Easy DIY Funnel for Adding Stabilizer

[Aleila]

Here's a super simple diy funnel system for measuring out stabilizer and neatly pouring the powder into a knee high. It will take more time to read the directions than to actually make the two part funnel.

If you can imagine a red solo cup with the bottom cut out stacked on top of another red solo cup (with bottom intact) with a pantyhose sandwiched in between both cups - you can skip the instructions!

Cut a hole out of the bottom of one of the cups. This bottomless cup will be stacked on top of the other cup.

Place a paper towel on the scale and add the cup with bottom on top of the paper towel.

Position the knee high into the cup (with bottom) on the scale, then stack the bottomless cup on top of the other cup.

The knee high should now be sandwiched between both both cups.

Tare out the scale.

Now pour in desired amount of stabilizer. (You can raise the bottomless cup to accommodate larger quantities.)

Remove bottomless cup, leaving the pantyhose filled with stabilizer in the cup with the bottom. Tie a knot on the pantyhose and use the cup to carry measured stabilizer poolside.

I labeled each cup with masking tape that says, "FOR POOL CHEMICALS" on opposite sides of each cup and stored them in a ziplock bag.

Hope this makes adding stabilizer to your pool easier and less of a mess.

Please share any good tips you know that make adding chemicals and maintaining the pool easier.

 

[gonfishin]

Brilliant

 

[Arizonarob]

I buy my stabilizer in 4lb jugs. I just wait till poolmath says “add 4lbs”, then I dump the whole thing in the sock. Done.

 

[Aleila]

I buy my stabilizer in 4lb jugs. I just wait till poolmath says “add 4lbs”, then I dump the whole thing in the sock. Done.

I am a newbie and still trying to figure it all out. How often do you add stabilizer Rob? I am a beginner at the Trouble Free Pool way. The sun is relentless here so I want to maintain the CYA level to help keep the chlorine from being zapped to nothing.
This is what I am trying to avoid by keeping the levels in the target range...

“Cyanuric acid, commonly called a stabilizer, protects chlorine from UV rays. This increases the longevity of the chlorine and reduces how often pool owners need to add chlorine. Without stabilizers, the swimming pool willneed up to twice as much chlorine.”

 

[markayash]

I found another benefit of hair nets in the skimmers..I poured a little bit in each skimmer and came back the next day and added a little more..Took about 3 days to add all 4 pds

 

[Arizonarob]

I am a newbie and still trying to figure it all out. How often do you add stabilizer Rob? I am a beginner at the Trouble Free Pool way. The sun is relentless here so I want to maintain the CYA level to help keep the chlorine from being zapped to nothing.
This is what I am trying to avoid by keeping the levels in the target range...

“Cyanuric acid, commonly called a stabilizer, protects chlorine from UV rays. This increases the longevity of the chlorine and reduces how often pool owners need to add chlorine. Without stabilizers, the swimming pool willneed up to twice as much chlorine.”

Aleila,

I was making a joke with my post.

In all seriousness, I add my CYA in the spring of the year. I raise my CYA to 80 (I’m in the desert, so the sun is brutally strong in the summer.) in April, and then let it slowly fall to 30-40 by the end of September. I test my CYA every month during the summer, so I know the correct amount of chlorine to add daily.

As far as how I add it, I either hang in front of a return, or put it in the skimmer via a skimmer sock.

 

[Household6]

I use an old tube sock. Wrap the opening of the sock around the mouth of the container, wrap my hand around the opening to secure the sock, then flip the container upside down and it pours into the sock.

I need something that allows me to add liquid bleach/chlorine when I have on nice clothes and not wind up with spots all over them. Never fails to happen.

 

[Aleila]

This might help, but your clothes might be wrinkled afterwards - Kleenguard A60 Bloodborne Pathogen and Chemical Protective Coverall Suit Hooded and Booted - M, L, XL, 2XL (Extra Large) - - Amazon.com

 

[Aleila]

Aleila,

I was making a joke with my post. ☺

In all seriousness, I add my CYA in the spring of the year. I raise my CYA to 80 (I’m in the desert, so the sun is brutally strong in the summer.) in April, and then let it slowly fall to 30-40 by the end of September. I test my CYA every month during the summer, so I know the correct amount of chlorine to add daily.

As far as how I add it, I either hang in front of a return, or put it in the skimmer via a skimmer sock.

I’m glad you were joking - I wondered how much FC you were needing to add each day!

 

[Arizonarob]

I’m glad you were joking - I wondered how much FC you were needing to add each day!

During June, July, and August, I use about a quart a day in liquid chlorine.

 

[Aleila]

Another thing I discovered is that the nozzle tip from the clear ketchup dispenser bottles from Walmart fits on the pool supply store pool water sample bottle. Makes it very easy to measure 10ml, 25 ml or fill CYA test bottle.

 

[jeffr47]

I found a delicates bag designed for laundry worked great. It was zippered, so I had a large opening, and the mesh was fine enough to prevent the powder from coming out.

 

[Aleila]

I found a delicates bag designed for laundry worked great. It was zippered, so I had a large opening, and the mesh was fine enough to prevent the powder from coming out.

Great idea. I bought a one gallon paint strainer bag today but I like your idea too. Not too keen on throwing away the hairnets.

 

[Arizonarob]

Don’t use disposable hairnets with CYA. They don’t work well with it. You can use reusable skimmer socks.

 

[sixfive34]

Nice invention! I used a large kitchen funnel...it just required adding, tapping the sock to force everything downward/stretch the sock and adding more.
I've used the skimmer debris shields in the past and tried a dress sock this year. The dress sock worked well b/c it allowed the skimmer to keep working w/o everything ending up in the debris shield. It may have been impatience but I found that the dress sock needed to be knocked around to get things moving/dissolving. It may have done it on it's own over time but, for me, the debris shield worked quicker and didn't require any intervention on my part (other than putting in on/off and cleaning at the end). My pool temps are usually in the high 80s, which makes it go pretty quickly.