Chlorine floater over night, no pump running

[jtucker615]

Hello again. Sorry if this has been asked before. I did search through the forums, but didn't see anything. I recently switched from trichlor tabs to cal-hypo tabs and on the advice of this forum I bought a chlorine floater instead of using my inline feeder. The question / problem I have is when the pump turns off at 8 PM the water circulation basically stops and the floater will park itself on the stairs or up against a wall. Will the concentrated chlorine at that spot damage my stairs or liner? Question 2 - when I went out and moved the floater this morning a ton of chlorine particle started falling out of the bottom. I'm guessing since it doesn't really move overnight, that's all of the dissolved chlorine in on shot. So do all feeders behave this way or did I buy a cheap dud?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Jimrahbe]

615,

If you are going to use tablets, then it seems to me you should be using your tablet feeder. Wrong!!

I assume you switched to cal-hypo in an effort to keep your CYA down...

Why do you think you have to use a floater?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[jtucker615]

615,

If you are going to use tablets, then it seems to me you should be using your tablet feeder.

I assume you switched to cal-hypo in an effort to keep your CYA down...

Why do you think you have to use a floater?

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks Jim. I was told that's since Thrichlor tabs were used in the inline feeder I couldn't put cal-hypo in there because a reaction could happen. Also, I'm brand new to pools and don't know any better. I was following the advice of this forum to buy a floating feeder. I just bought this house in Feb and don't have any history on the pool. I replaced the liner, pump, and sand filter, but did nothing with the plumbing. If I hadn't just spent 200.00 on the tabs, I'd likely just switch to liquid chlorine... the tabs are really a pain so far.

 

[Jimrahbe]

615,

I think the idea is that you can't mix the two types of tablets at the same time.. If your tab feeder is empty, then I can't see a problem with using it. Wrong!

I am a great fan of saltwater pools. They work great, make their own chlorine, no chlorine smell, and you can go on vacation and not worry about the pool. Something to think about.

In my opinion, Liquid Chlorine works well in a small pool, but can get pretty expensive in a big pool like yours.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[jtucker615]

Thanks Jim. To be honest I wasn't going to use it anyway. Even though the pucks are 3 inch, they barely fit and as I understand cal-hypo leaves a goo as they dissolve....I think a floater is easier to keep clean. I'm just really wondering if my liner is in danger of bleaching if the floater sits in the wall overnight with the pump off.

 

[Jimrahbe]

615,

I have saltwater pools and never use tablets, so 'assumed' things that were just not true..

Apparently there are different tab feeders for Cal-Hypo, so once again Rahbe steps in it.

I have modified my original posts,

Sorry for any confusion,

Jim R.

 

[jtucker615]

To add to this post. I put in three pucks yesterday and this morning all three are almost dissolved and there is gray matter all over the bottom. My FC also jumped from 4.2 yesterday to 7.0 today. I assume I put in too many pucks. I've vacuumed to waste and drained an additional 2 inches and I'm adding back fresh water...ugh!!! I feel like such a noob at this pool thing.

 

[JamesW]

I recommend that you get a SWG.

There are cal hypo feeders, but this is rarely a good idea because the calcium will accumulate and become a problem.

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[DrewLG]

I recently switched from trichlor tabs to cal-hypo tabs and on the advice of this forum I bought a chlorine floater instead of using my inline feeder.

It's great that you didn't use your online feeder. The chemical-reaction danger is real.

But as you've discovered, cal-hypo tablets don't really work well in a floater, since they don't dissolve the way that trichlor tablets do. There's a special kind of feeder made specifically for cal-hypo, and you really have to use one of those if you don't want clouds of half-dissolved blue goo to appear whenever you disturb the floater.

But even if you get the special feeder, the cal-hypo tablets will eventually add so much calcium to your pool that you'll have to drain it.

My best advice is to sell your almost-full bucket of cal-hypo tablets on Craigslist, then switch to liquid chlorine or a SWCG.

 

[duraleigh]

Get rid of the Cal Hypo........not made for that feeder. Did you vacuum up the grey matter.

Switch to liquid chlorine while you decide what to do.

 

[jtucker615]

Switch to liquid chlorine while you decide what to do.

I am so lost as to what sanitizer to use. I was using trichlor tabs and all the Facebook and internet forums said to stop using them because it'll raise your CYA to the point you'll need to drain the pool. So I switched to cal-hypo tabs and now I'm told I don't want to use this because your calcium will go through the roof and you'll need to drain your pool. So then I say I'm just going to use liquid and I'm told that first my pool is too big to effectively use liquid and second, liquid will destroy my vinyl liner. So someone please tell me what the heck am I supposed to use. I don't know enough about salt, but I'm told I'd still need to use some form of chlorine.

My pool is crystal clear and up until yesterday my numbers were
FC 4.6
CC .2
PH 7.4
ALK 90
CH 100
CYA 35


My FC is a little higher right now since I bought the floater, but everything else is still good.

 

[duraleigh]

1. Cal hypo tablets are not recommended by TFP for anything
2. Tri-chlor tabs work for a while but they will eventually add too much CYA to your pool.
3. Liquid chlorine is the VERY best thing to chlorinate your pool........it's just cumbersome. You should use it until you learn more and can make an informed decision. There's no such thing as a pool too big for LQ.

4. Your test results are pretty good. I suggest you increase CYA up to around 60 in your climate

5. TFP has no control over advice from other places. Trying to mix and blend that advice is seldom productive. Find a site that makes sense to you and stick with it.

You need a BIG dose of "pool care basics" to better understand how to adjust your chemistry. Once you learn about the types of chlorine, you can make an informed decision on how to chlorinate your pool.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

First choice for low maintenance is a saltwater chlorine generator. Install the control panel, plumb in the cell, add salt and you've got chlorine. Salt is converted into chlorine in the cell, then converts back into salt when depleted. Despite what you've heard, don't worry about higher salt levels. Levels only need to be about 3,000 ppm (less than 1/10th of sea water). All pools have salt from the byproducts of chemicals used. It's not uncommon for pools that use traditional forms of chlorination to have salt levels in excess of 2,000 ppm.

SWG cells don't last forever. Buying a SWG system is like buying a whole bunch of chlorine ahead of time. Others have done the math and calculations show that a SWG can pay for itself after a few seasons. As mentioned above, the key benefit is not having to lug jugs and dose liquid everyday. You can vacation without worries as the SWG takes care of daily FC needs.

When choosing a SWG, look at volume ratings and chlorine gas produced per day. TFP recommends a unit rated a 2X the pool volume. For your pool, the CircuPool RJ60 Plus would be a no-brainer. Select the RJ45 and upgrade to the RJ60 for $10.

 

[Mdragger88]

I am so lost as to what sanitizer to use. I was using trichlor tabs and all the Facebook and internet forums said to stop using them because it'll raise your CYA to the point you'll need to drain the pool. So I switched to cal-hypo tabs and now I'm told I don't want to use this because your calcium will go through the roof and you'll need to drain your pool.

It’s true that unfettered use of trichlor & dichlor will raise your cya quickly & they are also acidic.
& the same applies to cal hypo with regard to calcium buildup.
So those are not recommended for daily chlorination. Save them for vacation when you can’t be there to dose.
Instead we recommend liquid chlorine or a salt water chlorine generator for daily chlorination.

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.google.com

So then I say I'm just going to use liquid and I'm told that first my pool is too big to effectively use liquid and second, liquid will destroy my vinyl liner.

This part about damage is not true if used properly. Pour liquid chlorine in slowly infront of a running return & brush the area.
All manually added forms of chlorine can damage your liner if they are allowed to rest on it.
Yes, your pool is large- it will require larger amounts of any form of chlorine.
Liquid chlorine is still the cheapest form of manually added chlorine available in most places especially if you seek out the best price.

So someone please tell me what the heck am I supposed to use. I don't know enough about salt, but I'm told I'd still need to use some form of chlorine.

My pool is crystal clear and up until yesterday my numbers were
FC 4.6
CC .2
PH 7.4
ALK 90
CH 100
CYA 35


My FC is a little higher right now since I bought the floater, but everything else is still good.

Your fc of 7ppm is not high it’s right where you want it.
Your cya counts as 40 for chlorination purposes (always round up if between two values). FC/CYA Levels

Either sell the cal hypo tabs or get a proper feeder for them if you wish to continue with them.
Use
PoolMath effects of adding to see what each dissolved tab (cal hypo or trichlor) will do to your water. Most are around 8oz.
This applies to all chems- blind use of any chemical isn’t recommended. Use effects of adding before hand so you know what each thing will do & whether you need it to do those things or not.

Btw- when testing fc & cc you can use a 10ml sample, one heaping scoop of dpd powder and each drop counts as .5 ppm. This will save your reagents & is plenty accurate enough.