For professionals struggling with rising chemical costs, this issue of

Service Industry News should offer valuable insights for price comparison. The pandemic caused a significant spike in chemical prices, particularly trichlor, which greatly affected the service industry. Fortunately, in recent years there have been signs of price stabilization, with trichlor costs in particular continuing to decline.

This edition of Service Industry News is the final issue of our detailed three-part series and focuses on the use chemicals, testing methods, and specialized equipment in pool maintenance.

We provide an analysis of a survey that was made available to 10,000 pool and spa service professionals. Of particular interest to our readers may be survey responses regarding the price of different forms of chlorine.

For example, while trichlor prices will likely remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, they are lower than last year’s national average of about $186 for a 50-pound bucket. Today, it appears service technicians are paying about $170 for the same quantity.

Barring unforeseen calamities, as supply chains and manufacturing operations of trichlor continue to stabilize, we can expect trichlor prices to keep coming down, although it may never go all the way back to its pre-COVID price tag of about $85.

But as trichlor prices decrease, liquid chlorine costs continue to rise. In California, where survey participation was heaviest and therefore most reliable, data shows a 3.5% increase in liquid chlorine prices compared to last year. In Florida, where prices had remained stable at around $1 for many years, current prices now hover close to $2.

To directly compare these costs, it’s useful to consider the price per pound of available chlorine. This method helps determine which chlorine source offers the best value by comparing apples to apples. Looking at the numbers in this way, survey responses indicate that trichlor is slightly more expensive than calcium hypochlorite by about 30 cents per pound of available chlorine. Meanwhile, for most of the country, liquid chlorine is actually more costly than trichlor, with the notable exceptions of Florida and the Northeast.

And for most of the country, it makes sense that liquid chlorine is the most expensive option. Because of its bulk and weight, transportation and packaging costs are generally higher than solid chlorine types. These and other considerations mean that liquid chlorine is more expensive in most areas.

Meanwhile, with one of the highest densities of pools in the country, proximity to a number of chemical manufacturers, and a highly efficient distribution network, Florida can boast the lowest price for liquid chlorine.

In this final installment of the 2024 Service Industry News survey, we turn our attention to chemicals, testing methods, and specialty equipment used in daily pool operations.

We explore the types of chemicals used, their costs, preferred testing methods, and additional disinfec-tion systems like saltwater chlorine generators (SWCGs), ozone, and UV, which enhance your service quality.

We extend our gratitude to all participants of this year’s survey for providing valuable data that helps the industry understand current regional trends.

Information contained in this survey is for informational and historical purposes only and is not meant to encourage readers to set prices in restraint of trade or in violation of any laws.