Leaking chlorinator in a new pool, suggestions?

MOM2.... do you have shutoffs?
If you do, you can exchange that hose out in about 10 minutes without any water loss, if you don't, it's still possible by blocking the round hole in the skimmer using a rag and you can shove a rag into the eyelet to block the return too.
Even puttin in those male-male connectors will create a huge spill all over you and surrounding area unles you block the holes.
If your filter has an off setting, you could use that instead of blocking the skimmer - the eyelet blocking is still req'd.
Guess what I'm saying is you have to block the water anyway you look at it!

gpshemi - how about a few floaties? Or possibly - look at the different ones available, some may have a better flow through design than others. Smaller pucks may help as you suggested...
Personally I just use the pucks when on vacation, since i shock the day I leave, I've never run low on chlorine but have never been gone more than a week.

I better go grab some rags, we're going to try to get this done tonight.;)

Mom2, rags are ok but plugs work better and you'll want them for when you winterize # 9 or 10 expandable (black rubber with a bolt and tightening wing nut) plugs do very nicely for 1 1/2" pipes. As Matt said, you can do it without loosing any water if the lines are plugged off.
GPS, have you tried tethering the floater right in front of a return to speed up the pucks disolving?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by waste

Mom2, rags are ok but plugs work better and ....

GPS, have you tried tethering the floater right in front of a return to speed up the pucks disolving?

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but plugs? :eek:

I haven't tried to tie the floaty in front of the return. Last night I tested, then ran the filter for a while with the 3" tab in the skimmer, and tested it again after a few hours. Oddly, I think it went up some. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I guess in for a penny, in for a pound at this point, and I'll prolly just follow the advice and put in an inline, but I really have to wonder if it's 75% hype since I've never seen any real costly damage.

gpshemi

OUCH, that could really get someone into hot water!
Thanks for the chuckle!
gpshemi, why don't you use bleach and only use pucks when away? it's WAY cheaper, easier, more controllable, and you don't get the issue of raising your stabilizer continually - that in itself can become a maintenance problem since too high of a stabilizer content makes your chlorine ineffective and you have to raise your Chlorine levels just to keep algae out. The only way to lower stabilizer is to dump some water and replace with new - depending on how high your stabilizer count is, this can mean a lot of water.
Using bleach is your best alternative and you do not need a chlorinator.
I just removed my bypass chlorinator since i haven't used it in years and the little tubes seem to need replacing often, then there's the issue with the taps into your lines, seals drying etc..... I just ripped it out, replaced the lines since they had tap holes drilled into them and all is well now!
On my AG pool, I have drop in steps (blowmolded) these types of steps can get notorious for algae buildup within them because the water has a hard time circulating through them, so I use the steps as my puck holder, I place a puck inside the stairs every couple of weeks it in turn keeps the chlorine level up inside the stairs eliminating any possible algae from forming.

You have a bypass chlorinator. Not an inline then. I'd go with an inline.
Less hoses and junk to worry about. In the steps is an original idea.
I have steps too, but no where in them to put tablets. Guess I could tie them to a post and put them in some stockings. We'll see.

Hey maybe a piece of 4" pvc glued inline with a cleanout cap on top. Hmmmm....

gpshemi - is your pool an IG or AG, if you have steps, can you get behind them (underneath) that's where I have access holes to slip them in, it's got all sorts of nooks in there that i can place a puck centrally up high and another lower down - really and endless amount of choices.
I did state the my chlorinator was a bypass.

Mom2... sorry about hijacking your post!
Were you able to remove it?

Yeah we did sorta hijack this didn't we. Sorry about that.

My steps don't really have any holes in them that would get any kind of flow to them. That won't really work for me. The weight is a big triangler pc that's fill with sand and capped from one end. No where there either. I could hang something from it though. I'll figure something out.

gpshemi

Sounds like my steps - the triangle slides in up top first then drops into a hole in the bottom and just hangs there.
The holes in the back is where I stick the pucks in - you may want to do that just to keep algae at bay - my first year went well without it, but in the second year, i was continually getting algae just past the steps (direction of flow), and I finally looked inside and it was greener than green in there - threw a couple of pucks in and stuck the hose in 3 days later to get rid of the dead stuff - problem gone.

By the way, ever time someone uses the stairs, your Chlorine will disperse out of the stairs some - especially when the kids are jumping and goofing off from teh steps.

Yup. Those are the steps. There's a set of holes towards the bottom.
That wouldn't get much flow thru though to keep the chlorine up. Might keep algae out of the steps though. I'll remember that.

One thing to question though. If the chlorine attacks the skimmer and makes it brittle, won't it do the same to the steps. I'd rather have a brittle $50 skimmer, then brittle $400 steps.

gpshemi