Chlorine pucks are enticing to me.

[foxbody]

Hey all,

TLDR: Are using chlorine pucks really that bad, if I keep my CYA and other levels within range?

So after 3 years of temporary pools, I'm upgrading to a permanent AGP. I use the TFP methods, including adding liquid chlorine daily. My best friend is on year 2 of his permanent AGP and swears by chlorine pucks and his test strips. Now, I got him to admit he didn't know the pucks have stabilizer in them, and he could not tell exactly what his CYA level is (He said somewhere between 50 - 100). However, he does not need to add chlorine everyday like I do and I'm just wondering if using a puck here and there is really that bad, if I continue to maintain my CYA level and FC levels in good relationship to each other?

Thanks!

 

[JJ_Tex]

The problem is with people just blindly using pucks as their sole source of chlorine. As long as you are testing and know you have wiggle room in your CYA, a puck now and then is not going to hurt you.

With that said, every 1/2 lb trichlor puck is going to add 6.7 CYA to your pool. So even if you start from 0, you are going to reach high CYA very quickly.

 

[Newdude]

It's great in the spring, but you usually need a *now* boost at opening and can't wait the couple of weeks it would take by using pucks to get from 0-ish to 30. From that point, you'd be 40+ by the end of the week when using pucks.

Also, when your buddy invites you over for a swim BBQ, conveniently forget your swimsuit at home. If he doesn't know his CYA level, and no, 50 to 100 is not a level, then the pool likely isnt sanitary. I'd bet a paycheck on it actually, that he isn't guessing the correct ratio needed. And I'd bet a yearly salary he isn't raising his FC weekly to match the higher CYA from the pucks, becoming less sanitary by the week. He can swear by it all he wants, he is playing blind darts.

 

[foxbody]

It's great in the spring, but you usually need a *now* boost at opening and can't wait the couple of weeks it would take by using pucks to get from 0-ish to 30. From that point, you'd be 40+ by the end of the week when using pucks.

Also, when your buddy invites you over for a swim BBQ, conveniently forget your swimsuit at home. If he doesn't know his CYA level, and no, 50 to 100 is not a level, then the pool likely isnt sanitary. I'd bet a paycheck on it actually, that he isn't guessing the correct ratio needed. And I'd bet a yearly salary he isn't raising his FC weekly to match the higher CYA from the pucks, becoming less sanitary by the week. He can swear by it all he wants, he is playing blind darts.

Oh I guarantee you're correct. He probably doesn't even know there's a recommended ratio. With that said, he was also very hesitant to any recommendation, despite me coming over last year with my Taylor test kit and showing him exactly how to test all his levels. He says "my pool is clear so I'm doing something right!"... Which is what a lot of people say.
I know it's incorrect but I'm just looking at how using a puck here and there might be OK to reduce my trips out to add chlorine (spring start up maybe, a vacation, or whenever I might miss a couple days)

Thanks!

 

[Jimrahbe]

FB,

There is no reason you can't use pucks if you want... As long as you test and make sure your keep your FC in the proper relationship with your CYA, then you should be good.

The only downside to using pucks is that your pool will smell like a public pool...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[arvil]

When my AG was installed back in ‘03, the PB said just use these pucks and do shock every other week, that’s all ya need. That was good for a couple years, then in August ‘05, I started getting algae even at shock levels. So, I browsed around until I fell upon this forum, and I learned much. Got the TFT kit and found my CYA was over 150, had to do a 50% dilution test to find that out. So, the problem is that yes the pucks are pretty much CYA with the chlorine already attached. At those high levels, there is so little actual free chlorine in the water and most is tied up in the CYA, the algae doesn’t care. You can’t tell because as you test, drop by drop, you ‘use up’ the free chlorine with each drop then the CYA release more chlorine to solution to rebalance until all the chlorine is gone. So when you are testing, you are reading free chlorine plus CYA chlorine. I had to drain and replace half my water to get it to about 75 ppm, then add hypochlorite to kill the algae. The next day, the green dust was now black dust.
In the spring, I add ‘stabilizer’ (CYA) and liquid hypo adding a couple of pucks to help keep it up. I also keep a few for when someone stops in while I’m on vacation, they just add pucks as necessary. Thing is, pucks are so expensive now I use them sparingly. Even hypo has gone from $3.60 to over $6 per gallon in the last couple years.

 

[foxbody]

When my AG was installed back in ‘03, the PB said just use these pucks and do shock every other week, that’s all ya need. That was good for a couple years, then in August ‘05, I started getting algae even at shock levels. So, I browsed around until I fell upon this forum, and I learned much. Got the TFT kit and found my CYA was over 150, had to do a 50% dilution test to find that out. So, the problem is that yes the pucks are pretty much CYA with the chlorine already attached. At those high levels, there is so little actual free chlorine in the water and most is tied up in the CYA, the algae doesn’t care. You can’t tell because as you test, drop by drop, you ‘use up’ the free chlorine with each drop then the CYA release more chlorine to solution to rebalance until all the chlorine is gone. So when you are testing, you are reading free chlorine plus CYA chlorine. I had to drain and replace half my water to get it to about 75 ppm, then add hypochlorite to kill the algae. The next day, the green dust was now black dust.
In the spring, I add ‘stabilizer’ (CYA) and liquid hypo adding a couple of pucks to help keep it up. I also keep a few for when someone stops in while I’m on vacation, they just add pucks as necessary. Thing is, pucks are so expensive now I use them sparingly. Even hypo has gone from $3.60 to over $6 per gallon in the last couple years.

Good cautionary tale. I will stick with the liquid chlorine as advocated here. Maybe I will grab a bucket of pucks to use very sparingly in case of leaving for vacation or not able to add daily chlorine. You're right, I was paying $3.50 last year for the liquid chlorine at Walmart and this year I'm in the $5s. Hopefully the prices will start decreasing as inflation decreases. This year I bought 9 gallons in spring then another 6 in early July. So an extra $30 isn't terrible. My total chemical costs are under $100 this year. Glad I found this site.