Having a pool is nice. Having a pool that you know is safe to use is even better. One common method to create a disinfected pool is to use chlorination products.

Water-resistant electronics have become the rage in many categories. From smartphones to the best pool speakers, the ability to have your electronics survive a plunge into the pool (or be designed to float in the pool with you). Can they withstand the chemicals that might be in the water too?

Pool Speakers Might Be Water Resistant, But They Are Not Infallible

You can find plenty of videos on YouTube that show reviewers unboxing electronics underwater to prove the capabilities of the water-resistant technology. It has created a confidence in these products that is undeserved. Even with a strong IPX8 rating, water can get into electronic items, especially when chlorine might be present.

Now a splash here or a quick drop and recovery there might not be problematic, but consistent exposure to chlorine can be a problem. Your speakers and other electronics have rubber gaskets that keep the water out of the device. The chemicals will degrade that rubber over time, which can eventually cause it to completely fail.

Saltwater has the same effect on rubber that chlorine does. Your pool speakers might be designed to float on the surface of the water, but if you take them out to the ocean or use them daily, you might find that “waterproof” doesn’t mean it is waterproof forever.

One Crack Is All It Takes for Water to Attack

Water is patient. It will attack at the weakest point of your electronic device. It will find whatever cracks or bumps might be in the device. Even if you can’t see the crack in the casing of your pool speakers, the water surrounding the device will find it and destroy the item.

This includes speakers that are designed to be installed in the side walls of a swimming pool.

That isn’t the only safety concern that comes with the use of a pool speaker. Many portable models will place the speaker cable in the water with you. Even if the item is battery-operated, an electrical shock can be a painful experience, especially to a young child. Pool speakers with a direct current running to them can be an electrocution risk if the housing of the speaker becomes compromised for some reason.

What Can I Do to Protect My Investment?

The best thing to do with brand-new pool speakers is to look at the depth ratings that come with the model you wish to purchase. Many speakers have a maximum depth rating. Some may have a minimum depth rating. Then there may be the floating pool speakers that don’t want you to submerge them at all.

A little maintenance on your new pool speakers can be a good thing as well. It is easy to forget about your speakers until they start to malfunction, but that can be a costly mistake for pool speakers. Check your speaker wires, as they tend to be the weakest part of any pool speaker design. Remove the grill and casing to check for debris periodically. Protect them from the elements of weather.

Pool speakers can withstand chlorinated water to a limited extent. Remember to check your rubber gaskets for cracking if you clean it and you’ll be able to maximize the life of your new speakers.