3.31 per pound of available chlorine. Only 3 percent reported to using dichlor, although 40 percent helpfully provided pricing. Dichlor is reportedly selling for $7.30 and $6.60 per pound of available chlorine depending on if it’s anhydrous.
Responses to our survey indicate that service professionals in Florida primarily use DPD as their means of accessing chlorine concentrations: 80 percent of respondents use this method. Test strips were used by 20 percent of respondents; OTO by 20 percent; and ORP by 60 percent of respondents.
Salt water chlorine generators sanitize 35 percent of the pools serviced by respondents.
An average of 77 percent of respondent’s pools have a cleaner.
Every year, Floridians usually report among the highest use of suction-side cleaners in the country. Suction cleaners are reported by 88 percent of respondents, while pressure cleaners are employed by 10 percent of those responding, and robotic cleaners used by 2 percent.
For secondary sanitation systems, 40 percent of service techs encounter UV on at least one of the pools that they service, 20 percent encounter ozone, and less than 1 percent see Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) technology.
Less than 1 percent of respondent’s total pools utilize either UV or ozone.
Southeast
The Southeast includes Alabama; Arkansas; Georgia; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maryland; Mississippi; North Carolina; South Carolina; Tennessee; Virginia; and West Virginia. The Southeast represented 13 percent of the responses we received in this year’s survey.
Respondents from this region indicated a preference for trichlor tabs as a chlorination method: 73 percent use trichlor. This area pays an average price of about $223 for 50 pounds, or $4.96 per pound available chlorine. Liquid chlorine is used by 45 percent where the cost of liquid chlorine was reported to be $3.64 per gallon.
Calcium hypochlorite is used by 64 percent of those responding to the survey, where they pay a median price of $3.07 per pound of available chlorine. About 27 percent of respondents use dichlor, paying a median price of between $7.35 and $6.65 per pound of available chlorine, depending on whether or not the dichlor is anhydrous.
Respondents from this region seem to favor the DPD method for testing chlorine: 55 percent of this area reported using DPD, while 45 percent also uses test strips. ORP and OTO was used by less than 1 percent and 27 percent of respondents, respectively.
Service professionals in the Southeast report to working with chlorine generated pools more than many other parts of the country. Salt water chlorine generators are on an average of 84 percent of the pools that they service.
Respondents from this region indicated that an average of 69 percent of the pools they service incorporate an automatic pool cleaner. Suctionside cleaners make up 63 percent of these, pressure-side 30 percent, and robots 7 percent.
For secondary sanitation systems, 27 percent of service techs encounter UV on at least one of the pools that they service, 18 percent encounter ozone, and less than 1 percent see Advanced Oxidation Processes AOP technology.
Respondents indicated that about 1 percent of their total pools utilize UV or ozone.
Northeast
The Northeast includes Connecticut; Delaware; Maine; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; and Vermont. The Northeast represented 6 percent of the total number of responses that we received in this year’s survey.
About 80 percent of those responding to the survey reported that they use trichlor to sanitize the pools they service. Dichlor, calcium, and liquid chlorine are all used by about 60 percent of those responding to the survey.
Respondents from the Northeast declare an average liquid chlorine cost of $3.15 per gallon, and $218 for a 50-pound bucket of trichlor tabs. For trichlor, this works out to $4.83 per pound of available chlorine.
For Dichlor, respondents indicated that they pay between $8.21 and $7.42 per pound of active chlorine, depending on whether or not it is anhydrous. They pay a median price of $4.80 per pound of available chlorine for calcium hypochlorite.
For testing purposes, most professionals reported to using test strips, employed by 80 percent. However, DPD is also a popular testing method with 40 percent of respondents using this method. None of the respondents from this region reported to using OTO, while 20 percent said they used the ORP testing method.
According to our survey, salt water chlorine generators are in use on an average of 18 percent of the pools that they service.
60 percent of respondents indicated that an average of 7 percent of their pools utilize UV; 60 percent of respondents said 10 percent of their pools incorporate ozone; and 50 percent of respondents indicated that their pools have AOP systems on less than 1 percent of their pools.
Service technicians reported that 75 percent of the pools they service are equipped with an automatic pool cleaner. Of those that use automatic cleaner, 50 percent are pressure-side cleaners. As usual, this region also asserts the highest national use of robotic swimming pool cleaners at 48 percent. Only 2 percent reported that their pools are equipped with a suction-side cleaner.
