Why Pool Chemical Storage Cabinets are Important for Commercial Pools

Store Chemicals Safely and Lower Risk to Employees, Guests, and the Business

We’ve talked previously about why it’s so important to store pool chemicals safely. While they keep pool water healthy, balanced, and safe to swim in, they’re still chemicals. They can be dangerous, causing eye, skin, and lung irritation. They can even be explosive. Many of them shouldn’t be mixed together–not even their fumes–which is why one of the most important elements of safe chemical storage is a secure, appropriate pool chemical storage cabinet.

Always store pool chemicals in their original manufacturer container

Even in commercial pools, it’s still far too common to see unsafe chemical storage practices. One of the most frequent issues is storing the chemicals in a container different from the one it was bottled or packaged in by the manufacturer. This leads to a few issues right away.

For starters, you should never reuse a chemical storage container, even if it’s for the same chemical. It’s too easy for containers to either go missing, or be mislabeled, leading to confusion that results in dangerous chemical reactions–requiring evacutations, and putting everyone in the facility or building at risk of inhaling toxic fumes.

Improper containers can also result in splashout and leaks, either when lifting or refilling the container, that can mix with other chemicals in the environment and cause toxic reactions and fumes.

Pool chemical storage cabinets help keep different chemicals separate

There are several critical requirements for safe chemical storage, and a lot of them hinge on location. Pool chemicals need to be stored away from extreme temperatures, especially heat, moisture, humidity, water, and sunlight. Always read the manufacturer’s label and Safety Data Sheets for further requirements for each specific chemical.

Different chemicals should also be stored separately, to prevent the scenarios we mentioned above. It’s highly important to keep different chemicals from accidentally mixing.

This means you should store dry chemicals separately from liquid chemicals. Oxidizers, such as chlorine, should be kept separately from other chemicals and particularly from acids. Pool chemicals should also be stored separately from all other facility chemicals.

Ideally, each chemical type would have its own separate storage room or area. However, this simply isn’t always possible–which is where pool chemical storage cabinets come in.

Appropriately-designed storage cabinets provide the containment you need to keep these chemicals separate.

If you’re going this route, here’s what you should look for to ensure the cabinets you select are safe:

Ventilation: Environmental exposure to chemical fumes can be toxic, causing irritation and illness, as well as potentially leading to dangerous situations if different fumes react to each other. Some chemical containers are also designed to vent off-gasses. If any pool chemicals are kept in poorly ventilated areas, these fumes and gasses will build up, becoming more dangerous, increasing your risk for fire and explosion, and putting employees at risk of regularly inhaling them. Your storage area should be well-ventilated, with vents designed to help cycle through fumes and gasses. But if you’re storing chemicals in cabinets, those cabinets should also be ventilated, to prevent fumes from building up within them.
Designed for chemical storage: Different chemicals require different types of safety measures. Look for cabinets designed for this type of storage–for example, cabinets made to store corrosives and acids safely.
Designed to keep water and moisture out: Certain chemicals–for example, stabilized and non-stabilized chlorine–are water-reactive, and will cause a thermal reaction and possibly ignite upon contact with water or moisture. Pool chemical storage cabinets should be made from materials that securely keep water out.
Self-closing doors: Self-closing doors ensure chemicals are kept securely, no matter what–and are required in many different municipalities and counties. Some cabinets on the market are specifically built to meet or exceed NFPA code requirements, giving you peace of mind you’re storing chemicals both safely and in compliance.

Which brings us to another point: while there are general guidelines and recommendations, it’s also important to check your local fire and building safety codes to ensure you’re in compliance with them. OSHA also has standards for safe chemical storage and management.

A few more important tips for pool chemical storage cabinets:

Color code and label cabinets: Take the time to ensure cabinets are labeled correctly. It’s also helpful to color code cabinets–whether with the color of the cabinet itself, or through clear labeling. This provides easy visual reference to employees, to help keep everything separate and in the right place.
Post Safety Data Sheets on cabinet doors: Keep a clear file envelope with laminated Safety Data Sheets for each of the cabinets contained inside, making it easy for anyone to reference.
Keep storage cabinets clean and tidy: Your entire storage area should be kept tidy and organized, and free of debris and clutter that could easily catch fire or make it difficult to clean. This applies to storage cabinets as well.

It may seem expensive to invest in proper chemical storage cabinets, but you have to consider the risk of not doing so. Improperly stored pool chemicals are a ticking time bomb, risking injury to your employees and–in the case of fume build-up and fire–anyone in the vicinity. Hazardous chemicals spills are also costly to clean up, especially if fire departments have to dispatch a hazmat unit. You’re also putting your business’s reputation at risk when sloppy storage and chemical management practices lead to safety and health problems.

Finally, as you invest in secure chemical containment, you want to also invest in ongoing employee training. When employees are informed of the risks of improper chemical storage and maintenance, and empowered with the appropriate measures to take, it goes a long way to ensuring safety. Pool managers and certified pool operators on staff should take the lead, establishing a culture of safety and good habits.

Managing pool chemical balance gets complicated–fast. It’s why we designed and built PoolShark H20. When you use PoolShark H20, it makes testing pool water and calculating chemical adjustments easy, doing the complex math equations for you. It also ensures you use the exact and correct amount of chemicals you need–preventing chemical overuse, which also helps you buy less, spend less, and store less chemicals, so storage is a little easier.