Chlorinator or no chlorinator

[DBLKref11]

I recently discovered the Hayward CL200 being used to chlorinate my pool is leaking and in order to stop the leak, I need to replace the chlorinator. I tried a few stop leak products with very little success. Because of the chlorinator leak, I am adding water to the pool every four to five days which means I also have to adjust the chemicals. After a bit of research, I have read different opinions whether or not a chlorinator is useful for chlorinating a pool. I would like to replace the leaking chlorinator with a new one but first I want to know if there is a better way to add chlorine than the chlorinator. I can't stop the leaking because of the way the system was setup when I bought the house three years ago. Any help with this chlorinator problem is greatly appreciated

 

[pjt]

whether or not a chlorinator is useful for chlorinating a pool

Not for long-term chlorination. Tabs must be used judiciously to avoid excessive CYA.

I want to know if there is a better way to add chlorine than the chlorinator

There are two viable long-term chlorination methods: SWG and liquid chlorine (LC). LC can be manually poured into the pool or the dosing can be automated. You're an excellent candidate for a SWG. I would remove the leaking tab feeder and install a SWG or LC dosing system.

How are you testing? Please fill out your signature when able.

 

[1poolman1]

I recently discovered the Hayward CL200 being used to chlorinate my pool is leaking and in order to stop the leak, I need to replace the chlorinator. I tried a few stop leak products with very little success. Because of the chlorinator leak, I am adding water to the pool every four to five days which means I also have to adjust the chemicals. After a bit of research, I have read different opinions whether or not a chlorinator is useful for chlorinating a pool. I would like to replace the leaking chlorinator with a new one but first I want to know if there is a better way to add chlorine than the chlorinator. I can't stop the leaking because of the way the system was setup when I bought the house three years ago. Any help with this chlorinator problem is greatly appreciated

If you want to use tablets as an auxiliary source of chlorine, use a floating chlorinator. Tablet feeders were never designed for residential use and can be the source of a lot of problems. Using tablets exclusively is never a good idea, especially if your pool is vinyl or fiberglass. SWG is best, but liquid or powders work if you maintain the rest of the chemistry properly.

 

[sktn77a]

A voice of dissent, perhaps but I have a CL200 in my pool. I use liquid bleach as a rule but if I'm gone for more than ~5 days, I use the tablet chlorinator. I wouldn't be without one. It's a simple swap out installation if you buy a replacement.

Alternative would be a salt water system, but they are very expensive.

 

[DBLKref11]

A voice of dissent, perhaps but I have a CL200 in my pool. I use liquid bleach as a rule but if I'm gone for more than ~5 days, I use the tablet chlorinator. I wouldn't be without one. It's a simple swap out installation if you buy a replacement.

Alternative would be a salt water system, but they are very expensive.

 

[DBLKref11]

A voice of dissent, perhaps but I have a CL200 in my pool. I use liquid bleach as a rule but if I'm gone for more than ~5 days, I use the tablet chlorinator. I wouldn't be without one. It's a simple swap out installation if you buy a replacement.

Alternative would be a salt water system, but they are very expensive.

Do you use regular bleach at 6% or liquid chlorine? I looked at few SWG's and now sure how they work and also, they are a bit pricey. I'm fairly new at maintaining a pool and can use all the help I can get. Has anyone ever used the Hasa Liquidator, is it a good product compared to the chlorinator?

 

[reggiehammond]

Do you use regular bleach at 6% or liquid chlorine? I looked at few SWG's and now sure how they work and also, they are a bit pricey. I'm fairly new at maintaining a pool and can use all the help I can get. Has anyone ever used the Hasa Liquidator, is it a good product compared to the chlorinator?

Most people use 10% or 12.5% LC to save on cost and the physical hauling of it to the pool.

SWCG are an upfront expense, that’s for sure, but unlikely that much difference than using tabs or LC long-term. You’re just paying up front for the 5-7 years of FC in advance. But then you no longer have to hunt for LC, mess with tabs and all the problems that come along with that, etc.

If not clear - using tabs or cal-hypo for chlorination is not recommended as a long term solution because both products add something else you likely don’t need, to the pool water with each use. Cal-hypo adds a lot of calcium, tabs add a lot of CYA. The FC is used quickly, but the calcium or CYA sticks around, eventually making it impossible to maintain proper FC or not get calcium scaling.

Could not recommend a SWCG more…

 

[pjt]

Has anyone ever used the Hasa Liquidator

I used one with my previous pool. It worked well.

However, I now have a SWG and it's significantly better than using a LC feeder. I would never consider having a pool without a SWG.

 

[gingrbredman]

I am not sure how your plumbing is set up, but can you just cut out the CL200 and replace the PVC, so you are just eliminating it from the plumbing setup? I might understand using a tab chlorinator for vacations or times away if you had one in your setup already, but if you have a leaking one, I am not sure I would spend the time or money to replace it. If you needed tabs and could handle the CH or CYA increase for times away, a floating tab dispenser would work fine.

Or, as mentioned, now may be the time to invest in a SWCG. Yes, they are expensive up front, but the pure ease of not having to add liquid chlorine every day, and not having to deal with the side effects of the tabs is well worth it, in my opinion.

 

[SJPoe]

I had a CL200 installed when we had the pool heater installed. The previous owners had a generic one that 'vampire' tapped into the lines with semi-rigid polyethylene pipes that burst 3 times in the two months between buying the house and closing the pool because the concentrated chlorine just made them super-brittle in no time. At the time, I didn't know enough to know I probably didn't need one, but now I guess it's better to have it and never need it, than not have it and wish I had one later. It's never seen a puck since it's been installed though, in theory, if we go away for a week or so, I could throw a few pucks in there to keep some FC in the pool while we were away, but that's about the only reason I'd use it.

We're currently weighing moving to an SWG in the spring - chances are it'll get plumbed in right where the chlorinator is today.

 

[sktn77a]

Do you use regular bleach at 6% or liquid chlorine?

Don't use household bleach - it's weak and may have all sorts of additives that you don't want. WalMart has 10% pool bleach for a great price. That's what I use.