Is It Bad To

[tpyke]

add powder chlorine directly into the skimmer? I had someone over this weekend who siad it could ruin the sand in the filter...

[spookyproud]

add powder chlorine directly into the skimmer? I had someone over this weekend who siad it could ruin the sand in the filter...

I have been told not to do it. Only thing that you add into the skimmer or through it would be the Stabilizer.

From everything I have read and been told---it can damage the inside of the pump and filter. I dont think anything was said about the sand.

I have been told to put a chlorine tab in the skimmer to raise the free chlorine level but now I have been told to never do that for the same reason.

Also- I was told to premix the powdered chlorine with the pool water in a bucket (if I ever use it again) because any that falls to the bottom of the pool can damage the liner. That was new to me. I have just recently switched to liquid chlorine and I love it.

[tpyke]

I can vouch for the liner thing...the liner that was in the pool when we acquired it was full of stains like when someone drops bleach on clothing.

[chem geek]

Even with chlorinating liquid or bleach, one should add it slowly over a return flow with the pump running. For extra safety, one can lightly brush the side and bottom of the pool where it has been added. This ensures thorough mixing. Even liquid concentrated forms of chlorine are denser than water so if dumped in quickly they can settle to the bottom and cause similar problems as with powders/granular that doesn't fully dissolve. Use common sense -- chlorine in any concentrated form is harsh so must be mixed thoroughly in the bulk pool water. Once mixed, it stays mixed.

[imnay]

Even with chlorinating liquid or bleach, one should add it slowly over a return flow with the pump running. For extra safety, one can lightly brush the side and bottom of the pool where it has been added. This ensures thorough mixing. Even liquid concentrated forms of chlorine are denser than water so if dumped in quickly they can settle to the bottom and cause similar problems as with powders/granular that doesn't fully dissolve. Use common sense -- chlorine in any concentrated form is harsh so must be mixed thoroughly in the bulk pool water. Once mixed, it stays mixed.

Right on with the care with harsh stuff like liquid chlorine which our opinion is that powdered products are usually a LOT more expensive than liquid and they do the same thing plus, to us, liquid disperses much more quickly than any powdered product. Even so - we have about 23k gallons and with our circular pool shape and pump and filter system our water moves at around 3 miles per hour around the pool and we still slowly and carefully introduce the chlorine into the water and we always add on the away side of the skimmer so that the chlorine must circulate all the way round our pool before it gets to the skimmer. I would never add chlorine directly into the skimmer - asking for TROUBLE and there is never a need to add chems directly into the skimmer.

Best of Luck

[Trigger]

I've been placing 3" chlorine pucks in my skimmer basket for ever. I never heard it could cause damage to the filter/pump. What is the issue?

[PaulR]

The pucks are somewhat acidic. If the pump is on all the time then there's no real issue because the water flow keeps the local pH where it ought to be. If you turn the pump off the puck will keep dissolving and the low pH can damage the skimmer.

I don't think the pucks can damage the filter.

Adding acid through the skimmer could probably damage the pump/filter.

--paulr