Chlorinator Chems Mixed

[Lineman85]

That's what we figured. We see it here from time to time. But thank goodness no one was nearby. As you can see, mixing some chemicals is extremely dangerous. But stick around and let us help you understand how to manage your pool. All you need is a proper test kit and some basic knowledge like the link below.

By the way, not sure what type of equipment you have since your signature is not updated. But if you have a sand or DE filter with a mulitport valve, you can run it on recirculate to keep water moving. Stop using any tabs and just use liquid chlorine. Less side effects anyway.

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How do you clean up a mess like this once it happens?

I just made the same mistake, and don't know what to do to clean it up

 

[Lineman85]

So I accidentally made the mistake of mixing chlorine tabs and shock together in the tower.

This obviously caused an explosion.

Question is, how do I clean it up safely and without more issues?

 

[Texas Splash]

We moved your post from HERE to your own thread since your situation may vary slightly. Please tell us exactly what chemicals were mixed, if they were in a chlorinator, and if it actually exploded or you are just trying to clean things up before something gets worse.

 

[Texas Splash]

Never mind. I see you had a couple posts out there so we combined them. Hose everything off thoroughly. Use plenty of water to flush out the tab feeder and any product spilled in the area. You'll need to repair (or just cut out and remove) the tab feeder so that you can operate the system again.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Hopefully everyone is okay and there is no significant damage to the plumbing.

I mean this is the best possible way, but hopefully the feeder is damaged to the point you can't use it again. The solid forms of chlorine that blew up the chlorinator are not recommended for sustained use. Remove the chlorinator and use liquid chlorine or invest in a saltwater chlorine generator. Check out some of the articles here. Pool Care Basics

This stuff can be pretty dangerous...

Calcium Hypochlorite - Further Reading

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Best wishes!

 

[Lineman85]

Never mind. I see you had a couple posts out there so we combined them. Hose everything off thoroughly. Use plenty of water to flush out the tab feeder and any product spilled in the area. You'll need to repair (or just cut out and remove) the tab feeder so that you can operate the system again.

Ok.

I wasn't sure if I could spray it all down with water or not, since there was some water inside the tower when my dumb self mixed them together, causing the boom.

I will hose that all off and replace or by pass the chlorinator.

 

[Lineman85]

Hopefully everyone is okay and there is no significant damage to the plumbing.

I mean this is the best possible way, but hopefully the feeder is damaged to the point you can't use it again. The solid forms of chlorine that blew up the chlorinator are not recommended for sustained use. Remove the chlorinator and use liquid chlorine or invest in a saltwater chlorine generator. Check out some of the articles here. Pool Care Basics

This stuff can be pretty dangerous...

Calcium Hypochlorite - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Best wishes!

Everyone is good. Heard the hissing, then ran away.

Just hoping to clean it all off and start fresh again. No more chlorinator towers.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You are extremely lucky. Not only was there an explosion from the heat and gas generated but there was also a significant amount of chlorine gas (Cl2) formed which is highly toxic and explosive and can cause severe pulmonary damage if inhaled.

I suggest spray water from a good distance with eye safety glasses on and NO EXPOSED skin. You have no way of knowing how much active chemical is left and you want to dilute it as much as possible.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Everyone is good. Heard the hissing, then ran away.

Just hoping to clean it all off and start fresh again. No more chlorinator towers.

Glad you got out of there safely.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You should also throw all the circuit breakers to that equipment and hose down the side of the house and any metal conduits running to and from the pad. The chemical residues there (all the white stuff) are highly corrosive and will cause rust to form on any exposed metal parts.

 

[JamesW]

 

[JamesW]

The reaction of an isocyanurate with hypochlorite can result in rapid formation of nitrogen trichloride, which at high enough concentrations will combust spontaneously with great violence.

https://www.taylortechnologies.com/en/page/123/whats-best-for-a-spa-chlorine-or-bromine

 

[JamesW]

I would estimate the primary reaction as below.

3Ca(OCl)₂ + C₃Cl₃N₃O₃ --> 3NCl₃ + 3CaCO₃

Calcium hypochlorite + trichlor --> nitrogen trichloride (aka trichloramine) + calcium carbonate.

The explosion happens when the chlorine oxidizes the nitrogen, which releases a lot of energy.

The explosion reaction produces nitrogen gas and chlorine gas.

2NCl₃ --> N₂ + 3Cl₂

 

[JamesW]

 

[Lineman85]

So I spent a solid 20+ minutes after a hard rain storm flooding the area with water to flush everything out and away.

All that remains is 2 or 3 partial tablets of chlorine, but I believe all the shock is gone.

First glance appears nothing else was damaged, and I'm just going to by pass that chlorinator tower tomorrow to get everything turned back on to make sure no mechanical parts were damaged.

Got lucky, and a very valuable lesson learned.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[JamesW]

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