Swimming pool owners facing chlorine shortages and higher prices this summer
Supply chain issues are causing shortages of some pool chemicals, including liquid chorine, which many people rely on to kill germs, bacteria and to keep water sparkling clean.
“It's no different then when you go to a grocery store and there is no cereal on the shelves, now they are telling us there is no chlorine," Walter Ptasznyk, who was buying chlorine to get his pool ready for a weekend pool party, told CTV News Toronto.
A transport truck carrying a tanker of liquid chlorine was delivered to an International Pool & Spa location in Oshawa, Ont. just in time as the location’s main storage tank was almost empty.
“Normally, this tank filled three times a week and it can hold 10,000 litres of chlorine. Now we are only allowed 8,000 litres per week,” Darryl Hudgins, with International Pool & Spa, said.
The store said it is only allowing each customer to have 10 litres of chlorine per visit to make sure there is enough to go around for other pool owners.
Factory shutdowns and an increase in demand have made liquid chlorine harder to come by, which has also led to major price increases.
“Our costs doubled three weeks ago, but we only increased our prices marginally because we still need to make sure our customers are happy,” Hudgins said. “In the past few days, the prices we are charged doubled again.”
Due to supply chain issues, inflation, and increased demand, many pool products have increased 30 to 50 per cent in price in the past two years.
There was also a major fire at a U.S. chemical plant in Louisiana in 2020, which also caused product scarcity.
“Transporting the product has tripled over the past year, you have a tight supply, and you put in all together and you have much higher pricing," Harry Martyniuk, with Pioneer Family Pools, said.
Pool stores say chlorine pucks or granular chlorine are still available and many pool owners also use salt water systems, but liquid chlorine will be more scare this summer and expensive.
"It's like anything," Ptasznyk said. "If you need it you are going to have to pay for it.”
It's not clear if the supply chain issues involving liquid chlorine will persist throughout the summer months, but if you use it, you may want to stock up on it when you can.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.