Why Sodium Bromide EatsThe Chlorine in Your Swimming Pool

In this video of the PoolManUniversity.com we talk to Bob Lowry the founder of the Pool Chemistry Training Institute about Sodium Bromide and why it eats the chlorine in your swimming pool. We also share the dates for his next training classes.

[@byronfiscus5454]

That's great that you told us about the problem how do you solve it?

[@aaronmurphy5060]

Right, but the loss is to the air as a vapor, both hydrobromic acid and bromine itself are vapors or have high vapor pressures. Chlorine lost in the pool to sunlight is lost as chloramine, chlorine and some to conversion to chloride anion
. They would affect each other on a molar basis, one mole of bromide by one mole of chlorine. If your bromide is eating your chlorine, it's doing work. If there no "food" for it, it's not going to just keep eating all your chlorine. These relationships are determined by several equilibri. I seriously doubt you have to drain anything. But I bet it's eating stuff that chlorine can't, based on subscription of sunlight to an activated free radical. I bet it's eating the skeleton of all the algae that you just killed as well as all the pollen and everything else that's fallen in the pool.

[@nexxusdesignsconroe7989]

Used to use sodium bromide (Jack's Magic Yellow Stuff) to kill algae over night but then it took DAYS to rebuild the residual chlorine, so it's a double edge sword. Typically we would use stabilized shock when doing that treatment which seemed to hold better but not perfect.

[@FoxItAll]

If it takes days, you didn't dose right. And you didn't compensate your chlorine well enough. Should only take a day to reverse.

[@robbs96]

Bob said that bromide is gone in about 5hrs but then said it never leaves the pool. Which is it?

[@graycollarpoolspa6587]

Hi Robbie. If it helps, Bob described the chlorine as being gone in 5 hrs, not the bromine. Sodium bromide essentially consumes the chlorine during it's conversion from bromide to hypobromous acid. And since a bromide anion can change oxidation states back and forth essentially in perpetuity, given the right circumstances it could continue to use up the chlorine until the chlorine is gone. It is indeed the case that sodium bromide does not leave the water - it must be removed or heavily diluted in order to prevent interference with a chlorine-based sanitation ritual.

[@headzzzzz]

So bromide can never leave the pool but than he says bromide is subject to being destroyed by sunlight? Another thing that was never covered in this conversation was how much bromide are you using? 2oz? 4 oz? 3lbs. I have been using bromide for the last 6-7 years. 2-4oz a week and as long as the chlorine level is good i have kept my Chlorine in the pool and have good luck with it. I have had CYA levels low and lose chlorine that way. And yes if you over use bromide it will eat up your chlorine.

[@robbs96]

@headzzzzz yeah, lets just chalk it up to old age, it will happen to all of us. RIP Robert.

[@dustinmiller8160]

Use 99% sodium bromide

[@mmay8810]

Great explanation, after doing a yellow treat with sodium bromide on top of my chlorine scoop, brushing thoroughly then cleaning the filter a week later I would eliminate the yellow algae and of course my Cl would be gone. About 6 weeks later I'd add only 5 oz of bromide as a yellow preventive on a pool up to 15,000 gallons and wonder is it a waste of sodium bromide or not.
Obviously it's not a waste.
Thank you for the video 🤠🇺🇲