Old pucks not dissolving

[Jordy Verrill]

Do pucks usually lose their ability to dissolve? I have some that are like 5 years old and tried to use them at the end of last season since my cya was low and I was mainly just trying to keep the pool from going green before closing it... But they didn't dissolve very well. Like I put them in the chlorinator for two weeks and they were still like 90% unresolved. I was probably going to try to use them this season, at least early on, since bleach is so hard to come by and most places here haven't started carrying pool stuff yet. Should I get some new ones, or might it be a problem with my inline chlorinator? It fills with water when I activate it, and it's only a couple years old.

Just looking for anyone who might have knowledge about d pucks not dissolving.

 

[aeh0603]

What is your water temperature? I know pucks dissolve slower in cold water.

 

[Jordy Verrill]

I haven't tried them this year but when I used them last year the water was in upper 70s to low 80s

 

[aeh0603]

Oh ok, in that case it doesn't sound like water temperature is your problem.

You said the chlorinator fills up with water, but can you tell if water is flowing through it? I've never used one myself, but I've read on here that they have settings where you can choose how much water is flowing through it to help control how fast the pucks dissolve. What is the current setting? Can you post a picture of your set up? That can usually help the experts troubleshoot your specific set up.

I've never heard of pucks loosing their ability to dissolve, so at this point I'm guessing it's more of an equipment issue. Maybe a valve broke or was closed, or a setting was changed and water is not flowing through it like it should. Hopefully someone who knows more about the inline chlorinators will chime in soon and can help you troubleshoot.

Good luck!

 

[markayash]

water temp does make a huge difference, that would get me every spring..I would check the chlorinator and barely getting used and then temp would rise at easter/spring break while I was gone and my pool would turn green
Also like mentioned make sure water is flowing through it. I have had the return get plugged with pieces of broke tablets

 

[Jordy Verrill]

It's all under a winter tarp right now or I would post a picture. I have a good, local pool store that I use for opening and closing (due to my own laziness) so I will ask them to check the equipment out when they open it in a coupe weeks. The owner is awesome and understands the TFP method and never tries to sell me chemicals other than liquid chlorine so I trust him.