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Considering Automated System.


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I hope it is OK to ask questions without reading every topic/post first. I am new to the forum but wanted to jump right in... if that is ok?

Our pool is at a weekend location so it often go 5-7 days without attention. As I am not able to add shock often, I rely on the 3" tabs in an auto-tube(whatever it is called) on an ongoing basis. Because of this it is a constant challenge to keep my cya low enough. It is my understanding there is no 3" tab without stabilizer but I read this at the forum-

"Bleach is sodium hypochlorite, an unstabilized chlorine and does not add CYA since it does not contain any. The same is true for the other inorganic chlorine sources, calcium hypochlorite, lithium hypochlorite, and gas chlorination (normally used in commercial pool installations)."

Does calcium hpochlorite or lithium hypochlorite come in a form that I could use in my 3" tab dispenser or is there an automated dispenser for either one that I could add to my pool. If not, does anyone have any suggestions for a way that I could automatically add chlorine to my water on an ongoing basis without raising the cya.

Thanks in advance for any help!

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I just found this-

"Switching to an unstabilized chlorine source will require either daily chlorine additions yourself (usually in the evening--it's really not a lot of work) or adding some type of automatic feed system designed for either sodium hypochorite (liquid chlorine or bleach) such as a peristaltic pump system or cal hypo (usually not readily available for residential pools at a reasonable price) or a SWCG (high initial cost but offset by the convenience factor in the long run)."

Any more info on cal hypo and can it be added automatically and what is a SWCG?

Thanks again.

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An SWCG is a saltwater chlorine generator. You increase the sodium chloride salt level in your pool, usually to around 3000 ppm, and add the SWCG inline in your plumbing in the pump room and it will generate chlorine from the salt.

The other automation approach is to use a peristaltic pump and a tank of sodium hypochlorite (chlorinating liquid or bleach) for dosing chlorine. There is also The Liquidator from Hasa.

Cal-Hypo is normally granular so would not work for slower dosing. There are special Cal-Hypo pucks with special feeders but to put the Cal-Hypo into pucks requires binder chemicals that leave a residue so this is not commonly used except in some industrial or large swimming pool applications (see Accu-Tab). Also, Cal-Hypo will increase Calcium Hardness (CH) though that's not as bad as increasing CYA since your CH can go up more than CYA before it becomes a problem.

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Hasa also has The pH Adjuster but that uses dry acid which would not be good for plaster pools since it would build up sulfates.

The Hasa products are inexpensive and you get what you pay for. Peristaltic pumps are more reliable and yes they can handle either chlorinating liquid / bleach or acid (separately, of course). As for brands, I suggest you look at the Chemical Automation forum. I'm not an expert in that area.

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  • 3 weeks later...

To be clear, the previous post from BatesPoolJr is referring to saltwater chlorine generators. The discussion prior to that was mostly about automated chemical dosing systems as opposed to chlorine generators.

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