Autochlorinator? What to do when on vacation?

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E

ErniesPool

0
May 22, 2013
127
Dallas, TX
I have successfully moved from the pucks to liquid chlorine and finally have CYA under control (running about 55 right now) after being fed up with constant water changes. Under the relentless Texas sun I am consuming about 2 quarts + of 8.25% bleach a day, and I target my chlorine level every evening at 7-7.5. I have checked and the level doesn't change overnight, so nothing is in the pool that is consuming the chlorine. I attribute almost all of the loss to UV and temps (water is running 86 deg. right now at air temps are hitting 105 deg. F). My pool is about 18,500 gal, plastered. (and ... water is beautiful and clear)

Here is my question. The up side of pucks is you can drop a few in a float and walk away from the pool for a week without worry that you'll return to an explosion of mustard algae. Right now I am nailed to the house. I can't leave! I have to test the water every day at least once and add the chlorine in the evening. Is there any kind of system that will add the chlorine "automatically," or is that called a "neighbor." Also, I have a Taylor test kit. The stand-in has to learn how to use Taylor testing system.

Anybody out there solved this problem? How can I walk away from this thing for a weekend trip and not return to an algae pit?
 
I have an injection pump and a 15 gallon drum for the bleach. I would be confident in leaving it for a few days and maybe even a week if I had someone to clean the skimmer basket a time or two.

It would take a week or two to get it fine tuned so you'd be comfortable leaving it, but you'd get there.
 
It's plumbed into the return line. I bought the pump and the drum and installed it myself. It runs on the pump timer and I have an adjustable injection pump. There are several others that have a fixed pump and it runs on it's own timer. I'd probably go that way if I had to do it over.

I have a thread where I installed it. I've Defected to the dark side
 
You might check the Liquidator thread. I built my own that siphons to the pump basket, no problems other than a recent algae breakout from a real dirty filter, and converting to a 2 speed pump - operator error :hammer: . Once dialed in a suction feed system or injecting system works well. My pool takes about 30 oz/day (also Texas sun), left for 8 days and pool was still clear when I got back, my chlorine bucket level was right where I thought it would be.
 
Thanks, tact. I found the Liquidator section on the forum after I made my post here. I have been going through that. I may explore that route. The idea of drilling into my aging PVC gives me the willies, but it looks like the simplest solution. I notice the earlier incantations of the Liquidator plumbed into the pump drain plug, but the new instructions require a hole in the outflow line.
 
How big is the pool?

A solar cover becomes a pretty good idea when you take into account that it
A. Cuts down on evaporation which both saves water and
B. Preserves temps and keeps it from cooling down at night, along with
C. Blocks the sun so really helps protect your FC from being wasted to sunlight.
 

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@foobert - That's awesome! I am a guy who used to build ham radios from scratch, grew up taking tube radios apart and fixing tube TVs. This has great appeal but I'm not sure I want to devote that much time to a project like this right now. But, I'll think about it. Awesome, man! Great job.
 
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