Looking for replacement chlorinator

[GrayCatbird]

Hi. I have a Hydropools inline chlorinator that is leaking on me again. I changed the O ring, and it still leaks.

The design of this piece of equipment is poor. The top is extremely difficult to remove and put back on. To get it tight enough, I have had to whack it with a mallet on one of five tabs sticking out from the sides of the top. And then, when I need to remove the top to put another chlorine tab in -- you guessed it, I am having to whack on the sides of the top with the mallet. I managed to sheer off one of the tabs last season. That accidental removal of the tab doesn't seem to have changed the integrity of the unit.

Since I have this thing leaking on me again, I am interested in replacing it altogether, but I'd like to find one with a top that is easier to remove and reinstall. I've seen the Hayward ones that look to be better, and have a wrench available for. I vaguely recall having a Hayward chlorinator when we had the pool (18-ft round above-ground) installed about 15 years ago, and I am remembering some cheapo plastic wrench for loosening and tightening the top, but the wrench didn't last more than a couple seasons.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks.

 

[magiteck]

Hi and welcome! Do you use the inline chlorinator as your primary means of adding chlorine to the water?

You won’t find a lot of love here for inline chlorinators. The pucks tend to result in too much CYA (stabilizer) building up in the water, and can lead to water balance issues (and ultimately algae).

They can have their place for a vacation or if you need to boost your CYA levels, but for daily chlorination either liquid chlorine/bleach or a Salt Water Chlorine Generator is recommended.

With that — the best recommendation would be to remove the chlorinator and replace it with a SWG.

I suggest reading through ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry for a better understanding of the science behind the recommendations here.

 

[GrayCatbird]

Thanks for the advice.

I've been fighting with these inline chlorinators for years. I had to replace the one I had. When I got a new tank installed a few years ago (that now needs to be replaced; see my other thread on that), the guys who installed it did an awful piping job, and the chlorinator has to be at an angle. It's a few feet off the ground. If I replace it with another inline chlorinator, I'd consider redoing the piping so it's on the ground, where I can get better leverage for unscrewing/rescrewing the lid. To get the lid on/off, I am having to put pressure on joins in the pipes, which sometimes creates new leaks. Not a great situation.

Does the use of a SWG require that I convert the whole system to salt water?

 

[magiteck]

Does the use of a SWG require that I convert the whole system to salt water?

The only real difference between a "salt water system" and a regular chlorine pool, is a slightly higher salt content in the water and the addition of the SWG.

You would first measure the existing salt level of your water, as all pool water has some amount of salt in it. [Salt is added during the process of chlorinating]. You'd then add just enough salt to reach the level required by the SWG, which is typically around 3,000ppm. This is still a relatively low salt level - For comparison, the ocean has a salt level of approximately 35,000 ppm, and human tears have a salt level of approximately 7,000 ppm. The threshold for humans to taste any amount of salt is generally about 3,500ppm. So comparatively, it's a rather low level of salt required.

Once you've added the proper level of salt, and the SWG, the SWG uses electricity to convert that salt into chlorine. The chlorine breaks down back into salt, and the cycle continues. So you don't have to re-add salt, unless you lose some due to backwashing/splash-out/etc.

Keep in mind, however, that water testing and adjustment is still necessary. The pucks you've been using are acidic, and contribute to pH dropping. Most people using pucks would need to raise their pH periodically because of this. Since the SWG is not adding acid to the water, pH will tend to rise over time instead as CO2 outgasses from the water. Muriatic acid is then needed to bring the pH level back down. As long as you control your pH and general chemical balance, years of evidence on this forum have found that any pool can use a SWG without contributing to any increased wear/corrosion/etc. on the system.

 

[GrayCatbird]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing this info.

 

[GrayCatbird]

So, if I wanted to remove the chlorinator altogether and just treat the water directly, that seems viable to me. To boost chlorine levels, I sometimes put a puck in the filter basket.

The chlorinator doesn’t seem to provide benefit, and it is usually a source of leaks. Bypassing it would eliminate the opportunity for leaks.

thoughts on this approach? Thanks

 

[magiteck]

So, if I wanted to remove the chlorinator altogether and just treat the water directly, that seems viable to me. To boost chlorine levels, I sometimes put a puck in the filter basket.

The chlorinator doesn’t seem to provide benefit, and it is usually a source of leaks. Bypassing it would eliminate the opportunity for leaks.

thoughts on this approach? Thanks

You can absolutely remove the chlorinator and manually chlorinate. A few things, though:

We do not recommend the long term use of pucks for chlorination. Liquid chlorine (or plain bleach) is the best to use as it doesn’t result in other chemicals, like stabilizer (cya) or calcium building up in the pool water.

You will want a good test kit to help you monitor chlorine and other chemical levels. We recommend either the Taylor K2006-C or the TFTestkits TF-100, which is the better value and easily obtained from tftestkits.net.

The PoolMath app is a lifesaver and will help you track your levels, understand how much of what chemicals to add, etc. If you subscribe for only $7/year you can also log results to see changes over time, and also share those results with the forum to get help any time you need with your chemicals.

If you do use pucks, either to intentionally raise your CYA, or if you’re going away for a few days, we do not recommend putting them in the skimmer or pump basket. Just get a cheap $10 floater and use that. Placing them in the basket results in highly chlorinated, acidic water going directly through your system. If your pump turns off for any reason, this is amplified and can cause equipment damage over time.

Lastly, to keep the correct level of residual sanitizer in your water, you want to follow the FC/CYA Levels. That will tell you how much chlorine you should have based on your CYA level.

So- next step, if you want to be on your way to a trouble free pool. Get yourself one of the recommended test kits. Once you get it, do all the tests, and post up the results like this:
FC-
pH-
TA-
CH-
CYA-

From there, we’ll guide you on what to do. And it can all be done with cheap chemicals from the grocery/home improvement store. No fancy pool store potions needed. Cheap and easy.

We’re here to guide you, but everything you need to know is also laid out in the Pool School articles on this site. ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry is the best place to start.

After manually chlorinating for a bit, which typically requires taking a couple minutes every day to add chlorine, you can decide if you want to go with the SWG. I manually chlorinate - 5 minutes a day to check and adjust is no big deal for me, but everyone is different.

 

[GrayCatbird]

Wow! Thanks for this comprehensive response!

 

[GrayCatbird]

Went to two hardware stores today to find the right PVC fittings to remove the Chlorinator. Yowza, I am remembering what a racket the pool store guys have, with non-standard plumbing fittings. Got something at Lowe’s that fits, until you tighten it, and then it spins and doesn’t tighten it. Looks like I get to go to Leslie’s tomorrow to pay 800-900% markup on a specialty piece of PVC.

 

[magiteck]

Went to two hardware stores today to find the right PVC fittings to remove the Chlorinator. Yowza, I am remembering what a racket the pool store guys have, with non-standard plumbing fittings. Got something at Lowe’s that fits, until you tighten it, and then it spins and doesn’t tighten it. Looks like I get to go to Leslie’s tomorrow to pay 800-900% markup on a specialty piece of PVC.

Are you able to post a picture of your plumbing/chlorinator?

 

[DeanP66]

You should be able to just cut out the chlorinator and then add two couplings and another piece of straight pipe to connect them and glue them together. Shouldn't cost you more than $10 IF you have to buy the primer and glue.

 

[GrayCatbird]

Are you able to post a picture of your plumbing/chlorinator?

Are you able to post a picture of your plumbing/chlorinator?

The fitting I was struggling with was the female half of a union collar (I am probably not describing this part correctly) that screwed onto the chlorinator. The other end was screwed into in intake pipe in the MultIPort atop the tank. I discovered, at Leslie’s, that the MultIPort intake accepted a threaded male 1 1/2 inch PVC fitting. Bought that fitting at Leslie’s for $1.19. More than it would have been at Lowe’s, but not horribly so. Surprise. I removed the fitting from my MultIPort, tested fitted the new fitting, and it worked. So, I plumbed everything, then threw the chlorinator in the garbage. That felt good!

 

[derekm]

Hi. I have a Hydropools inline chlorinator that is leaking on me again. I changed the O ring, and it still leaks.

The design of this piece of equipment is poor. The top is extremely difficult to remove and put back on. To get it tight enough, I have had to whack it with a mallet on one of five tabs sticking out from the sides of the top. And then, when I need to remove the top to put another chlorine tab in -- you guessed it, I am having to whack on the sides of the top with the mallet. I managed to sheer off one of the tabs last season. That accidental removal of the tab doesn't seem to have changed the integrity of the unit.

Since I have this thing leaking on me again, I am interested in replacing it altogether, but I'd like to find one with a top that is easier to remove and reinstall. I've seen the Hayward ones that look to be better, and have a wrench available for. I vaguely recall having a Hayward chlorinator when we had the pool (18-ft round above-ground) installed about 15 years ago, and I am remembering some cheapo plastic wrench for loosening and tightening the top, but the wrench didn't last more than a couple seasons.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks.

In defence of chlorinators, I've had the same Rainbow 320 for 25 years or so, and find it great for vacations, since I haven't invested in a Saltwater Chlorine Generator. Total maintenance has been replacing the cover's "O" ring once. I remove and tighten the cover by hand without difficulty. I also use it at season startup (before heating) to both chlorinate and get the CYA into the normal range, as mine always goes down during the winter. Once swimming season starts I turn it off unless going away, and often turn it on again in September and October when we are using the pool less. The key to success with chlorinators is to watch the CYA. I can load it with pucks and come back from a 2 week vacation and start swimming immediately, as the chlorine level is normal or a bit on the high side.