Use of the Stenner pump

[Billrector]

I love this site as I switched over to bleach at the beginning of this year's pool season and have never looked back. Thank you all for all your wonderful help and in the education you have given me on pool chemistry!

I've been reading a lot of posts regarding the Stenner pump and have a question regarding how it is used. I get the concept of using the pump rather than manually adding bleach everyday but question how much work it really saves.

Each morning I test my pool for FC, etc. and each morning, I tend to add a different amount of bleach depending on the weather the day before. I live in Fort Worth, TX where is can get very hot. The last few days have been sunny and over 100 degrees and I have been adding about 1 gallon of bleach a day (approx. 30K gallon). Last week, however, was cooler and much more overcast and I was only adding about 1/3 gallon per day.

Without some form of measurement, I'm assuming everyone has the Stenner pump putting in the same amount of bleach everyday? If your need for bleach varies like mine, don't you still need to test the water daily and make adjustments? Otherwise, wouldn't using the Stenner be the same as me just adding the same amount of bleach manually to my pool everyday without testing?

 

[mikespoolfl]

Just like a SWG making the same amount of chlorine every day the pump injects the same amount of chlorine every day. For me I took a average of what I used in 2 weeks and that’s what I add every day ( 31 ozs.). That keeps me within plus or minus 1.5 ppm of my target.

 

[tim5055]

Remember, for your CYA level you have a range of FC that you need to keep in your pool, just never below the minimum. Now, I have my Stenner hooked up to run anytime the pool pump is running unless I manually override it (there is an on/off switch on the top of the Stenner). I now have it dialed in so that it always floats in the FC range for my CYA level. I thought the same as you, but have found the following happens with my pool.

On cooler days the FC goes up near the top of my range. On warmer days it gets near the minimum. But, funny thing on warm days we tend to spend more time in the pool. When I'm in the pool I override my pump schedule and run it longer as I like the sound of the waterfall when we are in the pool. Running it longer adds more chlorine.

I installed mine June 19th and in that time I have only had to manually add chlorine once. I took my history of chlorine addition and using the pump run time I calculated a injection % which has worked out well.

Work and play takes us away from home regularly from anywhere from a long weekend to 10 days. During those times we may have someone house sit, but they never test or adjust pool chemistry. So far it is where we want it when we get back.

I'm also finding as I have learned my pool a little better I only test every other day for FC & pH. Generally on the weekends I will run a full set of tests (no CYA test). CYA only gets tested when I think it may have moved due to water replacement.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Mike and Tim both gave excellent answers. I have the same experience as them and as Tim said, when we're in the pool more we run the pump more and that adds a little more FC which is needed anyway, so it all works out in the end.