1970s style chlorination: huge tubs of HTH

[bordelond]

In the late 70s and early 80s, there were several families on my block that had in-ground pools. All of them used to keep waist-high tubs of HTH in their garages for pool water maintenance. Not sure if tri-chlor pucks existed back then or not -- if they did, I don't recall seeing them.

Anyway, my question is for those who have long memories: just what was in those huge HTH tubs? Granular di-chlor? Di-chlor plus additives (I seem to remember blue specks in the HTH)? Something else?

And, where did those huge tubs go? What replaced them? Bagged 'shock'? Pucks? Or do some people with huge pools still buy and store those huge tubs?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Salt Water Chlorine Generators!!

(pucks,granular packs and other problem children in the pool store aisle too..... but we don't advocate the daily use of those, y'know?)

Maddie

 

[bordelond]

... but we don't advocate the daily use of those, y'know?

No doubt about that. Was just wondering what those huge tubs were. I have childhood memories of those HTH tubs, but never really knew what was inside.

You're saying they were probably salt?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

No doubt about that. Was just wondering what those huge tubs were. I have childhood memories of those HTH tubs, but never really knew what was inside.

You're saying they were probably salt?

LOL NOoooooooo! I was answering your initial question as to what took the place of those big tubs of mystery powder!! :clown:

Maddie

 

[Perpetual summer]

Ya, haha. I remember those. I had a pool in the 70s and I bought those large tubs of chlorine pucks. Don't know exactly what they were, but it's what the pool store told me I needed.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Pucks are almost always trichlor. Dichlor is granular as it can not easily be turned into a puck. Cal-hypo is also granular and very, very rarely found in puck form (because it requires polymeric binders and a special puck grinding chlorinator).

If you do have any of those tubs lying around, I would call up your local waste management company or municipal landfill and find out if they have a hazardous household waste program where you can dispose of it.

 

[bordelond]

If you do have any of those tubs lying around ...

Nah ... just thinking back on some childhood memories. I haven't seen one of those kinds of HTH tubs in ~30 years.

Remember when those tubs were made of heavy cardboard with metal caps on the top and bottom?

- - - Updated - - -

I had a pool in the 70s and I bought those large tubs of chlorine pucks.

Interesting. Had no idea pucks were around back then.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Growing up in the 80's my friend had an inground pool. They had the pool shed near it and I do remember seeing two large tubs in there. My friend told me that's where all the pool chemicals were kept.

 

[bordelond]

Growing up in the 80's my friend had an inground pool. They had the pool shed near it and I do remember seeing two large tubs in there. My friend told me that's where all the pool chemicals were kept.

Yeah, that's the thing. They were just "pool chemicals" to our kid-brained selves ... but what were they really?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Pretty much the same stuff we have today. Stabilized chlorine (trichlor and dichlor) were available in the 70's and 80's they were just not as routinely used as most pool owners in those days stuck with cal-hypo and liquid chlorine. CYA wasn't widely used until the 70's and 80's and then folks preferred the stabilized chlorine since you could get it in tablet form. People always had green pool problems and smelly chloramine pools, they just did not have good ways to test for it. I know my friends dad once fought an entire summer with a cloudy green pool and we swam in his pool only once. I distinctly remember him telling me his dad was fed up with the pool and they were seriously considering getting rid of it. So pool frustration has been around forever...sadly no TFP back in those days.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

Those 50 or 100lb HTH were 54% & 68% cal hypo

 

[bordelond]

Thanks, PoolGuyinCT! Feel a little smarter today