My $25 auto chlorinator DIY project

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I have a PWM sitting around from another project, so that's an option.

Once you start getting into transformers, PWM's, an enclosure for it all, etc etc it does start to drift outside the boundaries for a lot of handymen, though. ;) If you're comfortable with wiring and such and don't mind sourcing all the parts etc it certainly has a LOT of potential to be a much better setup vs what I'm using now, but the complication factor is higher. Even at $25 for the pump, and IIRC I paid about $15 for the PWM, an enclosure, wiring, etc.. one is in for about $50 - more than double my investment - and mine is a 110v plug and play situation. ;)

If this one craps out that will be my next option and I'll certainly do a writeup on it as well for anyone interested.
 
Here is my 2 cents. Cool idea. Maybe you could mix water with the bleach to prolong the pump? Or how about fill the bleach tank with plain water and allow the pump to pump the water than after the pump (between the pump and the skimmer) have the bleach tank siphon in after the pump. So you would need a T after the pump with a one way check valve leading to the bleach tank. Then the bleach goes to the pool without running through your pump. Also a cheap 12V power supply to run a peristalic pump is an old computer power supply all the yellow wires provide 12 volts DC.
 
The system was still working great up until about two weeks ago, at which point the weather changed very dramatically temperature wise (cooler) and the system was overdosing the pool at its current settings based on a suddenly extremely reduced chlorine demand.

Ironically, instead of taking the bit of time to reprogram the timer, I just unplugged the system and relied on manual dosing for the next week – which promptly bit me in the Rear when I let my chlorine levels get too low one day and I had an algae bloom. It took about 5 days to clear that up.

I will check the pump tonight and make sure that everything is still functional though, for the record – there has been chlorine sitting in the pump since the day I deactivated it so it should be a good test.
 
yeah..I'd be curious as to how long this pump will last you as well. I have two saltwater reef tanks at work, and setup some ATO's (auto top offs) using the Aqualifter. Pumping just RO/DI water into the tanks when needed. They lasted about 6 months pumping just plain old water. I hope they last longer for you.
 
I think the peristaltic pump mentioned is a dc brush motor and a cheap one. The brushes will be shot in no time. The good thing about a dc motor though is the speed is proportional to the voltage and the torgue should be constant down to about 5% rated speed or voltage.
 
My pool is closed for the winter now, so unfortunately I don't have a whole lot to share. A quick test showed it was working still up until the day I closed the pool about a month back, but I hadn't actually used it to dose the pool for probably a month before that since my Chlorine demand had dropped to so little that I just manually dosed the pool in the evenings after spending an hour taking all the leaves out of it. ;)
 
I received several PMs and a few other inquiries about this project throughout the winter so I thought I would bump the post up and let everybody know that was interested that I am going to follow up. Since I am in Canada my pool has been closed for quite some time however I am hoping to get it open this weekend, at which point I will let everybody know if the pump survived the winter (and chlorine) or not. Ironically I forgot to put the pump away inside the house for the winter (much less even flush it out with freshwater for that matter) so it will be interesting to see how it fared.

If the diaphragm didn't survive I will pick up a replacement at the aquarium store ASAP and then put it back in service....I'll then update the thread regularly with my results as the first full summer of using it progresses.
 
I'm doing pool maintenance today and finally got around to plugging in the pump – I'm pleased to report that after sitting frozen in the snow and ice all winter, without even as much as having been drained of residual chlorine (as mentioned in my previous post), it fired up and is working absolutely perfectly!

I'd have to say that this is a glowing confirmation that the unit is indeed chlorine tolerant internally, and the weather doesn't seem to bother it at all either.

I have to buy a new timer for it this year as the previous one didn't appreciate the humidity this spring and seems to have gone wonky, but aside from that it's looking like this little set up will serve me well again this summer!

I've been considering buying a WeMo remote control versus a timer for this season. Google "Wemo" if you don't know what those are, but basically it is an Internet connected remote control switch that not only allows you to turn it on and off anywhere in the world via your smart phone, but also adds a lot of automation possibilities via its built-in app, or third-party automation sites like IFTT (If This Then That, IFTT.com). I already have my pool pump and solar controls set up on a WeMo Insight that allows me to not only monitor it's on or off Status (and sends me alerts on my iPhone when my pump is commanded on or off via the solar automation controller), however it also tabulates my daily energy costs etc.

Having the chlorine pump on a WeMo would allow me to not only control it's on or off cycles at various points for the day in as little as one minute intervals, however it would also allow me to control it manually from my phone if we went away for a few days on vacation.
 

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thanks for doing this project, looks like a great idea especially considering the pump can be had for $16.

What do you think about using an injection fitting and one way check valve from a rola-chem Peristaltic Pump to inject directly into the return line?




PrivatePilot said:
I'm doing pool maintenance today and finally got around to plugging in the pump – I'm pleased to report that after sitting frozen in the snow and ice all winter, without even as much as having been drained of residual chlorine (as mentioned in my previous post), it fired up and is working absolutely perfectly!

I'd have to say that this is a glowing confirmation that the unit is indeed chlorine tolerant internally, and the weather doesn't seem to bother it at all either.

I have to buy a new timer for it this year as the previous one didn't appreciate the humidity this spring and seems to have gone wonky, but aside from that it's looking like this little set up will serve me well again this summer!

I've been considering buying a WeMo remote control versus a timer for this season. Google "Wemo" if you don't know what those are, but basically it is an Internet connected remote control switch that not only allows you to turn it on and off anywhere in the world via your smart phone, but also adds a lot of automation possibilities via its built-in app, or third-party automation sites like IFTT (If This Then That, IFTT.com). I already have my pool pump and solar controls set up on a WeMo Insight that allows me to not only monitor it's on or off Status (and sends me alerts on my iPhone when my pump is commanded on or off via the solar automation controller), however it also tabulates my daily energy costs etc.

Having the chlorine pump on a WeMo would allow me to not only control it's on or off cycles at various points for the day in as little as one minute intervals, however it would also allow me to control it manually from my phone if we went away for a few days on vacation.
Click to expand...
 
heavyzee said:
What do you think about using an injection fitting and one way check valve from a rola-chem Peristaltic Pump to inject directly into the return line?
Click to expand...

I think it sounds waaaaay more expensive. ;)

I had considered a peristaltic pump option but the costs were very high comparatively. I also wasn't sure if some of the cheaper options would be able to overcome the significant pressure on the return lines and actually manage to inject successfully.

Injecting directly into the skimmer ( zero pressure) and just coordinating the timing so that the pump was running when the chlorine pump was also injecting seemed much simpler.
 
I bought a Stenner Peristaltic pump... But I got it brand new for $100 delivered... :) The only reason I grabbed it, was because it was less than a third of the price $290 + delivery, and it happened to be on an Australian website, otherwise I would have gone with the aquarium pump like yours... A very inspired idea... :)
 
I have been using a similar system on my hot tub for over a year now. I have been in the saltwater reef tank hobby for quite some time, and automation is all the rage in reef tanks.
So I thought, why cant some of that tech be used for a hot tub or a pool ? Just have the corrosive bleach to deal with instead of kalkwasser as a reef tank would generally use.
I have been using this pump on my hot tub for over a year now ...................and the same pumps on my reef tanks for years ........ trouble free.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-drew-s-doser-peristaltic-dosing-pump.html

EDIT : I have since switched to this design ...........
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-2-part-doser-1-1-ml-per-minute.html

Seems to hold up to bleach better . Been going strong for several years now.

It has been working fantastic dosing 8% bleach in my hot tub with no problems for over a year (winter too since we use our hot tub 365 !) . Still going strong on the original tubing set and tubing. Its a 4 roller design that cant back siphon by design . In my hot tub I only need to dose approx 1/2 cup of bleach daily, so it works for that application.

I am currently trying to set up an automated chlorine bleach dosing system for my 25,000 gallon in ground pool. I was thinking of just getting a "Liquidator" , but I am still researching the peristaltic pump idea too. Not sure which way to go. I have no easy way to get the chlorine bleach back to the pool other than trying to tap into the filter plumbing somewhere. Anyone have any ideas how the chlorine bleach return line can be tied into the pool plumbing system easily ? I have a in ground pool so I can not just run it to the strainer basket. I would think I would need to inject the chlorine before the pump so it help draw in the bleach and to keep the chlorine tubing on the non pressurized side of the pump/filter. I just worry about degrading the pump with the chlorine ?

Anyway ...............thanks for the ideas on ways to DIY a chlorinater on a pool. Glad its working out for you !!!
 
Was just curious now that we're in the middle of summer if your pump is still functioning well? I'm seriously considering this since I have the means of plumbing a small line directly to my skimmer. Just curious. Thanks!
 
We've had a very abnormal summer from a temperature standpoint and as a result our pool usage has been very sporadic and unpredictable. Accordingly it has been very difficult to predict chlorine consumption with any regularity, so I haven't actually used the system a lot, opting to dose manually unfortunately. Some days we use a lot, some days little.
 
I was just wondering if you had resurected this little project this year, or not...
I just ordered one of these pumps, and a programable timer to do this same thing.
 
Still working, just haven't used it yet this year as the weather has been so off the wall (hot and humid for a day or so, then cool and rainy, then sunny but cool) that the pool usage hasn't been consistent, therefore it's been hard to go with a consistent dosage schedule as consumption is all over the place. Looking at my last post from about a year back....we're having an ironically similar summer again this year, and it's sucking already.

I think I'll start it up again and set it to absolute minimums so that at least chlorine levels remain minimal if I happen to be late (or miss) my manual liquid daily dose.
 
Here is a variation I am working on for use just when I go on vacation for a week:

View attachment 39313

I just used on $16 solenoid valve mounted on the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket (with lid). The weight of the chlorine pushes it down into the valve and then a tube will deliver the chlorine to the pool. Using 1/4" tubing it delivers 64 Oz in three minutes of operation which turns out to be my current requirement. I am interfacing the valve to my Easy Touch 8 via an external 12 VDC wall wart power supply and another power relay connected to AUX 4. I only completed this today and have only tested with water so far. The solenoid company said it would stand up to bleach for a short time (couple of weeks) then I should take it apart and clean it. Will report when I fully install it.

View attachment 39315
 
gary300

2 things that come to mind right away with your setup...

1- as the chlorine gets depleted, there is less weight pushing ergo, less going into the pool at a set time frame.
2- with the container being air/liquid tight, as the chlorine level gets lower, how do you replace the volume with air? ... if you don't, the valve opening will allow air back through to equalize the effect of the vacuum left from the liquid draining out, and you are going to end up with the valve acting in a "gulping" (for lack of a better term) ... liquid out, air back in to compensate for the pressure difference. ... in my mind, I couldn't work out what the timing would be for it.
 

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