Hanna Industries BL100 pH controller and dosing pump

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kma_97

Active member
Jul 16, 2022
42
California
Hi All,

Does anyone have any experience with this controller/pump? Do you like/dislike it? How often do you need to replace the peristaltic pump tubing (or any other parts/components)?

Also, what do you use/recommend as an acid container?

Thank you!
 
I think you saw my original post:

New Acid Pump/Ph Controller

My pool has in-floor cleaning, SWG and a Solaxx acid dosing system, so it is as close to "maintenance free" as one can get. Untill...my Solaxx acid pump and controller started to go haywire. The peristaltic tube wore out, rollers got weak and the duckbill valve started to leak. Well...Solaxx...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

I now replace the pump peristaltic tubing annually. That functions as a check valve and when it gets too stretched out, acid can go into the pool. You'll know because the pH drops. So I replace that annually along with the rollers. The Ph probes last about a year and you can recalibrate them with their pH solutions and get about another year. I replaced the tank and injector tubing along with the injector valve at the 3 year mark.

There are a lot of containers if I recall. I reused my old Solax one, but I recall seeing lots of 5 gallon (thats all you need) in both clear (better IMO because you can see the level) or black (if you are in direct sun).

All in all - it is no way "maintenance free" (but what pool is?) but it definitely eliminated the scale buildup on my glass tiles caused by the pH drifting up from my SWG.
.
 
I didn’t, but thank you for the link! I am trying to solve the ph/chlorine issue for my ~700 gal fountain. Pain in the … to keep the water balanced… pH goes rises pretty quickly… Have to adjust every 3-4 days…
 
I installed one of these last year and it worked great. The measurements matched my Taylor kit every time and it balanced the water perfectly once I got the settings dialed in. I use a Rola-Chem 5ga bucket with cover and plug (561405 is the part number).

If It helps, I can get my settings and post them here. I am not near the device now, but I did have to tweak the settings to get it just right.
 
I installed the Hanna BL100 this past week and recommend it as well.
PH is spot-on, calibration is easy, my water has never been clearer or more balanced, and my chlorine use has been cut in half.
I did not purchase the optional flow cell as I prefer the PH probe to be directly inserted into the pool pipe.

Using with a Stenner 15 gallon acid tank and connected to one of the Aux relays on my Pentair Easytouch. Programmed to turn on a few minutes after the pump starts in the morning, and turns off a few minutes before the pump stops. Additionally, power to the relay contacts is powered by the output of the pump relay as an additional fail-safe to ensure that the system does not operate unless the pump is running.
The only feature that would make this system complete would be the integration of a flow sensor to prevent the pump running if there is no flow.

Started with trust but verify daily on the PH readings, and now am extending the time out. I started with the On/Off control, but now have switched to proportional control which limits PH overshooting.

All in all a great unit.

Jim
 
jmag999 said:
I installed one of these last year and it worked great. The measurements matched my Taylor kit every time and it balanced the water perfectly once I got the settings dialed in. I use a Rola-Chem 5ga bucket with cover and plug (561405 is the part number).

If It helps, I can get my settings and post them here. I am not near the device now, but I did have to tweak the settings to get it just right.
Click to expand...
I just installed the Hanna BL100 with these settings:
Control: on/off Mode H
pH set point 7.30
Hysteresis 0.15
I keep getting “overtime” alarm. Can you please explain what it means and how to avoid this.
 

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I believe it means that it was unable to bring the PH within range during the time set as overtime. I have my overtime alarm turned off. Here are my settings in case anyone else is interested:

Hanna BL100 Settings
Control: Auto
Control Type: On/Off
Control Mode: Hi
Hysteresis: 0.1
Set Point 7.70
Start Up Delay: 60 seconds
Overtime Alarm: Off
Flow Rate G/H: 0.13
Level Alarm: Disabled
High Alarm: On
High Alarm Value: 8.00
Low Alarm: Disabled
Temperature Unit: F
Flow Rate Unit: G/H
Language: EN

This maintains a perfect 7.6-7.8 range in my pool.
 

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jcourt said:
I installed the Hanna BL100 this past week and recommend it as well.
PH is spot-on, calibration is easy, my water has never been clearer or more balanced, and my chlorine use has been cut in half.
I did not purchase the optional flow cell as I prefer the PH probe to be directly inserted into the pool pipe.

Using with a Stenner 15 gallon acid tank and connected to one of the Aux relays on my Pentair Easytouch. Programmed to turn on a few minutes after the pump starts in the morning, and turns off a few minutes before the pump stops. Additionally, power to the relay contacts is powered by the output of the pump relay as an additional fail-safe to ensure that the system does not operate unless the pump is running.
The only feature that would make this system complete would be the integration of a flow sensor to prevent the pump running if there is no flow.

Started with trust but verify daily on the PH readings, and now am extending the time out. I started with the On/Off control, but now have switched to proportional control which limits PH overshooting.

All in all a great unit.

Jim
Click to expand...
I'm thinking of doing a BL100 with a 7.5 gal stenner tank. How easily did this pair with the stenner tank? Did you drill a single hole for the 1/4 tube and use the stenner cap it comes with for venting? What do you do when the pool is in spa mode? Will it shut off the aux relay for the BL100? Thanks!
 
You could use a stenner tank. I used a Rola-Chem (part number listed above). You just need a small hole to get the tubing through. For the spa mode, I just ran the output of the BL100 to the pool return pipe on my equipment pad, so it always flows into the pool directly (similar to how you would use a chlorinator).

BTW, if you are not in a rush, I have been receiving 15% off sales from Hanna after joining their mailing list.
 
jmag999 said:
You could use a stenner tank. I used a Rola-Chem (part number listed above). You just need a small hole to get the tubing through. For the spa mode, I just ran the output of the BL100 to the pool return pipe on my equipment pad, so it always flows into the pool directly (similar to how you would use a chlorinator).

BTW, if you are not in a rush, I have been receiving 15% off sales from Hanna after joining their mailing list.
Click to expand...
Oh good to know about the 15% off - not in a rush.

So did you install the injector before or after the SWG? I was thinking of putting the injector before the SWG to help clean the SWG as the acid gets injected.

I checked out the Rola-chem and even called their customer service about a vented cap. They didn't recommend it for an outdoor application which is why I was leaning toward the Stenner tank with UV protection. Do you have yours setup outside? Any issues?
 
I put mine after the SWG. I wasn't sure if constant MA would be good for the cell. I do have mine outdoors, but it is in a covered area so it does not receive direct rain/sun. I do like the idea of having a child resistant lid on the stenner tank.
 
NTXpoolboy said:
I'm thinking of doing a BL100 with a 7.5 gal stenner tank. How easily did this pair with the stenner tank? Did you drill a single hole for the 1/4 tube and use the stenner cap it comes with for venting? What do you do when the pool is in spa mode? Will it shut off the aux relay for the BL100? Thanks!
Click to expand...

A tank is a tank, Hanna gives you the check valve that goes on the end of the tubing that rests inside the acid storage tank that keeps it from floating around. If the hole does not exist you can drill a 1/4" hole in the top of the tank and feed the tubing thru there.

Regard your other question - yes you could simply run a timer and dose some acid into the pool, but that would be inaccurate and require adjustments if you have a SWG that runs longer in the summer. My point was to make it more maintenance free and not scale up my 12" of glass waterline tile.

One thing I did not post in my original thread is tank size for the Acid. IMO the only drawback to the acid dosing system is that you have to refill the tank with acid (in my case 4x year). If you get the "good acid" from Leslies or other pool stores (as opposed to the 10% stuff from Home Depot) the Acid really fumes when you refill the tank and it is gnarly! I got a NIOSH respirator, chemical resistant gloves and safety glasses. I fill the tank and leave the lid off for at least and hour and let the fuming settle down before closing it up. Keep this in mind with regard to tank size. I have a 5 gal. tank, I refill with 4 gals of acid and add about 1/2 gal of water. If you want a larger tank, the chemical handling time will increase.

Edit: also if/when you order from Hanna, order a least one set of replacement rollers and the peristatic tubing. These are wear items that have to be replaced. I go two of each and another pH probe along with the calibrating solutions. Do this while you have the discount. Also, If you call them the guy you want to speak to is Tom. He can hook you up as well. My first BL100 went kaput about 9 mos after I installed it and after one phone call - Tom sent me a whole new BL100 kit!
 
Frank Rizzo said:
Regard your other question - yes you could simply run a timer and dose some acid into the pool, but that would be inaccurate and require adjustments if you have a SWG that runs longer in the summer.
Click to expand...
Many of us Guides/Experts recommend, based on all the dosing systems we deal with, that you not bother with pH probe feedback and all that complication. Just simply set the acid dosing pump to run for a short time once a day and then test and adjust as needed. Since any pH in the 7s is just fine, the "inaccuracy" just kinda doesn't matter.

Chlorine production and consumption in an SWG pool is pH neutral. Using a SWG doesn't cause pH rise.
 
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Frank Rizzo said:
I disagree based on my own personal experience.
Click to expand...
The majority of your pH rise is likely due to low pH, High TA, or aeration. Your pH will stabilize depending on the TA level. When TA is around 60-80, pH is usually stable at 7.6-8.0
What do you target for your TA and pH?

PH TA Relationship - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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