3" HTH tablets clogging my filter?

[shoveler]

Hello. Let me first introduce myself.

I live in Pennsylvania, and have a 28'round, 4' wall, above ground pool. I've had pools for roughly 25 yrs and have gotten to where I don't often have troubles. I'm no chemist, but keeping it simple has worked for me.

I have well water, so I catch rain water off my roof for most of what I need in the pool. I keep a close eye on alkalinity, and Ph, shock occasional,and use {3" HTH dual action chlorinating tablets} which are added directly into my skimmer basket. I have a DE filter that I run continuosly. My pool is always crystal clear. I'm suprised how many people who have pools comment on it and ask questions.(usually they shut filters off daily, but to each his own)

Now for the problem.I recently saved 10 dollars and bought a jug of 3" HTH chlorinating tablets}and thats when the delema began. My filter now can only run a few hrs. before it needs bumped. I took the filter apart and cleaned it real good, no change. If I run it without the tabs it does fine, put them in, same problem. I'm convinced they are the problem! Both contain "Trichloro-s-triazinetrione 93.5%" , only differance I see is dual action tabs contain " copper sulfate pentahydrate 1.5%". I assumed this was an algecide,and being that I add a liquid algecide regularly, not neccesary. Well,looks like instead of saving 10$ I wasted 60. I'm curious how many others have had this trouble. And for the chemists here, what "inert ingredient" is it they put in these tabs to cause this? Calcium? If so my filters catching it all, cause no trace when I test my water.

Thanks for listening to my rant. I would love to hear some feedback on this.

Goodnight; Gary

[PoolDoc]

Since getting a CEO from BioLab, Arch / HTH has been adding more and more goop to their products. They use a number of different "inert ingredients" to dilute with.

I have EPA label and registration data, plus MSDS sheets, on some, but not all, Arch products and with those I can probably tell what's in your tabs. BUT, to even look, I need the EXACT product name from the label.

For what it's worth, plain undiluted cal hypo skimmer tabs, used with a sand or DE filter will commonly produced very, very clear water. Unfortunately, those tabs are hard to find.

[shoveler]

Thank you for the quick response.

The product name is {hth 3" chlorinating tablets}.I was using {hth dual action 3" chlorinating tablets}. Both have {#2 sanitize}highlighted below the hth symbol.Is it safe to purchase the ones I was using, or am I likely to have the same problem?Thank you very much;

Gary

[PoolDoc]

HTH Dual Action lists the following ingredients:

TRICHLORO-S-TRIAZINETRIONE 87-90-1 90 - 96
Copper Sulfate pentahydrate 7758-99-8 1.4 - 1.55
Aluminum Sulfate 17927-65-0 4.5 - 4.9
Is that what your container lists?

I can find 'HTH 3" Chlorinating Tablets' at Walmart:
www.walmart.com/ip/HTH-3-Chlorinating-Tablets/21002455'

Is that what you have? I can't get a label or MSDS for that, so you'll have to read it and tell us what it is.

[shoveler]

Thats it. label reads>Trichloro-s-Triazinetrione....92.4% >other ingredients................................7.6% > total............................................. 100.0% >Available chlorine..............................84.0% Funny they say other instead of inert ingredients on that one. Thanks again;Gary one.

[shoveler]

I would like to say this seems to be a great source of info and I'm glad to have found it.Your knowledge, and willingness to answer questions is greatly apreciated.I do however find it hard to navigate here. Is this because the lack of trust? how long for that to pass?Not trying to be pushy or anything, but I'm not the type to be on here day in and day out. I would like to be able to come and lurk, ask a question now and then. Maybe leave a comment.I hope that doesn't make me hard to read for you. By the way, I realy enjoyed the thread on natural pools. I drive by a nice one a few miles from my home and never realy new what I was looking at. I'm tempted now to stop and introduce myself and ask a few questions.I noticed a few yrs back they drained it,escavated the bottom and refilled it. Now it has a very green tint that wasn't there before. No idea why. After looking thru your pics and reading just some of the info so far I'm sure I'll know soon enough. Maybe I'll post up a pic,with the owners permision of course. Sorry if this is posted in the wrong area,as I said hard navigating and I don't know my way around.Later;Gary

[PoolDoc]

I do however find it hard to navigate here. Is this because the lack of trust? how long for that to pass?

Yes, it's a lack of trust. I've had severe problems with hackers and spammers here over the years. Last summer, I probably spent 3 hours per day dealing with them.

I spent probably 500 hours this winter gradually ID'g and blocking many of the sources and tools used by hackers and spammers, and the problem is much, much better this year. But, by the time I was sure it was better, I was too busy to make changes in how things are structured. (And, we couldn't have handled the additional traffic we would have had, if I'd opened things up!)

I'm about to make some significant changes, that will allow some much greater access.

However, there's a trade-off involved. Lots of people prefer to be anonymous on the Internet: I understand that; I do too. Unfortunately, that is one of the key characteristics of spammers and hackers who register: they do so very anonymously.

In fact, if I excluded everyone who used a potentially anonymous address like Gmail or Yahoo, or an unverifiable address, like PO Box 1234, Pittsburg, PA, OR no physical address at all . . . I'd automatically eliminated 99+% of the spammer and hackers who've tried to register here. That's not to say that everyone with a Gmail address is a spammer -- I have a Gmail address. And, not everyone with a PO Box is a hacker -- I have a PO Box, too.

But people with verifiable physical addresses (and a few other characteristics) are almost NEVER hackers and spammers; people with anonymous registrations some times turn out to be just that.

So . . . the changes I'll be making will favor those who aren't anonymous, which is about 40 - 60% of my registrations. I'm not penalizing those who are -- but things won't change for them.

---------------------

By the way, the "inert ingredients" in your trichlor almost certainly are NOT inert with respect to your pool chemistry. They are inert only in the sense that they don't contribute to sanitation!

[shoveler]

I don't blame you for being cautious.

I'll look at my registration info and see what I can do.

As for the hth tabs,I know they are the cause of my problem so for now I'll buy more of the dual action and hope the trouble stops.I thought I had bought enough chlorine to finish the season but , $10 saved turned out to be $60 wasted. Maybe next yr. I'll get a chlorinator and stop putting tabs in my skimmer.Then use these tabs that way,unless I hear of other trouble with them.Anyone else on here adding tabs to skimmers stay away from these!

Thank you for the help. Gary

[PoolDoc]

The problems with mixed and blended chemicals just keeps getting worse! I just hope Amazon expands its pool store product line next year, so that we'll be able to offer people a complete program based on EITHER grocery store chemicals OR unblended chemicals from Amazon.

Don't do anything with your registration info, yet. I'll be sending out an email, and post a notice with more specific information.

[Watermom]

so for now I'll buy more of the dual action and hope the trouble stops.


I don't think you want to use the dual-action ones, Gary. Unless I am mistaken (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong), I think that the dual action ones have copper in them and you do NOT want copper in your pool! Contrary to popular belief, it is not chlorine that stains things and turns blonde hair green, it is copper!

[shoveler]

I don't have to make that decision now.Just came from wal-mart and all they have now is the "new improved blend" it said on the sign.It's the ones I'm having trouble with. I seem to be getting some fall-out or blow by from the filter with them too.something real fine and soft on the pool bottom in the little ridges. I'll have to change up next year for sure. sad because I've used the dual action for five yrs at least, and all was well till this. BUYERS BEWARE! Gary

[PoolDoc]

BUYERS BEWARE! Gary

Unfortunately, that warning is needed these days with regard to pool chemicals generally!