Maintain chlorine after power loss using cal-hypo

[bobjdan]

As hurricane activity is ramping up in the Atllantic, if I lose power for extended time, can I maintain chlorine levels by adding cal-hypo to pool and brushing? I'm no longer using liquid chlorine because of cost and lack of availability. Even if I bought some liquid chlorine and dumped it in pool and brushed, it would go fast in a multiple day outagge. I have suffered multiple day outages in the past, but I was using liquid chlorine at the time when it was cheap and readily available.

power loss, extended power loss, storms, hurricane, tornado, tropikcal storm, cal-hypo, chlorine, maintain chllorine

 

[mgtfp]

As hurricane activity is ramping up in the Atllantic, if I lose power for extended time, can I maintain chlorine levels by adding cal-hypo to pool and brushing? I'm no longer using liquid chlorine because of cost and lack of availability. Even if I bought some liquid chlorine and dumped it in pool and brushed, it would go fast in a multiple day outagge. I have suffered multiple day outages in the past, but I was using liquid chlorine at the time when it was cheap and readily available.

power loss, extended power loss, storms, hurricane, tornado, tropikcal storm, cal-hypo, chlorine, maintain chllorine

Depends on your CH level how long you can maintain that. Keep in mind that with each 10ppm of FC you are also adding about 7.1ppm of CH.

Have a look at this article on how to add cal hypo and some safety precautions:

Calcium Hypochlorite - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

When you say you are not using liquid chlorine anymore, how are you usually chlorinating your pool? SWG?

 

[Newdude]

Without a SWG the only thing that changes with a power loss is the lack of circulation. No matter what kind of chlorine you add needs to be brushed around, but the chlorine demand is whatever it had recently been.

 

[bobjdan]

I'm using cal-hypo 63% to maintain my pool. When I say chlorine is expensive, at Home Depot where I normally buy chlorine, its is $24.98 for 3 128 oz. jugs a around 8%. Before the chlorine shorrage it was $7-8. I read 2 other thereads about using cal-hypo and some of the sggestions are not practical e.g. mix it in a 5 gallon bucket until it disolves , brush it, vacuum pool afterwards, etc. As a daily chore I doubt they have tried it. The insturctions that come with the cal-hypo says to mix with water or add to skimmer. My sand filter doesn't seem to care and my chloine levels don't seem to vary dayh to day either.

I understanbd the CH problem, but my liner is due for replacement soon, probably after chlorine gets reasonable again. At the HD price, it would cost me close to $40-50./week depending on CYA level so even at $275 fot 50 lbs of the cal-hypo is a lot cheaper. Should have switched to salt last year but at 82 I'm not sure how long I can live here. My biggest concern about the CH is what it may do to my pool heater andhow long before it clogs something up. Fortunately with the abnmomrally high consistent temperature andreduced pool use it dosn't run as much as previous years.

 

[mgtfp]

As a daily chore I doubt they have tried it.

That's because it's not intended as a daily chore because of the side effects that you have listed.

You don't have many options when power is out. Brushing chlorine in is probably your only option. Up to you to use cal hypo, as long as you are aware of the consequences.

 

[Newdude]

I'm using cal-hypo 63% to maintain my pool.

So continue as you would if the power goes out, but dump it in the pool and brush well.

If you were to stumble upon reasonably priced liquid chlorine, dump that in the pool without power and brush well.