Simple DIY Chlorine Dosing

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D

DanL

0
Nov 23, 2016
35
Las Vegas NV
Hopefully not re-inventing the wheel...
New to TFP and just changed water and took on my own pool maintenance. Went to TF100 kit testing, liquid chlorine vs tabs, etc etc.
Researched all the liquid chlorine feed options from the complex to the simple. Decided to try a DIY simple system first.
Completed bench testing of a system and now going to the pool for full scale testing. Will feed and accurately measure plain water delivery first rather than using chlorine. Will run long test to see how accurate, repeatable and reliable the system will be.
I'll post drawings and pics if it works out.

My assumptions are these:
- Chlorine (12%) use will be from less than 1G up to 5G/week for our lightly used, blanket covered 17000G pool/overflow spa. Water temp will be low 80's (solar).
- Target is to maintain 5ppm chlorine, pH 7.5 and CYA near 40 (that's where pool chem has stayed with no use and covered as it has heated from 72 to 81 over the last 3 days)
- The chlorine can be drip added 24/7 directly to pool, requiring no timers, flowmeters, valves, etc.
- Rate of addition so low and point of addition such that local concentration won't be an issue.
- Cheap, extremely simple and readily available components.

Any helpful tips/comments appreciated.
 
AAARggghhhhh!!!! Wrote up the whole thing and got logged out. Lost when I logged back in.
Here is a system diagram. I'll re-write and post those details later. Need to post more pics....system won't let me...over my limit????
Have the system running now with water, using a jug for feed, just to test delivery over 24hrs. Will see how close to the target flow it is.
More tomorrow. Will know more by then anyway.

chlorinator.jpg
 
This is an interesting concept.

I'm not sure how much benefit you will see from using a "cooler" as a liquid storage device over a standard "barrel" type container. Unless you are actively adding cold chlorine to the cooler every couple of days, it will come up to ambient temperature within a couple of days at the most. This won't really extend the life of the chlorine significantly. You may have better results by putting the container in the shade / out of direct sun exposure if possible. Although a cooler may look better than a barrel, lol. Just make sure it is marked properly so that someone doesn't play with it.

Stainless steel hardware doesn't do so well with direct undiluted chlorine contact. You should look into one of those plastic needle valves for flow control. They can be found online or in a decently stocked hardware store. This would also benefit in not having to make your own. If you want to make your own, you can get plastic screws as well.

I think you will find it difficult to adjust the flowrate and get it predictable and consistent since you only need 60-90 fluid oz of 12% chlorine per day.

Make sure that have sufficient circulation at the disbursement point. You don't want stagnant water there or risk fading your wall.

Hopefully you can get something to work out and it isn't more of a hassle than simply dumping in some chlorine by hand. Although I don't think this will totally eliminate the hand dosing.

Good luck with your project.

.
 
kimkats said:
Dan if you become a supporting member you can use the new photo gallery and have more photo storage. You also get a discount on test kits and at Swimming Pool Supplies, Pool Safety Cover, Swimming Pool Covers, Swimming Pool Pumps, Pool Pump Parts - INYOPools.com
. Some people use photo bucket and such using the IMG code to get the pictures on the boards.
Kim
Click to expand...

Kim,
Thanks. I ended up just using Google Drive to upload the info. Click on this link: Simple DIY Chlorinator.pdf - Google Drive
I'll look into supporting TFP...it's a great resource.
Thanks!
 
Nobody likes out of the box thinking more than I do. But like Teald024 said, I'd worry about the constant drip addition with no circulation in progress. An adjustable valve that could be dialed up or down for run times only would be better I think. But let us know!~

Sends him two cooler stickers----------One marked chlorine--------the other marked BEER. Oh yeah, and a lock for the chlorine one.
 

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DanL said:
Hi Teald024....appreciate comments. See if the PDF makes any sense to you. I'm trying to post the details in this PDF link. On TFP everything I try to attach is too big.
Simple DIY Chlorinator.pdf - Google Drive
Click to expand...

I was able to read your PDF document. It will be interesting to see how your actual tests with chlorine pan out. Some calibration will be needed due to the density and viscosity difference with liquid chlorine vs water. I assume you will just measure the chlorine levels at specific locations and at various times to see if you are maintaining the expected ppm levels? How are you planning on adjusting for the varying chlorine consumption requirements as daily needs change?

I do think you need to rely on more than just random chlorine diffusion in the water. It would be better choice to place the discharge near a water outlet to help with blending and dispersion. You don't want a significant chlorine level gradient from one area to another. This could lead to wall & floor color fading or less than optimal sanitation.

.
 
You may want to consider a secondary input T at the storage vessel that would allow you to flush the feeder line with warm to hot water from time to time without having to disconnect from the tank and accidentally get bleach on you clothing. I noticed some salt build up on my Stenner duckbill when changing the feeder line, not a big deal in a pump system but could cause accuracy problems in a precision passive gravity feed.
 
I thought the "24/7-low-volume-drip" approach would work to keep a rough baseline Cl range in the pool. But after just 24 hours of playing around and trying three different drip nozzle designs, I see that this approach is likely unworkable - as many of your polite comments indicated that you knew already. I could set a very low rate, as little as 0.5ml/min, but it would change too much over time.
A note - I did look at needle valve flow specs and any in a reasonable price range couldn't come close to controlling the low rates I was looking at.
Another factor in giving up this approach is that I found out my pool control panel has 8 unused programmable control relays. So now small Stenner programmed to run when the pool pump runs seems the best approach. I can easily add an injection point on the return line to the pool. Max P on my filter when dirty is about 25psi, so P on that downstream return line is probably less than 10psi. Sound about right?
Thanks for all the feedback to a rookie effort. I do appreciate it.

atttech-2....I'll look for your Stenner info. The flush line is a great idea. Thanks.
 
Looks like a nice design, but you would need to add an air intake valve on the cooler. With the lid closed, you're causing less air to get into the cooler. Opening and closing to occasionally to fill it will cause different pressures in the cooler resulting in different drip rates for different fill levels of the cooler. Plus, the addition of an air intake will help in getting the lid off the empty cooler.
 
Yikes!
I was going to give up on this idea because of the flow rate varying up or down. But over time, it looks like it might average out pretty well. So I'm keeping the water test going....this may work out after all.
Cooler comment... coolers are pretty cheap, big for the money, insulated, and the lids leak air - they are not air tight. So as the chlorine flows out so very slowly, the pressure will equalize.
Will keep you posted. I do appreciate the feedback and ideas...all will help make this work better if it does work out.
 
Thought I should close out this thread and this approach. Trying to maintain a consistent, slow, 24/7 trickle of chlorine through an orifice or needle valve doesn't work, at least the things I tried. Reading up on needle valves, even very high-end ones supposedly aren't made to accurately deliver less than about 100ml/min. I was trying to get only 15ml/min - way below the range needle valves, etc can maintain.
So I looked at the peristaltic pumps available, from cheap 12VDC pumps to Stenners.
For reliability, long life and proven performance, I bought a Stenner 45MFL1A2S. About $230 shipped, will have it tomorrow.
It's fixed rate, 3GPH, 25psi, Santoprene tube, 1/4" black UV resistant feed line.
I will power it from a programmable spare relay in the existing control panel. I'll be able to set it independently for any run schedule.
The feed line will tap into the water return line to the pool where the pressure is lowest.
 

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