The Liquidator installation is done..

[cruzmisl]

Hi All,
I wanted to get a device that would dump liquid chlorine into my pool since I am lazy and can't keep up adding bleach everyday. I Was considering an SWG but they are really expensive and I didn't want to go that route. I also did not want to use pucks since the stabilizer builds up.

I found The Liquidator online and decided to but it. This model holds four gallons of bleach and meters it directly into the suction side of the pump. It's a simp[le concept and so far it works pretty well. Here are some pics.

Here is what it looks like

Here you can see the bleach layer on the bottom (yellow) and the water layer on top (clear)

These are the connections to the pump system.

This is the meter used to determine how much chlorine is being metered into the pool.

All in all a pretty slick system and took only 20 minutes to install. We'll see how it works over the next few weeks.

Joe

 

[SeanB]

Welcom to the site. That is very clever. Keep us updated and thanks for sharing.

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Joe,

Welcome. I saw that thing about a year ago and it's pretty interesting. I'll be very interested in your luck with it. Please keep us posted. You're gonna get a lot of comments...great pics

Did ya' get that little drip fixed? You should be proud of that pvc work...it's as good as any I've seen.

 

[cruzmisl]

Thanks! I think I got it fixed. No wet spots anywhere but the way it was plumbed I had to do the run from the filter to the heater all over again

You should have seen the old plumbing the PB had done. What a joke. All flex pipe that was sun blistered and NOTHING was square. That's why I have so many elbows and 45's from the pump/heater to the valves. What did I expect for $30K??? :?

 

[Buggsw]

Wow! That's pretty cool. Thanks for showing all the pics. Please do a review of it after you've used it for a while.

 

[lovingHDTV]

Where did you find it online?

thanks,

 

[ric]

Hi cruzmisl
I have done a lot of looking at this unit. I found there web site and looked at the device. I had run it over in my mine and decided to purchase one so I looked and I looked. and looked again. I even have written to Hasa with no reply. I thought this might be a big help while on vacation and such but I cant find anybody to sell me one. Whare on earth did you find the Hass Liquidator???
please let me know
Ric W

 

[lebaige]

You know, that seems like a decent idea but I wonder how much chlorine breakdown you get storing it out in the heat and sun like that. The plastic they use doesn't look entirely opaque ...

For the record I called the company and they are basically a regional distributor to pool stores in the California area. They suggested i go to their website and try calling some of the dealers listed there to see if any of them could sell one and ship it to me.

 

[DrC]

ric,

I don't know where cruzmisl purchased his but I know that PoolandSpaWarehouse has them for sale. I just can't decide if that is what I want to do for those vacations and weekends away.

Liquidator Link Here

 

[ric]

Thanks everybody I will chk the link and see about cost. if the cl would break down i think it would be better then nothing. thanks again Ric W

 

[cruzmisl]

Sorry for not responding sooner, I was on vacation.

Anyway, the link provided above is where I bought mine. As far as performance goes, I haven't really had a chance to play with it. I left on vacation after the install so I will report back after another week or so.

As far as breakdown, you're correct. It shouldn't be left out exposed to the sun. I plan on putting a barrier around mine but just haven't had a chance. So far I have a big planter blocking it from the sun. The heat is no higher than where I store my bleach in the garage so I'm not too worried about that but the direct sun should be avoided.

 

[cliff_s]

Looks like a good unit. I tried another brand a few years ago and the chlorine
ate the plastic and the unit failed after a few months and the manufacturer
would not honor the warranty and shortly after they went out of business.

I would get some split corrugated tubing(used for electrical wiring and available
at Home Depot) to cover all the clear plastic tubing. This tubing is not UV resistant
and in a year or so will fail. The UV resistant tubing is black. I did this on another pool
and the tubing was good after 5 years.

It looks as though the water cap is to keep the chlorine from evaporating before it is used.
Hasa does sell their own brand of chlorine and it is availble at some stores here in Phoenix.
Since most pools will use a couple of gallons of chlorine a week I don't think there is much worry about
heat and sunlight. I did pump chlorine from a 15 gallon plastic drum with a peristaltic pump for
several years on another pool and it worked just fine. The only problem you have to remember to fill
the tank.

Cliff s

 

[Sabot]

How is the system working for you? Any issues? Hows the usage been?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[cruzmisl]

Works perfectly! As far as usage goes I can't really say. With bleach costing 1.29 a gallon I'm not too worried about it.

 

[Sabot]

Can you explain the ins and outs of cleaning and how often? What do you do with the salt and other stuff in the bottom?

 

[keithw]

Mine has been working great for a few months now. I have yet to clean it out. Based on what I have seen of the buildup this year, I anticipate that I will clean it out at the end of the season and it'll be fine throughout the next season. IT has been great. If you use Bleach to sanitize your pool, you can;t go wrong with a Liquidator.

 

[GoGrabTheNet]

Wow, this thread is old! However, I'm reviving it from the depths of TFP history for some modern-day questions!

If you're still active, Keithw, can you please comment on how your Liquidator is still holding up and functioning? It's been 9 years.

To me, the salt buildup at the bottom of the Liquidator sounds like a PITA. I assume the easiest way to drain and clean the unit would be to close the pressure-side check valve and let the suction remove all of the X gallons of pool water out of the container so it could be disconnected and acid-cleaned. That is, of course, if all of the salts are "stuck" to the plastic and not free-floating. In other words, the salts must not be sucked back into the pool through the pump.

With respect to those salts, what are they exactly? I know that TDS in a pool should be ignored, but it is known that adding any chlorine solution (as sodium hypochlorite) will add salts to a pool, thereby increasing salinity and overall TDS. So these salts at the bottom of the Liquidator...are they the salts that sodium hypochlorite adds to the pool, but now they're contained in the Liquidator itself rather than in the actual pool water? Another way of thinking to my question is that the Liquidator only adds chlorine to the pool, perhaps in some chemical breakdown/reaction, thereby not raising overall TDS?

The Liquidator seems like a decent product, however, if the above BIG question is not true, then it seems more of a PITA to operate and maintain. Simple and cheap, yes, but probably also won't govern a pool properly with a variable speed pump also.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[keithw]

Yes I am still active and still using the LQ. It has worked great for however many years I am going on now. 9! They also basically warrant the various parts in it indefinitely. Just call Hasa with any issues. I wanted spares of all of the stuff in case I needed them so I bought a second unit probably 4 years ago. It is pretty much maintenance free for me. I used to clean it and drain it once a season but to be honest the past 2-3 years I have just ignored it. I will probably drain it and dump the solids out this winter. The solids/salts go to the bottom and never become a factor. The bleach area is above the solids and then pool water on top of that. The easiest way to clean it is run it until all the bleach is gone. Turn off the pump and let it drain down to where the floats close it off. Disconnect the hoses at the LQ and dump it. Easy peasy. A great product if you are looking for an alternative to an SWG. BTW the solids buildup is not dramatic. Over 3 years mine is about 1/2"-1" deep and it doesn't get disturbed during filling or operation. It just sits down there out of the way! My understanding is that it is salts and other impurities in the bleach but I have not tested it. Not sure on your question on the variable speed pump. It needs to push out enough water to create the flow into and out of the LQ. I try to run my pool 6-8 hours a day and I stagger the run times into 2 hours blocks, spread throughout the day/night. Seems to work for me.

 

[Drd]

Yes I am still active and still using the LQ. It has worked great for however many years I am going on now. 9! They also basically warrant the various parts in it indefinitely. Just call Hasa with any issues. I wanted spares of all of the stuff in case I needed them so I bought a second unit probably 4 years ago. It is pretty much maintenance free for me. I used to clean it and drain it once a season but to be honest the past 2-3 years I have just ignored it. I will probably drain it and dump the solids out this winter. The solids/salts go to the bottom and never become a factor. The bleach area is above the solids and then pool water on top of that. The easiest way to clean it is run it until all the bleach is gone. Turn off the pump and let it drain down to where the floats close it off. Disconnect the hoses at the LQ and dump it. Easy peasy. A great product if you are looking for an alternative to an SWG. BTW the solids buildup is not dramatic. Over 3 years mine is about 1/2"-1" deep and it doesn't get disturbed during filling or operation. It just sits down there out of the way! My understanding is that it is salts and other impurities in the bleach but I have not tested it. Not sure on your question on the variable speed pump. It needs to push out enough water to create the flow into and out of the LQ. I try to run my pool 6-8 hours a day and I stagger the run times into 2 hours blocks, spread throughout the day/night. Seems to work for me.

I read somewhere you need the pump speed at at least 2200 rpm or above for the LQ to move the chlorine and work properly (my Variable will meet this for 5 hrs each night) . I'm glad to see this will work even in the Phoenix heat which I was concerned about. I am putting one in and it will sit by the pump on the side of the house facing east which has a narrow walkway and then block wall so it is in the shade once sun is over head of house but it is still hot out but on the other hand it isn't sitting in a plastic bottle full strength; under pool water I think it has better protection. I will not buy up and store a bunch of bleach. I also read the higher the percentage of bleach like the Hasa 12.5% the quicker it loses potency but the weaker the potency like 10% or 8.5% they holds their potency longer; now that's weird. I also read some bleaches lose potency before their even sold due to storage in warehouses or store shelves/receiving docks before being purchased and I think that might be true if not supplied directly by the suppier to the stores location and sold within a few days. Chances in the summer larger supplies are bought to meet demand so you might find your requirements on how much you need differ when you test your pool for FC levels. I understand the only way is to check the manufacture date (juliann date) to see when it was bottle by the manufacturer and don't buy if over 45 days old or you can't depend on the potency stated.

 

[tim5055]

I read somewhere you need the pump speed at at least 2200 rpm or above for the LQ to move the chlorine and work properly (my Variable will meet this for 5 hrs each night) . I'm glad to see this will work even in the Phoenix heat which I was concerned about. I am putting one in and it will sit by the pump on the side of the house facing east which has a narrow walkway and then block wall so it is in the shade once sun is over head of house but it is still hot out but on the other hand it isn't sitting in a plastic bottle full strength; under pool water I think it has better protection. I will not buy up and store a bunch of bleach. I also read the higher the percentage of bleach like the Hasa 12.5% the quicker it loses potency but the weaker the potency like 10% or 8.5% they holds their potency longer; now that's weird. I also read some bleaches lose potency before their even sold due to storage in warehouses or store shelves/receiving docks before being purchased and I think that might be true if not supplied directly by the suppier to the stores location and sold within a few days. Chances in the summer larger supplies are bought to meet demand so you might find your requirements on how much you need differ when you test your pool for FC levels. I understand the only way is to check the manufacture date (juliann date) to see when it was bottle by the manufacturer and don't buy if over 45 days old or you can't depend on the potency stated.

You will find that if you search on folks who have the LQ and a VS pump they eventually end up having problems. The LQ seems to work better with single speed or maybe 2 speed pumps.