Safe to add liquid chlorine into skimmer with pump running?

[avenosfs]

I wanted to repeat a question I saw in an old thread. I have a concrete/plaster 6,200 gallon in-ground pool here in eastern central Florida. During this time of year, my pool store (also same folks who installed my pool) recommends using their liquid chlorine/shock to keep the levels up until the weather changes. So here's my question:

Is it considered safe to add the liquid chlorine into the pool skimmer instead of broadcasting it directly into the pool water? One person at the pool store (who I don't trust or agree with) said it can damage the pool equipment. In the previous thread on this subject, everyone said they add chlorine into their skimmer for various reasons. Only issue of concern is making sure to not add muriatic acid into the skimmer. My thought is that as long as my pump is running for a couple of hours, that there should be enough water flow to dilute the liquid chlorine and not risk damaging anything in my equipment. I usually only have to add about 6 cups of the liquid to bring my chlorine level up. Considering my skimmer is about 30 feet from my pool filter, there's plenty of water to dilute the solution to an acceptable concentration. Does EVERYONE agree?

 

[Joshii]

I agree. I do this all the time. It takes me a minute to pour a whole bottle in. The pump is taking in the water at 50 gallons per minute. That's very dilute chlorine hitting your equipment, and it is only doing it for a tiny amount of time before returning to the pool. I also agree not to do this with Muriatic acid. I pout that over a return jet in the deep end.

 

[duraleigh]

TFP suggests that you pour chlorine slowly into your pool in front of an operating return jet. The chlorine is quickly dissipated and diluted and it never has an opportunity to expose your equipment.

Once or twice into the skimmer certainly has no ill effect. Day after day into the skimmer is not a practice we think is best.

 

[pooldv]

My theory is if there is even a slight chance of damage why risk it? Especially if there is no benefit. There is no risk to pouring bleach into the pool slowly in front of a return. So, that is what I do. And there isn't really very much water in that 30' pipe, just a few gallons compared to thousands of gallons in a pool. I saw an analysis somewhere here that said slowly adding MA to your skimmer resulted in a PH of 1 or 2 in the equipment at whatever the pump GPM was on that analysis. I would imagine a similar analysis of bleach would yield 100s or even 1000s of ppm of chlorine.

 

[pookiesunshine]

I had wondered about adding into skimmer too for purposes of getting a higher concentration of bleach into contact with whatever if anything might be in the pipes. Answers so far seem to indicate it might be okay to do this occasionally but not regularly. Another option you might consider if you are determined to add to the skimmer is to pour bleach into the pool just outside the skimmer instead of directly into it. This would provide some extra dilution, albeit unquantified. This is the way Baquacil users add concentrated hydrogen peroxide.

 

[duraleigh]

Another option you might consider if you are determined to add to the skimmer is to pour bleach into the pool just outside the skimmer instead of directly into it. This would provide some extra dilution, albeit unquantified. This

That is not a very good choice. There is little strong flow outside the skimmer and there is a good chance the chlorine will sink fairly undiluted and touch the pool wall. Again, once or twice may be OK. but continued day after day will fade a liner or even bleach out a masonry wall.

The whole point in pouring in front of a return is to provide instant dilution to any liquid you put in the pool. It is the best practice.

 

[smracing]

Right or wrong, I've been adding chlorine and acid to the skimmer for more than 10 years. No equipment failures. I rebuilt the pump with new impeller and seals. There was no chemically induced corrosion to the stainless pump shaft.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Welcome to TFP avenosfs

As mentioned above, better flow, more dilution and distribution when using the area in front of a return jet so why someone would add in front of a skimmer ??

We're just trying to promote best practices. Just because you've done something and didn't have a negative reaction doesn't prove it's good or even OK to do it. Someone with slightly different equipment with different seals, impellers, PVC, ... might have damage or a failure.

 

[borjis]

Pretty sure I saw a post on this forum somewhere, someone with flex pvc plumbing that collapsed, but i think that was pucks in the skimmer.
which is much worse.