I have an inground plaster pool, currently chlorinated by floating
ducks, and would like to install an automatic chlorinator - an
"off-line" chlorinator that connects to the main pool lines through
1/4" plastic tubing. Trichlor tablets.

The pool pump is powered down at night, and I need to figure out
what will happen with the chlorinator when the power is off -
whether the chlorine concentrate will flow back into the pump. But
what I can't find is a diagram or description of how these
chlorinators actually work.

If I were designing one, I think I would have a container with a
sealed lid at the top for adding the trichlor pucks. Then I would
have an inlet at the very bottom, and the outlet connected to a
standpipe. With the container being sealed, the incoming water
would rise to just above the level of the standpipe opening, and
the trapped air would keep it from going higher.

Is that how they work, or is it different?

So when the pump is shut down, does the water inside the
chlorinator just stay put, or does it tend to flow one way or the
other?

And does anyone have a particular brand they like?

Thanks for any insights.

Peabody wrote:
I have an inground plaster pool, currently chlorinated by floating
ducks, and would like to install an automatic chlorinator - an
"off-line" chlorinator that connects to the main pool lines through
1/4" plastic tubing. Trichlor tablets.

The pool pump is powered down at night, and I need to figure out
what will happen with the chlorinator when the power is off -
whether the chlorine concentrate will flow back into the pump. But
what I can't find is a diagram or description of how these
chlorinators actually work.

If I were designing one, I think I would have a container with a
sealed lid at the top for adding the trichlor pucks. Then I would
have an inlet at the very bottom, and the outlet connected to a
standpipe. With the container being sealed, the incoming water
would rise to just above the level of the standpipe opening, and
the trapped air would keep it from going higher.

Is that how they work, or is it different?

So when the pump is shut down, does the water inside the
chlorinator just stay put, or does it tend to flow one way or the
other?


The inline one on my Hottub has a valve on it that feeds a small amount of
pumped water from the mainline into the cartridge, where it circulates and the
output goes through a small outlet into the main water stream. A check valve was
required between it and the filter output to protect the equipment from the
chlorine.

I quit using it. It was just too hard to regulate the chlorine level within
reason for my tub. For a pool running a regular amount of pump time, that might
not be a problem.

On Apr 7, 1:20*pm, Peabody wrote:
I have an inground plaster pool, currently chlorinated by floating
ducks, and would like to install an automatic chlorinator - an
"off-line" chlorinator that connects to the main pool lines through
1/4" plastic tubing. *Trichlor tablets.

The pool pump is powered down at night, and I need to figure out
what will happen with the chlorinator when the power is off -
whether the chlorine concentrate will flow back into the pump. *But
what I can't find is a diagram or description of how these
chlorinators actually work.

If I were designing one, I think I would have a container with a
sealed lid at the top for adding the trichlor pucks. *Then I would
have an inlet at the very bottom, and the outlet connected to a
standpipe. *With the container being sealed, the incoming water
would rise to just above the level of the standpipe opening, and
the trapped air would keep it from going higher.

Is that how they work, or is it different?

So when the pump is shut down, does the water inside the
chlorinator just stay put, or does it tend to flow one way or the
other?

And does anyone have a particular brand they like?

Thanks for any insights.

I suggest posting he

http://www.poolspaforum.com

On Sat, 7 Apr 2012 11:16:11 -0700, "Bob F" wrote:

Peabody wrote:
I have an inground plaster pool, currently chlorinated by floating
ducks, and would like to install an automatic chlorinator - an
"off-line" chlorinator that connects to the main pool lines through
1/4" plastic tubing. Trichlor tablets.

The pool pump is powered down at night, and I need to figure out
what will happen with the chlorinator when the power is off -
whether the chlorine concentrate will flow back into the pump. But
what I can't find is a diagram or description of how these
chlorinators actually work.

If I were designing one, I think I would have a container with a
sealed lid at the top for adding the trichlor pucks. Then I would
have an inlet at the very bottom, and the outlet connected to a
standpipe. With the container being sealed, the incoming water
would rise to just above the level of the standpipe opening, and
the trapped air would keep it from going higher.

Is that how they work, or is it different?

So when the pump is shut down, does the water inside the
chlorinator just stay put, or does it tend to flow one way or the
other?


The inline one on my Hottub has a valve on it that feeds a small amount of
pumped water from the mainline into the cartridge, where it circulates and the
output goes through a small outlet into the main water stream. A check valve was
required between it and the filter output to protect the equipment from the
chlorine.

I quit using it. It was just too hard to regulate the chlorine level within
reason for my tub. For a pool running a regular amount of pump time, that might
not be a problem.

With a pool, it's easier to just throw the stuff in a floating chlorinator.
Chlorine does a real number on these things and the in-line variety aren't
cheap.

On Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:20:45 -0500, Peabody
wrote:

I have an inground plaster pool, currently chlorinated by floating
ducks, and would like to install an automatic chlorinator - an
"off-line" chlorinator that connects to the main pool lines through
1/4" plastic tubing. Trichlor tablets.

The pool pump is powered down at night, and I need to figure out
what will happen with the chlorinator when the power is off -
whether the chlorine concentrate will flow back into the pump. But
what I can't find is a diagram or description of how these
chlorinators actually work.

If I were designing one, I think I would have a container with a
sealed lid at the top for adding the trichlor pucks. Then I would
have an inlet at the very bottom, and the outlet connected to a
standpipe. With the container being sealed, the incoming water
would rise to just above the level of the standpipe opening, and
the trapped air would keep it from going higher.

Is that how they work, or is it different?

So when the pump is shut down, does the water inside the
chlorinator just stay put, or does it tend to flow one way or the
other?

And does anyone have a particular brand they like?

Thanks for any insights.

I've got one on my pool. It's a cylinder about 2.5 feet high
including base. It's got a connection in the middle of the bottom and
another one a couple inches up on the side. The water just goes in
one of those and out the other so that it eats up the tablets in the
bottom first. It will hold about 10 tables. The side connection has
a little valve that you can use to adjust the flow. The bottom valve
has a check valve built into it, presumably to prevent the
concentrated chlorine water from getting into something. In the past
I've had the check ball get stuck and have just drilled it out and it
never seemed to cause any problems, I ran it for years that way. The
thing is over twenty years old and all I've had to do is replace the
plastic lines that go to and from it a few times as well as the valve
and connectors a few times. I replaced the O-ring in the top screw on
cap once. I prefer it to putting tabs in the skimmers as it seems
easier to control the dosage.

Ashton Crusher says...

I've got one on my pool. It's a cylinder about 2.5 feet
high including base. It's got a connection in the
middle of the bottom and another one a couple inches up
on the side. The water just goes in one of those and
out the other so that it eats up the tablets in the
bottom first. It will hold about 10 tables. The side
connection has a little valve that you can use to adjust
the flow. The bottom valve has a check valve built into
it, presumably to prevent the concentrated chlorine
water from getting into something. In the past I've had
the check ball get stuck and have just drilled it out
and it never seemed to cause any problems, I ran it for
years that way. The thing is over twenty years old and
all I've had to do is replace the plastic lines that go
to and from it a few times as well as the valve and
connectors a few times. I replaced the O-ring in the top
screw on cap once. I prefer it to putting tabs in the
skimmers as it seems easier to control the dosage.

Thanks very much, Ashton. So I assume the bottom port with
the check valve is the input port. Is that right? That
would be the line that connects between the pump and the
filter.

Also, do you run your pump 24 hours, or shut it down at
night?