Floating Liquid Chlorinator

[RHPDaddy]

Hi, I am a new member although I have been using TFP for years. Given the problem with CYA in the dichlorvos tablets, has anyone tried making a floating liquid chlorinator? I have been searching to no avail. I realize there are some safety (and efficacy) concerns but you would think in the 21st century we could design something that would keep your FC levels up for at least a few days without being a major safety issue. Anyone seen one or tried making one?

 

[Grape Ape]

Some folks will (gently) drop a jug or two in the pool to slowly mix while they are vacation. I wouldn't do it for fear of bleaching and if I did I wouldn't swim while the jug was still in there.

I think a stenner pump might be the nearest thing to what you're looking for.

 

[RHPDaddy]

Thanks for the response. Does anyone use a sterner pump to inject chlorine directly into the pool? Or is it usually an in-line injection requiring the pump to run?

 

[jblizzle]

I would think you only want in-line as you need to the pump to be running to mix the chemistry anyway.

 

[RHPDaddy]

I understand what you are saying. But I have a Solar Breeze skimmer that goes around and around the pool all day and all night. It would be great if it was leaving a little trail of liquid chlorine as it went. It does have a space for two 3” tablets but I would rather it dispense liquid chlorine. Also, does anyone have good data about how well or poorly liquid chlorine diffuses through a pool if the pump was turned off?

 

[Geebot]

I understand what you are saying. But I have a Solar Breeze skimmer that goes around and around the pool all day and all night. It would be great if it was leaving a little trail of liquid chlorine as it went. It does have a space for two 3” tablets but I would rather it dispense liquid chlorine. Also, does anyone have good data about how well or poorly liquid chlorine diffuses through a pool if the pump was turned off?

Even if you could use a highly concentrated liquid chlorine, that volume ("space for two 3" tablets") wouldn't accomplish what you're trying to do. If you want to get a hands-off solution that will chlorinate for a few days the demand could easily get to a gallon or two. Do you really want a two-gallon container of chlorine floating around your pool? Adding liquid chlorine is the simplest maintenance step of pool ownership. If you need to automate for a few days every now and then, use the pucks.

 

[RHPDaddy]

I see your point. But I have a smallish pool that doesn’t have that much demand. My pool’s chlorine demand is more like 1/4 gallon per day of 10% liquid. I realize I can’t do much with my solar breeze but I am considering building a liquid chlorinator out of PVC parts that would emulate a HASA chlorinator that floats around the pool. Or maybe better resembles an expensive bottle of bleach floating around the pool. It would have a reservoir that holds at least a gallon and a valve to control the rate of diffusion.

 

[Geebot]

I see your point. But I have a smallish pool that doesn’t have that much demand. My pool’s chlorine demand is more like 1/4 gallon per day of 10% liquid. I realize I can’t do much with my solar breeze but I am considering building a liquid chlorinator out of PVC parts that would emulate a HASA chlorinator that floats around the pool. Or maybe better resembles an expensive bottle of bleach floating around the pool. It would have a reservoir that holds at least a gallon and a valve to control the rate of diffusion.

Do you ever have kids in the pool? We have a floating puck chlorinator (empty except for when we go on vacation) that's pretty much permanently in the pool. Kids are draw to it and try to take it apart. Do you want kids swimming around with a slow trickle of 10% bleach coming out of your floating device? Probably not a good idea. There's a reason that liquid chlorinators inject chlorine into a circulating stream of water and not directly into the pool itself.

 

[RHPDaddy]

You are right about that. I would take it out before letting kids in. And it would be a trickle of much less than 10% due to the higher specific gravity of chlorine compared to water. I mean, I still wouldn’t have my kids drink from it. And I would still remove it from the pool before they (or I) swim. It’s really just experimental at this point. I will test the water immediately adjacent to the chlorinator and a little further away just to get an idea about the diffusivity of the chlorine. I have questions that demand an answer. But I appreciate your concern. Thank you.

 

[Steve_in_C]

Hi, I am a new member although I have been using TFP for years. Given the problem with CYA in the dichlorvos tablets, has anyone tried making a floating liquid chlorinator? I have been searching to no avail. I realize there are some safety (and efficacy) concerns but you would think in the 21st century we could design something that would keep your FC levels up for at least a few days without being a major safety issue. Anyone seen one or tried making one?

I think your are talking about dichlor, short for dichloroisocyanuric acid - Dichloroisocyanuric acid - Wikipedia

Dichlorvos is an organophosphate insecticide - Dichlorvos - Wikipedia