Clarifier or Flocculant – What’s the difference?

The easy solution to enjoying beautiful. clear pool water is using a clarifier, and with chlorine supplies tight and prices rising, the preference for use of a good clarifier is rising, too!

Clarifiers and flocculants work in the same way to achieve the same result. Each of them aggregates the tiny-sized bits of suspended material in pool water so that these bits can be more quickly separated and removed. When a high-quality product is used, water clarity improves dramatically, quickly and without affecting water balance.

The difference between clarifiers and flocculants is really speed. As noted, clarifiers gather particulates that are suspended in the water and build up their particle size as they remain suspended. As a result, the filter captures these size-enhanced materials. The debris can then be removed from the filter and from the pool system. Flocculants build particles size even faster. So fast, in fact, that the bulked-up debris begins to fall to the floor of the pool within minutes! Of course, this means that the fallen debris, which can be substantial, must be vacuumed from the pool bottom to remove it. Most pool service pros are equipped for this while most pool owners are not. Typically, the pool pump is turned off while using a flocculant.

When choosing a clarifier make sure it’s a high-quality brand. Lo-Chlor makes our famously powerful Miraclear^® Blue liquid clarifier as well as the ever-popular Miraclear^® Clarifier Tab which continues to work non-stop for 30 days. Both give outstanding results within 24 hours.

When choosing a flocculant, experienced pool pros know that overnight speed is important, as is performance across a broad pH range. That’s why Lo-Chlor’s Knockdown is so popular with the pros.

Whether you’re a pool owner or a pool service provider, you’ll see the difference, too!