Chlorine

[doobs41378]

I have a 27 ft pool that holds approximately 16,000 gallons of water. I just replaced the liner and so the water is fresh. I went to the store and the pool guy suggested I put 2 tablets in a floating device and that should be good for the week. I did that yesterday and today all my levels are low according to my little test strip. What advice do you have for me to get levels up. The water looks great and the pump is running but my chemicals just are not there. THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

[Backglass]

You can put them in the skimmer while the pump is running to dissolve them faster, but the quickest way to get your chlorine levels up is to use 6% liquid chlorine (aka...Bleach!).

Download the calculator Bleachcalc in my signature to figure the correct amounts.

[mamcwifey]

You can put them in the skimmer while the pump is running to dissolve them faster, but the quickest way to get your chlorine levels up is to use 6% liquid chlorine (aka...Bleach!).

Download the calculator Bleachcalc in my signature to figure the correct amounts.

Back-
Don't you think that putting the Cl into the skimmer will eat away the insides of the filter/pump? I used to work at a pool store and, have seen several gaskets, o-rings, and plastic parts ripped to shreads from this.

[Backglass]

You can put them in the skimmer while the pump is running to dissolve them faster, but the quickest way to get your chlorine levels up is to use 6% liquid chlorine (aka...Bleach!).

Download the calculator Bleachcalc in my signature to figure the correct amounts.

Back-
Don't you think that putting the Cl into the skimmer will eat away the insides of the filter/pump? I used to work at a pool store and, have seen several gaskets, o-rings, and plastic parts ripped to shreads from this.

Yes & No. The mistake people make is leaving the pucks in the skimmer 24/7. When the pump shuts off, the pucks continue to dissolve and super saturate the water. This is when things get eaten. As long as the pump is running however the concentrations don't have a chance to rise above normal. I always try to emphasize that you should only do that if you plan on keeping your pump running continously...like during spring startup.

[Cheri]

Actually, putting the tabs in the skimmer is bad for the seals, springs, o-rings and gaskets. The best thing to do is buy an in-line chlorinator (recommend Hayward CL-200) on the return side of your filter.

To bring the chlorine up, you need to use a 99% di-chlor. Omni makes a product called BreakOut 60 which works really well. This is usually used for startups and winterizing. It is fast acting and disolves before it hits the bottom of the pool. The cost is about $35 for 5# and the 5# should be all you need for initial startup. Then you can use the tablets and/or regualr granular (or shock, its the same thing - 68% calcium hypoclorite).

As far as the floater goes.... you will only have chlorine where the floater is. They are not very efficient.

[chem geek]

See this thread for an explanation of why having Trichlor pucks in the skimmer is OK if the pump is always running. Of course, one cannot guarantee there won't be a power outage, but for sure putting them in the skimmer when the pump is not running is not a good idea. There are some special types of Trichlor sticks, BioGuard Smart Sticks (see this link), that are supposedly designed to not dissolve unless there is water flow and are specifically made to be put into the skimmer.

As for Dichlor, realize that Dichlor adds even more CYA to the pool than Trichlor. For every 1 ppm FC added from Dichlor, you also get 0.9 ppm CYA. Compare this with Trichlor where for every 1 ppm FC for Trichlor you get 0.6 ppm CYA.

So I would only use Dichlor if you intentionally want to increase CYA and want to do so using a convenient fast-dissolving substance since CYA by itself takes a very long time to dissolve.

As for the floating feeder, they are fine when the pump is running because the circulation in the pool will disperse the chlorine from the feeder around the pool. Yes, an inline chlorinator is the best for dispersion since it goes out to all returns, but a floating feeder works fine. One just has to be careful that the floating feeder doesn't park itself in one place, especially not near a vinyl pool edge nor near stainless steel. When I used to use Trichlor (before I figured out pool water chemistry), my floating feeder with Trichlor rusted some stainless steel bars in the pool where the feeder would park itself. Dumb, dumb dumb, but that's part of what got me started with figuring this stuff out.

Richard

[Backglass]

To bring the chlorine up, you need to use a 99% di-chlor.

To bring the chlorine up, you need to use CHLORINE. No matter the style. Bleach is chlorine with no additives.

Omni makes a product called BreakOut 60 which works really well. This is usually used for startups and winterizing. It is fast acting and disolves before it hits the bottom of the pool. The cost is about $35 for 5# and the 5# should be all you need for initial startup.

These will also add CYA which can be a problem if your levels are already high.

Then you can use the tablets and/or regualr granular (or shock, its the same thing - 68% calcium hypoclorite).

Or bleach for 1/4 the price.

As far as the floater goes.... you will only have chlorine where the floater is. They are not very efficient.

Unless of course, you have a pump running which will circulate that chlorine.