Floater pucks VS Skimmer pucks

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

Ok, first off I have adult MORONS that have access to my pool with bad @$$ little kids that dont listen. Sorry, you cant pick your relatives...

24' Intex UltraFrame, Stock 2500GPH pump/filter combo(filter removed), 200# sand filter, Intex SWG

My SWG didnt last. This is my 2nd season. It worked great last year, but this year I've decided it's more trouble than its worth. So I went to Lowes and bought this white preloaded floater that you cut off little dots on the side for different size pools. I had one out of season, and even set at 20k, lasted 2 months. The kids wont leave it alone, they make bubbles with it, and sink it. Worse, the idiot brotherinlaw cut the damn thing open for a 40k pool and it was empty in a week. Moron, I know. So basically, I dont want a floater at all. I need to moron-proof my pool. I have the stock intex pump/filter with the cartridge removed since I plumbed in a sand filter. I THOUGHT I was gonna simply put in a skimmer puck into that filter housing and be golden. However, 48hrs later, it's GONE. I'm confused. I have put regular pucks from Walmart into the skimmer, and they dissolved quickly. Expected. I run my pump 24/7 and a skimmer has flow where a floater wouldnt. I thought skimmer pucks would account for that and dissolve slower.... Can someone explain what part of this I'm missing, and possibly a solution to my problem of idiots messing with my pool? (One that doest involve a beat-down)

[aylad]

Skimmer pucks are going to dissolve very quickly anytime there is flow. Why don't you just dispense with the pucks altogether and add a dose of bleach each night before you shut the pump off?

Janet

[waterbear]

Skimmer pucks are going to dissolve very quickly anytime there is flow. Why don't you just dispense with the pucks altogether and add a dose of bleach each night before you shut the pump off?

Janet

I agree with Janet. Also, the floaters are not toys and it can be dangerous for the kids to play with them! Also, the pucks add CYA so it seems you have gone though quite a bit in a short time. They are also acidic and can have negative effects on pH and TA. I would suggest posting a full set of test results (NOT done with strips) so we see if you need to make any water balance adjustments.

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

1. You bet its dangerous for them to play with the floater... especially if I catch em!
2. I dont turn off the pump at all. I run it 24/7
3. How much bleach should I have to add?

[aylad]

What is the volume of your pool, and what is your CYA level?

Janet

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

I'll have to run CYA test when I get home. My pool is 12k gallons. I JUST started using pucks... maybe 4 or 5 ever. I wouldn't think CYA would be very high...

[aylad]

Each 3 cups of 6% bleach you add will raise your cl by approximately 1 ppm. You can see the "best guess table" link in my and Watermom's sigs to see where your chlorine needs to stay, based on your CYA level.

Janet

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

Thank you so much for directing me to that "best guess chart"! It was like the jaws of life to clear my cranium! I dont know what was going thru my mind! I bought this pool (24'x52" Ultra) last February. Got the SWG off the jump, added the sand filter after figuring out the filtration was WAY undersized for this pool, and starting learning how the chemicals work. Didn't have ANY problems. (at least after I figured out the factory cartridge was not gonna handle my pollen levels and keep a clear pool) I mean NOTHING. I bet I didn't even shock but 3 or 4 times all year. Everyone here asking about CYA levels... DUH! I keep thinking "I dont have that problem", and I dont have THAT problem. My problem is that they're too low! For some reason I had it stuck in my head that I didn't have CYA last year. That the SWG did it's job and all was well. Total brain fart! I remember now specifically having to go to the pool store and get a gallon of liquid stabilizer since a SWG makes none. I just put 5lbs shock on Monday eve, two pucks, and Wed eve NO chlorine, and pool is tinting green again, WHAT? Last year 5lbs shock, and the levels would still be sky high 3 days later, but now I have nothing? Then I looked at the chart and it dawned on me... I've lost a LOT of water in the out-season. (I had a leak, and I totally forget the pool is filling overnight and screw my numbers up overfilling) As I checked my CYA and found none as I expected, I remembered last year I did have some... that little dot DID disappear last year... hmmm. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. So... off to the pool store before work and before the sun has time to kill off my chlorine again.
As for the pucks, I took apart the SWG and cleaned it out, unstuck the flow-float, and gave it the vinegar treatment. Then raised my low salt level... again, and it seems to be working again for now. I just cant think of any other viable solution for sabotage other than SWG.

Note: I have modified and cleaned up some of your language in this post. Certain styles of speaking that are normal and tolerated on other boards are not here. None of us are prudes but this isn't the place for it. Please be more careful in the future. Thanks. CarlD

[CarlD]

The B-B-B method should well be all you need. It will keep your brother-in-law from "helping" and the kids from touching something they shouldn't--like a skimmer with a puck in it! Your pool isn't big so you don't need to keep a lot of bleach around when it's in maintenance mode, especially now that your SWCG is working again.

One of the reasons that levels of CYA, TA and CH are important to SWCG owners is exactly what you discovered: Scaling that clogged it up. CYA levels are normally higher than usual, and the SWCG makers will ask that you keep it between 60 and 80ppm. Our experts tells us that you should maintain a chlorine level of no LESS than 5% of your CYA level...60ppm of CYA means 3ppm FC, 80 means 4ppm.
They also tell us that lower TA levels as in the 60-80ppm range is best. I'm not sure about CH levels, but the manufacturer may give a suggested level. I suspect the lower the better in a vinyl pool (Calcium is useless in vinyl pools but the only reason to maintain it is the SWCG's requirement).

Carl