Copper Pipe In Pool Skimmer?
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If I had a nickel for every time someone sent me a viral pool hack video of a pool owner using a piece of copper pipe in their pool skimmer I might just have more nickels than I could carry. So, like $900 maybe? (that is 198lbs approximatly) I digress. This is not a new hack and I am going to rain on this little parade of "pool hack videos" that are sweeping short content social media sites like Tik Tok. Now I have seen many of these pool hack trend videos come and go but this one with the copper pipe seems to have a little more staying power than the others, like easily maintaining your pool with vodka, for example.
The reason why the idea of using a piece of copper pipe in your pool skimmer is so appealing to pool owners is that it is so simple and cheap, and yes, there is a slight hint of truth to the science being referenced here. Now wait right there for a a moment. Before you starting cutting out the copper pipe from your walls and hucking it into your pool let's talk about this in more detail. I said there is a slight hint of truth. A smidgen, really. As far as your pool goes I think you will find that putting a piece of copper pipe into the skimmer is going to get you no value for your investment at all, which is saying a lot since a 4" long section of copper pipe only has a full MSRP value of a few cents. May as well just put the pennies right into the skimmer themselves and cut out the middleman altogether!
Why Copper Pipes Are a Pool Hack & NOT a Good Idea!
I can absolutely understand why putting copper pipe or fittings into your skimmer strainer basket seems like a money saving tip that everyone should be doing...but pool water chemistry is complicated and there is definitely no "free lunch" when it comes to maintaining your pool in a safe and predictable way. Adding copper, or any metals actually other than calcium to your pool is something that pretty much all professional pool industry workers agree on. So what is the risk?
Adding copper to your pool is something which is already done in the way of copper based algicides or other chelated (bound / not chemically free) products and even these are not part of mainstream accepted water treatments. Copper can cause staining issues but more importantly works on a time scale which is far too long to be useful against person to person contact. This results in no protection (residual) in the water which is one of the four primary factors that are part of making residential swimming waters safe.
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Does a copper pipe in the pool skimmer help the water chemistry? - There is absolutely no value in adding a copper pipe to your pool skimmer. Yes it is true that copper is a natural algicide but as applied to a swimming pool a piece of pipe is orders of magnitude too small for the application. Just for one second if we were to agree that copper in the pool is good, then you would need to add far more copper than you get from one small section of copper pipe in your pool skimmer. Many algicides for pools are copper based, for example. These would add a measured dose of copper to the water for specific, troublesome water quality problems. However, even this is something that is debatable as the acceptable standard for the amount of copper in pools is 0.00 parts per million. So the copper pipe is too small to actually do anything useful. If you did have enough copper to be useful, it would at the same time be causing other major problems with your pool and very likely your pool would be stained blue/green.
Copper in pools causes green hair - If you have ever heard of someone having their hair turn green after swimming this is a result of copper in the pool water. Remember I just said the acceptable amount is zero? Well, if you have more than zero one of the things that might happen is that people with lighter colored hair, and people with chemically treated hair, may find their hair a "fun" tinge of green when they get out. Yay! Everyone loves that, right?
So my recommendation to you would be to avoid putting a copper pipe in your pool skimmer because it will provide you with no value at all because even though copper can kill algae, it will not in the miniscule concentration available within a piece of copper pipe in your skimmer. If you wanted enough copper to be successful at killing algae within a reasonable timescale, you could simply buy copper sulfate from farm or hardware supply stores.
This is just a giant bag of sulfur and copper the likes of which Mr. White from Breaking Bad would approve. It is vibrant blue in color and not even expensive to buy. If you add enough it will kill algae, but also cause staining to your pool, swimmers in your pool, and potentially be a health hazard due to you absorbing it through your skin every time you go swimming. As it turns out there is no "free lunch" for taking care of your pool and this hack is just that...something that a hack would do. When you care for your pool and your investment in it, then you should go by the book for your pool water chemistry and avoid trendy hacks which sound too good to be true.
Pool RX is a product that could actually improve the pool water quality using copper and other minerals. While not quite as cost effective as a piece of copper pipe this product is the real world version of what the "copper pipe in skimmer hack" is based on.
Pools Do Not Need Copper - Ever
Even though some pool chemicals which are copper based are available the reality is that these are rarely if ever needed. Chlorine IS an algicide and when maintained properly in your pool water will prevent the growth of algae completely. This is why you do not need copper pipes or copper pills or any other form of copper in your pool - when you are taking care of your water properly there will be no need for additional chemicals other than chlorine, acid for controlling the pH, something like baking soda to increase alkalinity when needed, and finally CYA (cyanuric acid) to maintain your sunscreen for your chlorine. Importantly, maintain your combined chlorine levels as close to zero as possible through breakpoint chlorination. If you want to learn and apply this information take a look at this page for learning making pool chemistry actually make sense.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool specialist from Ontario Canada and one of the most trusted voices in the swimming pool industry. With over 20,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the Pleatco Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print. Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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