3" Pucks

[meatloaf]

I like to use the 3" pucks because it is easy to use. The problem is the rising CYA level. Does anybody make a 3" puck that is more CYA friendly or are they all about the same? In other words, is one less likely to raise CYA than another?
Thanks

 

[Guest]

Pucks are trichlor. Trichlor is a chemical that is made from chlorine and CYA (a chlorinated isocyanurate). It is the nature of the beast that trichlor will add 6 ppm CYA for every 10 ppm chlorine it adds. Dichlor is even worse, adding 9 ppm CYA for every 10 ppm chlorine added. This is because of the chemical makeup of these products and there is no way around it. They are called stabilized chlorine because they are chemicals made from chlorine and stabilizer (CYA). The reason trichlor is used in erosion feeders is because it is the slowest dissolving form of solid chlorine available so it works well in feeders and floaters. All the other forms of chlorine are fast dissolving, including dichlor.
There are cal hypo capsules and tablets that do not raise CYA but they do increase CH and cannot be used in a trichlor feeder or floater. (To try and do so risks the possiblity of an explosion!) They are designed for use in the skimmer and only last a few days at best because cal hypo is relatively fast dissolving.

 

[spishex]

I concur. I've had customers that used cal hypo caplets and tabs and they've been dissappointing every time. Given the added bonus of a potential explosion I see no reason why they should even be pushed. The only difference among brands of trichlor tabs that I know of is how the trichlor is bound together. Some will leave a much gummier residue in your feeder than others.

Just a few of the many reasons I'm a proud member of the Fundamentalist Church of Salt Water Generators. If ease of use is what you're after it doesn't get much better.

 

[meatloaf]

It is the nature of the beast that trichlor will add 6 ppm CYA for every 10 ppm chlorine it adds.

I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly. Does each puck add 6 ppm of CYA?

Thanks

 

[Guest]

No, because different brands of pucks are different sizes (some are 6 oz., some are 8 oz., etc.). What I mean is that as the puck adds chlorine it is also adding CYA so when 10 ppm of chlorine has been added over time then the puck has also put 6 ppm CYA into the pool. Since average chlorine loss in a pool is 1-2 ppm per day if your puck is maintaining the FC level then in 5-10 days the puck has added 10 ppm chlorine and 6 ppm CYA. Assume your pool loses 1 ppm FC daily, then in 10 days your CYA has increased by 6 ppm and in one month your CYA has incrased 18 ppm. IF you are starting at a CYA of 30 ppm this means your pool is overstabilized in just a few months! (Also, since higher CYA levels need higher FC levels, if you try and increase the FC by using trichlor pucks by turning up the feeder or floater then you start adding CYA even faster!)

 

[meatloaf]

OK, thanks. Now I understand.

 

[fofa]

Before I moved to a Salt system, I used to use an autochlorinator that ran pucks (Trichlor). I also used to use the cal-hypo capsules in a floater, and I could lower the chlorinators setting to slow down the CYA.
This worked fine for a couple of years until my Calcium was high, and so was my CYA. Then I just switched to a salt system.

Using the BBB system works also, I just hated lugging jugs of bleach around. Have you read the BBB system here?