Daily chlorination without use of Pucks containing CYA

[Sandy B]

We drained close to 1/2 of our pool this spring to eliminate CYA that was around 90+ at closing in fall 2016. We are now at a CYA level of 45 and would like to discontinue use of trichlor pucks in the chlorinator. Is there a way to add chlorine daily to the pool without doing it manually?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Sandy,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all pool owners who want to go puck-free...

Here is my standard answer to your question...

There are four ways to chlorinate your pool...
1. Using chlorinated 3" pucks... We do not recommend them, and you have discovered why..
2. Manually add Liquid Chlorine or plain Bleach on a regular basis. Usually daily or every other day.
3. Use a Stenner pump to automatically add Liquid Chlorine or bleach.
4. Use a Saltwater Chlorine Generator (SWCG) to convert the salt in your pool into chlorine.

I use a SWCG and love the way the water feels. We also have many members who use the Stenner system, and many more who just don't find manual chlorine addition much of a bother.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[Sandy B]

Thank you Jim! We'll look into pros & cons of a Stenner pump vs swcg to see if we can do either. We are out of town quite a bit over the summer and if we are not in the pool it is usually covered. Could a combination method be used where we add liquid chlorine daily/every other day (turning off the chlorinator) but when we are out of town revert back to using the chlorinator? Also if we recently opened for the seasonand added shock - our TC/FC are at 10, at what point do start to add more chlorine/use chlorinator?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Sandy,

The key to this whole thing is to test your own pool water so you know where you are and what you need. You can use pucks as long as you realize that they increase your CYA. If you keep and eye on the CYA level you can use pucks until it increases to a point where you have to drain and refill at least part of your pool water.

In order to do this you have to have an accurate test kit.. either the TF-100 or the Taylor K-206C.. Pool store results are mostly wrong and if you take your water to two different stores you will get two different results.

We are all about testing your own water and then deciding on what your pool needs, not what your Pool $tore wants to sell you.

With a CYA of 45 your FC needs to be...... 7 or 8. See this chart... https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock
But that assumes your CYA level is correct and the only way to know for sure is to test it yourself.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Sandy B]

Jim,

I completely agree on the pool store results (I recently took water to 3 different places on same day and received 3 radically different results) and will be ordering a test kit. Once I have the pool balanced and have accurate readings is it ok to revert to using the chlorinator to maintain chlorine levels when out of town?

Thanks again for the help!
Sandy

 

[jblizzle]

You can switch back and forth to any method of adding chlorine. But if your cya is high you really don't want to be adding more while you're out of town using a chlorinator