I need some help: commercial pool - liquid bleach or tabs?

Hello,
I am a Parks and Rec Director for my community. Last year I spent around 12k on chemicals using 3" tabs. I have two local companies telling me two totally different things. One says we will save money with the liquid bleach system using Stenner pumps, while the other says that's foolish talk. Here is what I know:

1. Our filtration system is in the basement and it is VERY costic! The open system will eventually corrode everything down there. We do have constant air flow, but it doesn't matter.
2. While our tab supplier is cheap with their pricing, I still find it amazing we spend 12k!

Can some experts help me understand, in terms of value, what option they would choose? I have googled the topic without success. But, I was able to find this forum!

Thank you all in advance,
Ben

Hi Ben, this is Ben. ;)

More to the point, I'm both the owner of this site, and the only person posting here regularly with any real experience with the sort of pools you are overseeing. Usually, I avoid such questions for several reasons.

First, because of the bather load and size, commercial pools are much harder to manage than home pools. It's not that the chemistry is really different, at least for outdoor pools. Rather it's the staffing that's the problem. With home pools, the "staff" usually remain "on the job" for 5 years of longer -- so if you teach them something, you don't have to teach them again next year. Also, with home pools, the communication lines from the "supervisor" to the direct "pool staff" are super-streamlined . . . since usually the supervisor is also the pool staff!

As you already know, none of these things are typically true of commercial pools. Often, I get questions here from guys who lack the authority to implement any recommendations I make. In your case, you have the authority, but talking to you means I won't be talking to the guy who's actually doing the work . . . and so it's hard for me to make sure he does what I say.

Second, commercial pools tend to have equipment that even experienced operators may find difficult to use and hard to service.

It's unlikely that you'll find much info on the Internet. There are very few guys around the country who are truly knowledgeable about the answers to your questions . . . and most of them are going to be owners or supervisors of large pool maintenance companies that take contracts to manage pools like yours.

So, here's what I can do:

1. I'll update your membership to "Commercial" and move your post to that section.

2. *If* you provide with the following information, I'll tell you whether $12,000 is a reasonable cost for your pool chemicals or not. I need: (a) number of pools you have, (b) average pool volume or size, (c) average daily load in June for each pool, (d) type and size of filters on each pool, (e) type of staffing at each pool.

If you want to move beyond that, it will have to be on some sort of paid consulting basis. If your costs are high, I'll be happy to do it on a % of savings. But there are just too many details for me to handle it via the forum. For example, Stenner pumps, themselves, are fine. But the placement of the pump relative to the tank, and of the injection point can be critical. AND . . . if you want reliable operation, you'll have to supply (or I will) a custom set of feed lines AND institute an iron-clad maintenance schedule on the pumps & lines. (In most cases, 3x per season -- open, close, mid-season -- is sufficient.)

Ironically, I started PoolSolutions years ago, thinking it would enable me to help my local commercial customers. But that has only become genuinely practical now that almost every pool staffer has a smartphone with a camera and internet access.

Best wishes,