Cal Hypo Tabs / switching from liquid bleach

[astronaut888]

I'm sure that this is covered elsewhere - and I have searched a bit to find a straight ahead discussion - but .... still a bit in the dark

I was about to stock up on bleach prior to Covid and failed to act quickly enough.
I've balanced w/ bleach for years and years
Was able to get two large containers of cal hypo pucks so I jumped on the deal and got them

Have been using to keep FC up since then (march 20)

The pool place sold me a floating tab thing - however, in my reading, it seems that a floater isn't really what one needs for cal hypo??
I've also done several in the skimmer and they seem to dissolve fine in there.... similar to trichlor tabs I used in the distant past.

So - for the foreseeable future, I won't be able to get bleach of any sort with any frequency at all.... So, i'm gonna try to push ahead w/ cal hypo

I am aware of the issue w/ calcium buildup / and, haven't even checked my calcium yet (!) - awaiting new TFT100 presently (I tossed the calcium test from the previous season kit to save room!)


So
My real question is this:
Is cal hypo a decent alternative for proper FC maintenance? (calcium issues taken into consideration)
AND
Is applying in skimmer with pucks an acceptable method of using the tabs???

thanks in advance!
INground 20K vinyl
TA 80
FC 7
CYA 45
pH 7.4
CC ZERO

 

[duraleigh]

Cal Hypo pucks, in times past, were not for pools. I think now there are a few on the market that are suitable but they are supposed to be introduced into your pool with a Cal Hypo feeder. Post a pic of the tabs you got.

Yes, aside from the buildup of calcium (and that's not good) there are no other side effects of cal hypo.

 

[mknauss]

A Lowes near you (W Columbia) shows 137 gallons of Pool Essentials Chlorinating liquid in stock. FYI.

 

[astronaut888]

Cal Hypo pucks, in times past, were not for pools. I think now there are a few on the market that are suitable but they are supposed to be introduced into your pool with a Cal Hypo feeder. Post a pic of the tabs you got.

Yes, aside from the buildup of calcium (and that's not good) there are no other side effects of cal hypo.

i'm fairly certain that this is what i am using (almost 100%).... not at home to get photo of actual product

 

[Donldson]

That type is designed to be thrown in the skimmer, since they are mostly pH neutral (rather than acidic like trichlor).

Hard to say how decent these are at chlorinating. When you can get a look at the bucket let us know what the strength is and we can run that through PoolMath.

 

[astronaut888]

That type is designed to be thrown in the skimmer, since they are mostly pH neutral (rather than acidic like trichlor).

Hard to say how decent these are at chlorinating. When you can get a look at the bucket let us know what the strength is and we can run that through PoolMath.

will do

I have just been making sure one is consistently IN the skimmer and keeping an eye on the FC.
it doesn't seem to "spike" the FC like i have seen Trichlor do for me in years past - it just seems to keep it consistently between 3-7 - which is ok for my CYA as I see it

 

[red-beard]

How much are you paying for the Cal-Hypo pucks? On Amazon, they are not cheap. I have a 10 lb bucket to use when I'm away (tell the wife to throw in "x" when the skimmer is empty).

 

[Awilli8203]

The Sustain pool care system is a ca-hypo system. You can learn all about it at Sustain Pool Chemicals | The easy way to keep algae away.
I use it and like it.

 

[Donldson]

Sustain has some "proprietary ingredients" stuff. If you don't know what's in it, don't put it in your pool.

Not to mention they follow the same tired "put in a tablet and shock once a week" failure of a technique you can get at Walmart for half the price.