By Ron Hurtibise
From South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Fort Lauderdale — As hot summer temperatures descend upon South Florida, the price of relief — plunging into that cool, blue swimming pool in your backyard — continues to increase.
Pool owners who depend on trichlor tablets, one of the most convenient ways to kill algae, mold, bacteria and other unwelcome intruders, are feeling it hardest. On Amazon, a 50-pound bucket of In The Swim-brand 3-inch tablets that sold for $110 back in 2020 shot up to $170 in April 2021 and is now listed at $250.
Prices are comparable at South Florida retail stores, including Lowes and Home Depot.
Nilson Silva, owner of Boca Raton-based Master Touch Pool Services says he expects prices of a 50-pound bucket of the three-inch tablets to hit $350 by the end of summer. One reason for the continuing increase, he says, is that some pool service companies bought as many tablets as they could to avoid running out….