Basi Trichlor tabs and CYA questions

[kat.hayes]

1. Do all chlorine tabs have CYA in them?

2. Do all forms of CYA accumulate, or just CYA from chlorine tabs in a floater?

3. How much chlorine is actually put into the water by tabs in a single floater? It has 4-5 tabs in it. Does it just depend on how much the pool needs the chlorine or do the tabs dissolve at the same rate no matter what?

Thanks!

 

[Richard320]

1. Yes. I'm not aware of any Cal-hypo pucks.
2. All CYA accumulates, no matter what the source.
3. PPM FC depends on how big your pool is. The Pool Calculator will tell you how much each 8 oz. puck will affect your FC if you enter the pool gallons at the top. See "Effects of Adding Chemicals" near the bottom. How fast they dissolve seems to be a function of how much is exposed at any one time. Not the floating feeders have adjustable slots.

Have you read Pool School in its entirety yet?

 

[kat.hayes]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for your response. I did go through Pool School, and now I am trying to apply what I've read with specific questions. A couple more:
1. Is it a bad idea to have two floaters with tabs in my pool? My pool is about 27,300 gallons. I am sometimes away and unable to add chlorine to the pool for several days. Will this add too much CYA?
2. What do you typically do when you find a dead rat in your pool? Do you add extra chlorine? Anything else?

Thanks!!!

 

[BoDarville]

kat.hayes:

Welcome to TFP

There are Cal-Hypo pucks but they are hard to find, which is probably a good thing. Even if you did find them, you would not want to use them in a feeder that had previously used trichlor pucks, let alone mixing the two in a feeder. Doing so would almost certainly cause an explosion.

Cal-Hypo pucks require a feeder expressly made for them as they dissolve differently than trichlor pucks.

Bottom-lining it, bleach or liquid chlorine as a chlorine source is your best bet.

 

[BoDarville]

I see Richard is currently offline, so I will chime in since I'm in the neighborhood

1. Is it a bad idea to have two floaters with tabs in my pool? My pool is about 27,300 gallons. I am sometimes away and unable to add chlorine to the pool for several days. Will this add too much CYA?

The biggest risk, aside from the increased CYA, is that the floaters may settle into one area of the pool due to the prevailing winds on a given day. That would result in a higher concentration of chlorine in that part of the pool and less in others. That said, I have done the same thing while on vacation with no ill effects. But for me, it is rare when the pool is unattended for more than a day. If you are away on a regular basis and do not have anyone to mind the pool while you are gone, you might want to consider a SWG.

2. What do you typically do when you find a dead rat in your pool? Do you add extra chlorine? Anything else?

Job one is to remove the rat ASAP. Then I would test with one of the recommended kits (see link in my sig). You want to make sure that FC is still in the recommended range for your CYA and that your CC's are less than or equal to 0.5 ppm. If CC's are more than 0.5 ppm, you need to go through the shock process (link in my sig as well).

 

[kat.hayes]

Hi BoDarville,

So just for clarification, if the pucks indicate:

a.) Trichlor it has CYA
b.) Cal-Hypo it has no CYA

Thanks!

kat.hayes:

Welcome to TFP

There are Cal-Hypo pucks but they are hard to find, which is probably a good thing. Even if you did find them, you would not want to use them in a feeder that had previously used trichlor pucks, let alone mixing the two in a feeder. Doing so would almost certainly cause an explosion.

Cal-Hypo pucks require a feeder expressly made for them as they dissolve differently than trichlor pucks.

Bottom-lining it, bleach or liquid chlorine as a chlorine source is your best bet.

 

[linen]

trichlor has cya, cal-hypo does not

 

[BoDarville]

So just for clarification, if the pucks indicate:

a.) Trichlor it has CYA

Correct.

b.) Cal-Hypo it has no CYA

Correct. Cal-Hypo contains calcium. If calcium gets too high, it can cause scaling on the pool surface and equipment.

 

[kat.hayes]

Hi again BoDarville,

1. If a higher concentration of chlorine is added to one area of the pool from the floaters being settled in one area, will the chlorine eventually make its way to other parts of the pool or does it stay in the same spot until it evaporates?

2. What do you do if the FC is lower than the recommended range and there was a rat in the pool?

Thanks again!

I see Richard is currently offline, so I will chime in since I'm in the neighborhood

1. Is it a bad idea to have two floaters with tabs in my pool? My pool is about 27,300 gallons. I am sometimes away and unable to add chlorine to the pool for several days. Will this add too much CYA?

The biggest risk, aside from the increased CYA, is that the floaters may settle into one area of the pool due to the prevailing winds on a given day. That would result in a higher concentration of chlorine in that part of the pool and less in others. That said, I have done the same thing while on vacation with no ill effects. But for me, it is rare when the pool is unattended for more than a day. If you are away on a regular basis and do not have anyone to mind the pool while you are gone, you might want to consider a SWG.

[quote="kat.hayes":3ttwpkgd]2. What do you typically do when you find a dead rat in your pool? Do you add extra chlorine? Anything else?

Job one is to remove the rat ASAP. Then I would test with one of the recommended kits (see link in my sig). You want to make sure that FC is still in the recommended range for your CYA and that your CC's are less than or equal to 0.5 ppm. If CC's are more than 0.5 ppm, you need to go through the shock process (link in my sig as well).[/quote:3ttwpkgd]

 

[BoDarville]

1. If a higher concentration of chlorine is added to one area of the pool from the floaters being settled in one area, will the chlorine eventually make its way to other parts of the pool or does it stay in the same spot until it evaporates?

It will disperse somewhat, but it will depend on the wind. If it's calm, the chlorine will not disperse as much. If it's windy, then it will disperse more. In either case, it will not disperse as evenly as it will when the pump is running.

2. What do you do if the FC is lower than the recommended range and there was a rat in the pool?

If your FC drops below range, the action you take depends largely on your CC's. If your CC's are greater than 0.5 ppm, you need to shock the pool. If the CC's are at or below 0.5 ppm, dose the FC up to the high end of the recommended range for your CYA (see Chlorine/CYA Chart in my sig). Then, I would test two or three times within 24 hours of discovering the rat to make sure FC is in range and CC's don't go above 0.5.

You could also consider running an OCLT (link in sig). If the pool fails that test, then I would shock using the shock process.

 

[kat.hayes]

1. So if the pump is running, will it disperse the chlorine more evenly throughout the pool if there is a higher concentration of chlorine in one area due to floaters being settled in one area? That is how the pump/circulation system works, right?

2. Since the tabs add CYA, is it a better idea to only put 1 or 2 tabs in at a time instead of 4-5 to make sure that not too much CYA is getting into the water? I currently have a floater full with 4-5 tabs to add chlorine when I can not put it in myself, and I fill it up so I do not have to worry about replacing the tabs as often.

Thanks!!!

 

[Smykowski]

1. So if the pump is running, will it disperse the chlorine more evenly throughout the pool if there is a higher concentration of chlorine in one area due to floaters being settled in one area? That is how the pump/circulation system works, right?

In theory, yes, although in your scenario, the circulation allowed the floaters to get settled/stuck, so the circulation may not allow the FC to spread very well.

2. Since the tabs add CYA, is it a better idea to only put 1 or 2 tabs in at a time instead of 4-5 to make sure that not too much CYA is getting into the water? I currently have a floater full with 4-5 tabs to add chlorine when I can not put it in myself, and I fill it up so I do not have to worry about replacing the tabs as often.

The bigger issue with lots of tabs is the pH drop. Remember that dichlor and trichlor tablets are acidic, and too many tabs at once might cause a pH drop that's too big.

 

[chem geek]

Just be careful where the floating feeders "park" themselves. If it's near any metal, then it may corrode because Trichlor is acidic and when there is no circulation the area around the feeder will be much lower in pH. I had mounts for stainless steel bars rust in my pool as a result. Of course, since then I haven't used Trichlor pucks and instead use chlorinating liquid for chlorination.

Remember that with Trichlor, for every 10 ppm Free Chlorine, it also increases Cyanuric Acid (CYA) by 6 ppm so it does not take long for the CYA to rise. If you do not proportionately raise the FC level as the CYA level climbs, then the active chlorine level drops and algae can grow faster than chlorine can kill it.

 

[duraleigh]

kat.hayes,

Summarizing this thread, Tabs can be used to chlorinate a pool just fine if you LEARN to MANAGE your CYA buildup and reduce it when necessary. Liquid chlorine (bleach) remains the single best vehicle for introducing chlorine into your pool......no side effects.

All the side effects and how to manage them can be found if you read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School. Using poolcalculator.com will also show you the effects of adding various products to your pool.

It will be very helpful to you if you spend a lot of time messing with the poolcalc and reading the basics in Pool School.