*** Hayward Chlorine Feeder Help ***

[PoolDoc]

It was affordable and had good reviews.

An affordable piece of junk is not a particularly good deal. However, the CL200 (inline model) is the real turkey. I'm not sure if the CL220 (offline model) is any worse than any other off-line model. If you put a needle valve on the upstream side of the CL220, you may be able to regulate it successfully -- it may even come with a needle valve.

Regardless . . .

All off-line chlorinators work off a pressure difference. The greatest difference is between the suction side and discharge side of the pump. However, there are many problems with that layout. A more common layout is to connect the INLET side of the chlorinator to the pipe on the OUTLET side of the filter, and then connect the OUTLET side of the chlorinator to the drain plug on the pump (SUCTION side of pump). That can work OK, if . . .
=> you put a valve just upstream of the pump on the chlorinator outlet connection. (If you don't do so, you may not be able to prime your pump. This error causes many mystery 'can't be primed' pumps.)
=> Another form connection discharges the chlorinator downstream of the equipment, often by connecting the chlorinator INLET to the DISCHARGE side of the pump, and the chlorinator OUTLET to the pool piping downstream of the filter and all other equipment. Depending on the pool, there may not be enough pressure differential for this to work well. Also, you may have problems with debris, since unfiltered water is going into the chlorinator. Worse, you must be VERY careful to NEVER put chems in the skimmer, since they will go straight into the chlorinator -- and trichlor reacts badly with most other pool chemicals.
=> A third form is a modification of the second, with the chlorinator INLET connected immediately downstream of the filter, and the chlorinator OUTLET connected downstream of all pool equipment. This is the safest method, but will only work if there's a lot of equipment creating a pressure differential sufficient to operate the chlorinator.

However, the BEST recommendation I can give you is, give the CL220 to someone you dislike, who has a pool. Then either buy a Rainbow 320 inline chlorinator or a floater. Floaters work fine, and are very cheap.

Good luck.

[PoolDoc]

Sorry about the confusion above -- you had 2 posts in the queue, and I merged them so they both appear before my reply. Unfortunately, I can't undo it. My bad.

Anyhow:

1. Neither a Rainbow 320 nor a Hayward CL200 or CL220 will keep your pool chlorinated for a month.

2. You can check current pricing on the RB320 in the PoolForum / Amazon e-store: http://poolforum/amz/ . Here's the link to the feeder page:
http://astore.amazon.com/poolbooks?node=61

You have 2 options for month-long *chemical* maintenance:
(a) Installing an SWCG. We recommend either the Hayward / Goldline or the Autopilot. The e-store page is http://astore.amazon.com/poolbooks?node=45

(b) A HiC2 pool (high chlorine + high CYA) *PLUS* adding borax to 60+ ppm *PLUS* low phosphate maintenance. This would be cheaper and easier in installation, but not quite as easy in long term operation.

Actually, even with the SWCG, it would be best if you also did borax, and if your fill water is not high in phosphates, reducing your phosphate level will also make the pool much less hospitable to algae.

None of this addresses the physical maintenance issues on your pool. However, since you are in California, that may not be an issue. Here (in N. Georgia) leaf fall, thunderstorms, etc. make that a major issue.

[poolg]

How long do you think the Rainbow 320 or Hayward CL220 will keep my pool chlorinated for?

[CarlD]

Till it runs your stabilizer levels up to astronomical and you have to switch to liquid chlorine or bleach.

[poolg]

"Till it runs your stabilizer levels up to astronomical and you have to switch to liquid chlorine or bleach."

I don't understand your response. Please explain.

[CarlD]

OK. You need to spend some time reading our threads on the B-B-B system and understand the relationship between chlorine and stabilizer (CYA) levels.

Go to poolsolutions.com and start reading.

Chlorine tablets are usually Tri-chlor, a form of chlorine. For every ppm (part per million) of Chlorine it adds, it adds .6ppm of stabilizer.

Check our Best Guess chart to see the relationship.

Stabilizer prevents chlorine from breaking down rapidly in the face of UV rays. However the more stabilizer you have, the more chlorine you need to sanitize your pool. This is NOT necessarily a bad thing, but it can be.

[poolg]

Hi Carl,

I have been using chlorine powder so far, and putting it into my pool using a cup. Is this better than the tablets?

It seems your are inferring that the powder form does not contain stabilizer.

[PoolDoc]

How long do you think the Rainbow 320 or Hayward CL220 will keep my pool chlorinated for?

It depends, but probably not longer than a week during summer. In years past, I used the RB320 on kiddie pools that I serviced weekly. I removed several Hayward units, because I found that the feed rate couldn't be regulated.

I have . . . Chlor Brite Granular Chlorine . . . . and In The Swim 3 Inch Pool Chlorine Tablets

The ChlorBrite is dichlor; the tabs are trichlor. Both add lots of stabilizer. You probably need to get a K2006 test kit, check your CYA level . . . accurately . . . and then make some decisions about your pool.