Cal-Hypo

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bobjdan

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Aug 5, 2009
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Raleigh, NC
Pool Size
25000
Surface
Vinyl
Because of the recent scarcity and high cost of liquid chlorine I have been using cal-hypo for the last two years. I looked into converting to salt, but for various reasons decided not to. The only problem I had was the residue left from the filler even when I mixed it with water. I see now that it is available at Home Depot but is still expensive. In looking for cal-hypo I came across a product at Ace Hardware I had not seen before, Clor Mor, Calcium Hypochlorite 3" Tablets 55 lb for $300.

If it were safe to add to the deep end skimmer, I suppose that would solve the residue problem, but I’m not sure how easy it would be to control the chlorine levels. I could always supplement with powdered cal-hypo that I already have if necessary.

Thanks in advance for any advice or comments.
 
bobjdan said:
Because of the recent scarcity and high cost of liquid chlorine I have been using cal-hypo for the last two years. I looked into converting to salt, but for various reasons decided not to. The only problem I had was the residue left from the filler even when I mixed it with water. I see now that it is available at Home Depot but is still expensive. In looking for cal-hypo I came across a product at Ace Hardware I had not seen before, Clor Mor, Calcium Hypochlorite 3" Tablets 55 lb for $300.

If it were safe to add to the deep end skimmer, I suppose that would solve the residue problem, but I’m not sure how easy it would be to control the chlorine levels. I could always supplement with powdered cal-hypo that I already have if necessary.

Thanks in advance for any advice or comments.
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How high is your calcium level now? Calhypo is not long term sustainable chlorine source as the calcium builds up over time and will cause scaling.
 
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mknauss said:
We do not recommend putting tablets of any form into the skimmer.

Get a proper cal hypo tablet feeder installed if you are going to use them. They are not cheap.
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I currently have a chlorine tab feeder in line that was installed before I everf heard of TFP that I haven't used in years and it never worked very well. It was still a matter of adjusting the dial so what is the diffeence of putting 3" pucks in the skimmer and figure out the usage rate? When I went out of town for up to 7 or 8 days I put those (I guess Trichlor Pucks abuot 1/day) stacked in the skimmer and always have enough chlorine in the pool when I get home and it doesn't seem to raise CYA near as much as I thought it would. Since I usually keep CYA around 40 and I always have to add some CYA eventually due to ? and it's easy to tell its's low when I start having to add more cal-hypo than normal.
Bperry said:
How high is your calcium level now? Calhypo is not long term sustainable chlorine source as the calcium builds up over time and will cause scaling.
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I don't know now. Pool is still covered so I haven't checked anyting yet. Water tempeatue was still around 55 but its supposed to start warming up next week so I'll have to bite the bullet.
 
bobjdan said:
I currently have a chlorine tab feeder in line that was installed before I everf heard of TFP that I haven't used in years and it never worked very well. It was still a matter of adjusting the dial so what is the diffeence of putting 3" pucks in the skimmer
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Putting things like pucks in the skimmer allows acidic “puck juice” to get sucked straight into your pump, heater etc which can corrode those faster than normal. If you turn your pump off during the day, the skimmer will let a big load of that to get right into your equipment.

It’s not as bad if you run the pump 24x7 but still not good practice to put stuff in the skimmer.
 
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mknauss said:
DO NOT USE THAT FOR CAL HYPO! An explosion will likely occur. You would need a new and completely different feeder for Cal Hypo.
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Thanks for the info. I had read the info about not using the chlorine feeder elsewhere when looking for info on the cal-hypo pucks. I'l look into the cal-hypo puck feeder. I didn't know cal-hypo pucks existed until Monday. One of the other problems with the chlorine feeder, at least the one the pool company sold me, is getting the cover off the feeder. It always wanted to stick because of the rubber gasket so I always had to have a spare on hand or I was screwed. That is why I quit using it after learning about TFP and had to drain half the water out of the pool to get of >100 CYA.

Regarding "Putting things like pucks in the skimmer allows acidic “puck juice” do you think it much of a problem a few times/year? The alternative is to hire someone to come over every day to check and add chlorine of bother the only neighbor I have who I've had do it a few times, but he is often gone.
 
Bobjdan: I'm trying to understand the problem you cite when using Cal-Hypo. What do you mean by "residue left from the filler even when I mixed it with water"?
I use 70 or 73 Cal-Hypo (and liquid CL also) to SLAM....and then turn on the SWG after passing SLAM and the FC level drops.
When adding the Cal Hypo, I add 1/2 pound in 5 gallon bucket H2O, stir it a fo good 3-4 four minutes...pour in half, refill the bucket...do it again.... pour into the deep end, then I brush for a while and do the second pound.

I'm also trying to get my CH level up a bit this year, lots of rain this winter.

I'm wondering: why did you not decide to buy SWG...especially as the prices for Salt seem to be stable, but Muritatic Acid and Liquid CL are indeed skyrocketing.
I have found SWG with Nautilus Pool Vac is really "trouble-free". I travel a bit, and my wife just needs to make sure the skimmer baskets are clean when I'm gone for 3-5 days. Easy peezy.
 
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mmcwhorter said:
Bobjdan: I'm trying to understand the problem you cite when using Cal-Hypo. What do you mean by "residue left from the filler even when I mixed it with water"?
I use 70 or 73 Cal-Hypo (and liquid CL also) to SLAM....and then turn on the SWG after passing SLAM and the FC level drops.
When adding the Cal Hypo, I add 1/2 pound in 5 gallon bucket H2O, stir it a fo good 3-4 four minutes...pour in half, refill the bucket...do it again.... pour into the deep end, then I brush for a while and do the second pound.

I'm also trying to get my CH level up a bit this year, lots of rain this winter.

I'm wondering: why did you not decide to buy SWG...especially as the prices for Salt seem to be stable, but Muritatic Acid and Liquid CL are indeed skyrocketing.
I have found SWG with Nautilus Pool Vac is really "trouble-free". I travel a bit, and my wife just needs to make sure the skimmer baskets are clean when I'm gone for 3-5 days. Easy peezy.
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Converting to salt is not exactly cheap, It's payoff is several years, it's something else I have to take care of, and I'm 83 years old living alone and not sure how long I will live here . The local pool company I deal with quoted me a price for a Haward system that from what I read was underpowered. I even thought of buying a system and insalling it myself, but my pipe configuration made it look tricky for me to do. Then there was the electrian, all the salt that had to be toted from front to back, finding somebody reliable to install it etc..

For someone with a SWG it sounds like you have plenty to do to maintain your pool. Why do you also need to use cal-hypo and how often do you use it? Your method of adding the cal-hypo sounds time consuming, especially if done daily. With a CYA of 40 I usually need to add about 20 ounces to keep it close to 7 ppm daily or 2 out of 3 days. I only had to slam the pool once all year and add muriatic acid periodically. I never bought any chlorine all year. Vacuing that residue up is the biggest problem, especially if I let it go too long. The liner is getting stained from the iron in my well water and chlorine bleaching is apparant because of my lack of brusing. I don't use the pool that much now and have few occasions for outsiders to use it,

My main goal is to keep it clear of algae and the other chemicals needed to maintan it for use at the cheapest cost with the least amount of time necessary.

Thanks.
 

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bobjdan said:
The local pool company I deal with quoted me a price for a Haward system that from what I read was underpowered
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They cost a fraction to upgrade of the lifespan gained. The biggest part of cost is getting in the game. For example, the electric hook up, it's the same no matter how large the SWG is. The 60k cell is 20% more than the 40k cell for 50% longer life, and the same install costs.
bobjdan said:
For someone with a SWG it sounds like you have plenty to do to maintain your pool.
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4 to 8 times a season I need to make *1* click on the unit. The last 2 years I got 10 weeks on the summer adjustment.

In the spring we need to rebalance the salt if any rain diluted it over the winter. With a 34k pool I need six $8 bags or so. Then one or two times over the season, I'll need to toss in another bag. (Rain depending).

Other than that, it's EZPZ and the only way to go.
bobjdan said:
cheapest cost
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The SWG pays back about 2:1 for the first one including install costs for most folks. Replacement cells get 4X+. But that doesn't always make the funds to convert readily available, no matter how well the math works.
 
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Agree with Newdude.....My pool is very low maintenance after startup: I recall paying about $1000 for the IC-40 installed. It's not underpowered for sure. I get that it can be difficult to move the salt. I also have a whole house water softener, so same there, 40-pound bags for both. I just bought 7 bags of Pool Salt at Wal-Mart for start up this year, added 4 bags to the pool thus far. I'm a little younger than you. God Bless. Rarely add salt after start-up. I only use about 5-6 pounds of CAL HYPO to SLAM at start up. Then no more all season. This week is for the SLAM....Then it's SWG for the whole season from March-October. Once SWG is running...I rarely use any CL of any kind once SLAM is done and the SWG is pretty reliable. As you say: I only add Muritaic Acid here and there... I'll kick the SWG to Boost Mode when leaving for 3-4 day biz trip and makes sure the NautilusCC Plus vac filters are clean, set to run every other day usually. My wife just cleans the leaves from the skimmers. I come back and FC = 7-9 typically, the pool is clear. All I check is pH. My Pentair IC-40 is 8 years old and going strong. I remove it and clean it every year. I will be installing it on Saturday for this year's season. So, IMHO: having an SWG and the Pentail Nautilus CC Vac...it's Trouble-free if you SLAM at startup. 5-6 years in a row, it works.
 
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mknauss said:
DO NOT USE THAT FOR CAL HYPO! An explosion will likely occur. You would need a new and completely different feeder for Cal Hypo.
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Good to know! Thanks for the warning!

I am obligated to have a feeder for my school pool, and the thought of using cal-hypo in it did cross my mind. I will not entertain it anymore.
 
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