Recommended? Or Not?
The price is great, and they have good reviews, but I wanted to ask here!
The price is great, and they have good reviews, but I wanted to ask here!
Doheny Tri-chlor toabs?
- Thread starter Eddd
- Start date
- May 23, 2015
- 24,380
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
TFP does not recommend the long-term use of tri-chlor tabs. For every 10ppm FC added to your pool water, trichlor will add 6ppm CYA. Long term use eventually leads to over-stabilization of the pool water which results in an ever decreasing active chlorine level (hypochlorous acid). Once your active chlorine level drops too low, algae and bacteria can grow rapidly. The best chlorinating compound to use in your pool is plain, old, unscented bleach. Everything else just adds things you do not want to add to your water.
Trichlor tabs are only good for when you must be away from your pool for an extended period of time (business or personal trips). But in order to use them effectively, you need to manage your pool water yourself and test regularly to keep your water chemistry balanced. So save the money you'd spend on a big bucket of tabs and buy a good test kit instead. A good test kit is a true investment in your pool that will save you hundreds of dollars each season in the long run.
Trichlor tabs are only good for when you must be away from your pool for an extended period of time (business or personal trips). But in order to use them effectively, you need to manage your pool water yourself and test regularly to keep your water chemistry balanced. So save the money you'd spend on a big bucket of tabs and buy a good test kit instead. A good test kit is a true investment in your pool that will save you hundreds of dollars each season in the long run.
I should have clarified since my signature is not updated -- I have a SWG, but in the winter time I plan to sanitize with a combo of bleach and my auto-puck feeder thing.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,380
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Yeah, I saw something about an SWG in the signature after I posted my response.
As long as you are careful not to let the CYA get too high and to manage your water's stabilizer level, there's certainly nothing wrong with using pucks. They are quite acidic and will lower both the pH and TA. People that use pucks all the time and without testing often wander into to TFP asking why their pH test shows yellow even after adding pH-UP chemicals. When they check their TA, they see that it is basically 0 and their pH has crashed as a result of continuos trichlor use. So, as you can imagine, using trichlor does come with the cost of additional water management.
Honestly speaking, I have no use for pucks. I keep my pool running all winter and when the temperatures drop below the point at which the SWG will work, I simply use bleach (and very little of it) to chlorinate. I've never had any need for anything else.
As long as you are careful not to let the CYA get too high and to manage your water's stabilizer level, there's certainly nothing wrong with using pucks. They are quite acidic and will lower both the pH and TA. People that use pucks all the time and without testing often wander into to TFP asking why their pH test shows yellow even after adding pH-UP chemicals. When they check their TA, they see that it is basically 0 and their pH has crashed as a result of continuos trichlor use. So, as you can imagine, using trichlor does come with the cost of additional water management.
Honestly speaking, I have no use for pucks. I keep my pool running all winter and when the temperatures drop below the point at which the SWG will work, I simply use bleach (and very little of it) to chlorinate. I've never had any need for anything else.
Thanks for the replies!
I will be testing frequently! I agree that bleach is the way to go, but if I am traveling for work, my wife does not want to mess with it. I may do a combo, I'll figure it out. Just wasn't sure if these Doheny tabs were inferior to others. They are likely similar to others, so might as well save a few bucks.
I will be testing frequently! I agree that bleach is the way to go, but if I am traveling for work, my wife does not want to mess with it. I may do a combo, I'll figure it out. Just wasn't sure if these Doheny tabs were inferior to others. They are likely similar to others, so might as well save a few bucks.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,380
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Well, let us know how they work out for you.
The biggest variation with tabs would be if they were not 99% trichlor (some manufactures add lots of other junk) OR if the manufacturing of them is sub-standard in terms of compression and density. A well manufactured 3" trichlor tab should weigh approximately 7 to 8 oz per tab and should dissolve slowly. If I go by the tabs I used to have, it would take a good 7 days for three 3" tablets of trichlor to dissolve in my cold winter pool water (yes, at one time I was not properly educated and I used trichlor tablets....I paid for my ignorance with a 50% water drain or ~ 8000 gallons of very expensive Tucson municipal water). If the tablets you get seem to dissolve very quickly or weigh less than 7 ounces/tablet, then I would say they are probably cheaply manufactured.
The biggest variation with tabs would be if they were not 99% trichlor (some manufactures add lots of other junk) OR if the manufacturing of them is sub-standard in terms of compression and density. A well manufactured 3" trichlor tab should weigh approximately 7 to 8 oz per tab and should dissolve slowly. If I go by the tabs I used to have, it would take a good 7 days for three 3" tablets of trichlor to dissolve in my cold winter pool water (yes, at one time I was not properly educated and I used trichlor tablets....I paid for my ignorance with a 50% water drain or ~ 8000 gallons of very expensive Tucson municipal water). If the tablets you get seem to dissolve very quickly or weigh less than 7 ounces/tablet, then I would say they are probably cheaply manufactured.
Tab quality almost always comes down to percentage of trichlor. They appear to be 99% with no surprises so they should be perfectly fine. Avoid tablets that have any ingredients aside of trichlor, such as zinc, copper, or clarifiers.
You might be surprised at how little chlorine you'll need to add during the cold months.
