cal hypo tablets

[Diver]

so the pool season is starting somewhat soon for my region, and i started looking for chlorinating agents. typically i used trichlor to bring up my CYA to desired level and then bleach and cal hypo based on what is cheaper.

the prices for chlorine went thru the roof last season and this one is not going go be any different. while searching for cal hypo i came across cal hypo tables. those are not new, but there seems to be a lot more available now and newer versions with specialized feeders.

i've been using powder cal hypo in the skimmer for a long time. no scaling issue at all. i know pouring in front of the returns is safer, but skimmer method has been working for me just fine and my life is so busy nowadays, that i'm gonna stick with my lazy ways.

two questions about the new cal hypo tablets.

1. they are basically powder cal hypo with a binder. it's hard to make slow dissolving, stable cal - hypo tables. then why would they be cheaper??

IN THE SWIM - CALCIUM HYPOCHLORITE 68% POOL SHOCK BUCKET - 50 LBS. - $283.99
CCH Calcium Hypochlorite 68% 2-5/8 in. Tablets, 50 lbs. - $191.99

2. people on the forum report some of them not dissolving properly in the skimmer and leaving the goo. but the posts about that are somewhat old. is it still an issue? any particular brand that dissolves quick and fully? any other success stories with the cal hypo tablets that don't involve specialized cal hypo feeder?

disclaimer.

1. i'm aware of cal-hypo raising calcium levels. i keep an eye on it and it's not a concern for me due to several reasons that are particular to my pool/situation.
2. i'm aware not to mix cal-hypo and trichlor and not to use cal-hypo in trichlor feeder.

 

[Methuselah]

Amazon can be a good place to start if you want to find reviews on a product, but their prices usually demand purchasing elsewhere.

Hopefully someone with first hand knowledge of the brand(s) will chime in, sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

 

[DrewLG]

it's hard to make slow dissolving, stable cal - hypo tables. then why would they be cheaper??

If Cal Hypo tablets truly are cheaper than the granules, maybe it's BECAUSE they're hard to make. And the manufacturers haven't quite managed. So they're a pain to use, and that makes them worth less.

IN THE SWIM - CALCIUM HYPOCHLORITE 68% POOL SHOCK BUCKET - 50 LBS. - $283.99
CCH Calcium Hypochlorite 68% 2-5/8 in. Tablets, 50 lbs. - $191.99

FWIW, the prices I see (on Amazon, but maybe they're representative) are much less different: $283.99 vs $269.99.

people on the forum report some of them not dissolving properly in the skimmer and leaving the goo. but the posts about that are somewhat old. is it still an issue? any particular brand that dissolves quick and fully? any other success stories with the cal hypo tablets that don't involve specialized cal hypo feeder?

The tablets I bought last year, to experiment with, do not dissolve well. I haven't heard of any differences between brands, and I don't think there's been a manufacturing breakthrough since then. Even if you're willing to put them in the skimmer, they'll be messy to use there. And they can't really be used in a floater at all. So you'd need the special Cal Hypo tablet feeder.

1. i'm aware of cal-hypo raising calcium levels. i keep an eye on it and it's not a concern for me due to several reasons that are particular to my pool/situation.

Do the same reasons also make CYA accumulation a non-issue? Why not use Trichlor tablets instead of Cal-Hypo?

 

[Diver]

Do the same reasons also make CYA accumulation a non-issue? Why not use Trichlor tablets instead of Cal-Hypo?

not exactly. CYA raises much faster with trichlor use compared to CH with cal hypo. and the range is much tighter for CYA, compared to CH.

 

[Mdragger88]

The crazy chlorine prices are driving most towards swg’s. Its easy to see why,
That $250 or so worth of cal hypo will buy you roughly 52 days of chlorination @ an average of 3ppm/day.
A $1200 or so swg will yield you 5-7 seasons of chlorination if your season is around 7months long. It basically pays for itself after a couple seasons now.
I’ve priced out cal hypo & Trichlor many times & bleach always beats it, even when I factor in the cost of stabilizer.
Now a swg beats out bleach.
Here’s a little breakdown I did this time last year for my pool which is about the same size as yours - the swg price is currently about the same but bleach prices have increased making it even more advantageous