Opened a broken chlorinator at a commercial pool today and personally learned how toxic chlorine gas is lol holding my breath whenever opening a chlorinator from now on.
I’ve just discovered your channel and I really like it. You make it so easy to learn and I truly appreciate the free guidance. But, do you know what I like even better than that? I love that you end many episodes (so far anyway) with a child safety tip. Pools are very dangerous for our little ones and we can not afford to get too comfortable and let our guard down for even 1 second. Thank you for looking out for our babies. I wonder how many children might not be here today, if not for you.
Thats very kind of you to say. We had a very close call with our youngest daughter when she was little. Thankfully it didn't end in tragedy. I did a video on it. Here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/UcVOPD-WUwY/v-deo.html
My pool guy used these and after a couple of years, I had to drain my pool because of the CYA build up to the point of the chlorine was not being effective. When the chlorine is not effective, your pool turns green.......RIGHT?
I believe a combination of liquid chlorine and tablets are best. Use the tablets when going of vacation. Since tablets contain CYA, only use enough to keep your CYA level in conformance.
I only recommend using tabs during swimming season. And only 1 tablet per 10k gallons. The cya in tablets are to help account for splash out/drag out dilution. If the pool is not being used, neither should the tablets.
I would always unwrap tabs under water then dispense. Wrapper gets rinsed. Unless you're loading a feeder. I would purchase tabs by 300lbs barrels and just fill a bucket for the day. Just looked up retail on tabs. Holly cow!!
I will for a couple of reasons. 1. To quickly bring the chlorine level up in a pool (I usually use liquid chlorine instead of shock). and 2. If I'm trying to treat a green pool and I need to get the chlorine levels up really high to help kill off the algae. Hope you'll subscribe to and share my channel and for more money saving DIY pool stuff please check out my website poolschooler.com
I love your videos! Wanted to get your input on Sam's Club brand tablets and what I should use. Their tablets are 3" 99% Trichloro-s-triazinetrione, which I believe is a stabilized tablet. My ~24,000 gallon pool currently has 0 Free or Available chlorine and 0 CYA. How many tablets should I run to get where I need to be? Thanks!
I'd start with adding liquid chlorine to the pool to get the chlorine levels up more as fast as possible. I'd add 4 gallons w/pump running then test in an hour. If it's still low then add another gallon or two and repeat procedure til the level is ideal. Don't know much about Sam's club brand tablets but most of those for Sam's or Costco are made for them by reputable brands to I'd suspect they're fine. I'd also suggest a large chlorine tablet floating dispenser for your pool and start with 5 tablets. Then test weekly and adjust as needed.
I appreciate your videos! I’ve been watching a lot of videos lately for our new pool and yours have been the most helpful! Easy to follow, simple and practical. Thanks!!
If you ever open a bucket and you see the tablets are yellow RUN AWAY 🏃♂️🤢and come back later. You could end up in the hospital, I learned the hard way in my first season
Kenneth Smith that’s a bummer. My truck broke down mid route a month ago and stranded me. Definitely a bummer. Keep the windows open so the fumes don’t get to ya. 👍
You can but be VERY CAREFUL. If they got damp at all they will put off very dangerous fumes which can burn your eyes, nose and cause harm. I'd suggest using tongs to handle them as well. BE CAREFUL
My Total chlorine is at 1 ppm & free chlorine @ 0.5 ppm, Cyanaric acid at 100. Have been following you the best I could. How can I bring the Chlorine levels to the "OK" levels?
Ehsan Ettehadieh cya seems fine. Both chlorine levels are pretty low. I’d suggest getting some liquid chlorine and put a gallon or two in your pool with pump running to help disperse it. Wait a few hours and test the water again. Don’t swim til then. Once your chlorine levels get into the ideal range then keep them there with tablets. You may want to keep more Tablets in your floater on a weekly basis.
Added one Gallon of liquid chlorine from home depot. Now after 2 days the readings are ~ 10 ppm total Chlorine, ~ 3 PPM Free Chlorine. Are they not supposed to be equal? Everything else is fine. Is there anything I should be doing?
Ehsan Ettehadieh free chlorine is the available chlorine that isn’t “attached” to stuff it’s trying to purify. Total chlorine is the chlorine that is attached to something it’s getting rid of. So many times they can be different.
There's a huge granular and tablet shortage in the US right now. Hopefully things will catch up by 2022. For more great DIY Pool stuff check out my website poolschooler.com
I use the glove when I handle the chlorine tablets, but I use baby power on my hands prior to putting on the gloves. The gloves then slid right on easily!
In Arizona that's simply not true. As long as the CYA levels are not in the "high" range you don't need to change your water. It may be different in other areas, cities, states. But every pool guy/gal I know in AZ uses stabilized chlorine tablets for their clients pools and the cya levels do not increase to the point of having drain 1/2 of the pool water every year. As I said in my video on Changing your pool water most pools in AZ usually need the water changed every 3-5 years. But if they change 1/2 the water it can extend that a bit.
@@PoolSchooler But once you get your CYA in the ideal range of 30-50ppm, wouldn’t it make sense to switch from the stabilized to unstabilized to prevent from getting the CYA too high and having to drain the pool? It would save a lot of money in water not to have to drain it.
@@wurstofall is just that - pure . Unlike stabilized , it does not contain any cyanuric acid. This means that it has zero protection from the sun's UV rays, and you will be using a lot of it (and frequently) to keep your outdoor pool disinfected.
@@PoolSchooler Thanks for answering that. I have heard that from other pool guys too. Please help me understand this a little further. So if I'm understanding you correctly, then you're saying that the existing CYA in the pool is not the major factor in protecting the chlorine, but it is the CYA made into the current tablet being dissolved/used that protects THAT new chlorine from the sun? This has confused me. I figured if the pool has the CYA at 30-50ppm then adding liquid chlorine would then also get that protection, but this is false, correct?
@@wurstofall My understanding is that more cya in a tablet only adds to the cya of the pool. So if your cya is already at 30-50 (ideal) then more cya doesn't help hold the chlorine more. And unless the cya level drops you don't need more cya. BUT because cya is in tablets it will slowly accumulate.
I had a bad experience with unwrapped 3" tabs about a year ago. I opened the container to get some tabs and the inside walls of the plastic container were brownish yellow. What hit me immediately after that was that I could no longer breath and could barely see as well. I had to rush to the other side of the pool and submerge my head(in case anything got onto my skin) and then leave the pool area before I could catch my breath again. When I went back to the open container it was white inside again. I'm assuming that I got a gust of chlorine(mustard) gas from the box. Could this have happened from moisture in the sealed box(humid Florida summer weather)? I still can't figure how this occurred so I don't have a repeat event. I've been using the wrapped Clorox tabs ever since. What are your thoughts?
Dave Leary Wow Dave! You were actually very fortunate for whatever reason moisture got into your chlorine tablet bucket and the chlorine actually began dissolving/evaporating and that yellow brownish cloud and color was chlorine gas. Extremely dangerous and highly toxic. It really wouldn’t have mattered if you had wrapped or unwrapped tablets. If moisture gets in the container that those tablets are being held in and then it’s closed as those tablets dissolve and evaporate inside that bucket they’re going to release chlorine gas. I’m glad you are OK. I’m always very cautious whenever I open a bucket of chlorine tablets or anything that deals with chlorine including shock etc. Heck, I’m just very cautious about dealing with any of the chemicals for pools. I’m not sure how the moisture got into your container. It could’ve been not sealed well it could’ve been humidity could be many many reasons. But usually it’s because the container is not sealed or the lid is not on securely.
Chlorine gas is the best. 99.99 percent pure chlorine going into your pool instead of inert ingredients. When being “safe” and the right training chlorine gas is the most efficient, effective, and cost savings out of all chlorine types. It’s to bad they stopped using it.
kyle bolender you are correct about the gas being more efficient and effective but it’s very dangerous in my opinion. When I was younger I was a lifeguard at a pool that used gas and I almost got killed once because it leaked Maude the equipment shed. So unfortunately I can’t recommend it.
Pool School I am curious what pool it was. I see that your in Arizona and I use to work for a municipal pool that used chlorine gas. The city I worked for use to have their chlorine gas in scrubbers. That way if it leaked it would get neutralized before getting out.
kyle bolender it was in Northern California. Back in the late 70’s. I walked into the equipment shed and literally hit the cloud and it flattened me. One of the other lifeguards grabbed me and pulled me out of the shed. I’m sure it’s safer now but that pretty much ended it for me.
Yikes. It definitely requires respect. It shouldn’t be stored in a shed. It should have been stored in a scrubber. I have worked with chlorine gas, sodium hypochlorite, and calcium hypochlorite in a commercial and residential setting and I can honestly say it was so much easier taking care of a pool with chlorine gas then any other oxidizer/disinfectant. I have seen people get hurt with simple bleach, gas just requires a little more precaution, I highly recommend it, especially at 48 cents a pound. But to each their own.
I have been told that due to the stabilizer in the tablets, the CYI will increase to unacceptable high levels. This will cause the chlorine in the pool to become less effective. This ultimately results in having to drain the pool. I would imagine that pool maintenance companies use tablets because they only visit customers once a week and need to have a slow dissolving release that will last until the next visit. Also I believe that tablets are less expensive than liquid chlorine. What method do you recommend for the pool owner do-it-your-selfer?
Hi CYA does indeed cause chlorine in the pool to become less available and absorbed by the water molecules. You may want to watch my video on CYA: ua-cam.com/video/_z55SBsjadw/v-deo.html I do use stabilized Chlorine tablets for all my clients pools (unless they are salt) and although it's true that the do have CYA as the binder in the tablets it takes quite some time for that CYA to build up to levels that cause you to have to drain and refill your pool. Personally most of my clients pools only need draining and refilling every 5-7 years and that's with the use of tablets. REMEMBER total dissolved solids increase in a pool because they are the total of everything that dissolves in your pool and once they get too high the water needs to be changed anyway. To be sure, tablets are not only cheaper than liquid chlorine, they dissolve slower, allowing you to not have to add as often AND also don't evaporate as quickly. Think of them as a time release capsule. Like I said earlier, the amount of CYA in the tablets is fairly small and it would take several years to accumulate to a point to have to change your water (5-7 years in Arizona). The main thing to make sure is that you're not also adding dry cya to your pool in large amounts in addition to the tablets.
I've watched a bunch of your videos...you need to invest in a better camera with the ability not to shake so much...I feel naucious watching some of your stuff that's hand held. Good information, but roller coaster video ..sometimes
Man I sure wish the price was still $80-$100 🤣😂
Right?!
Opened a broken chlorinator at a commercial pool today and personally learned how toxic chlorine gas is lol holding my breath whenever opening a chlorinator from now on.
Oh wow! Glad you're ok. Chlorine gas can be deadly.
@@PoolSchooler thanks, it builds character lol
Is it ok to store the container in the garage? I am in the Phoenix Valley area and summer heat is a concern.
Id suggest putting it in a more ventilated area.
I’ve just discovered your channel and I really like it. You make it so easy to learn and I truly appreciate the free guidance.
But, do you know what I like even better than that? I love that you end many episodes (so far anyway) with a child safety tip. Pools are very dangerous for our little ones and we can not afford to get too comfortable and let our guard down for even 1 second. Thank you for looking out for our babies. I wonder how many children might not be here today, if not for you.
Thats very kind of you to say. We had a very close call with our youngest daughter when she was little. Thankfully it didn't end in tragedy. I did a video on it. Here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/UcVOPD-WUwY/v-deo.html
Kenny I I enjoy your videos what do you think of the TriCor tablets also when can I pool rx
janine sansotta they’re very potent.
Tablets are made by 3 factorys in the US. They all come from basically the same place
My pool guy used these and after a couple of years, I had to drain my pool because of the CYA build up to the point of the chlorine was not being effective. When the chlorine is not effective, your pool turns green.......RIGHT?
I have had to drain my pool because of CYA also.
I believe a combination of liquid chlorine and tablets are best. Use the tablets when going of vacation. Since tablets contain CYA, only use enough to keep your CYA level in conformance.
I only recommend using tabs during swimming season. And only 1 tablet per 10k gallons. The cya in tablets are to help account for splash out/drag out dilution. If the pool is not being used, neither should the tablets.
Great! Thanks so much!
Some Buddy you’re welcome.
I would always unwrap tabs under water then dispense. Wrapper gets rinsed. Unless you're loading a feeder. I would purchase tabs by 300lbs barrels and just fill a bucket for the day. Just looked up retail on tabs. Holly cow!!
That's a great suggestion. Thanks for sharing.
I also buy that brand and used to pay $72+ tax a few years ago now their up to $ 180+ tax.
Right?!
Do you ever use liquid Chlorine?
I will for a couple of reasons. 1. To quickly bring the chlorine level up in a pool (I usually use liquid chlorine instead of shock). and 2. If I'm trying to treat a green pool and I need to get the chlorine levels up really high to help kill off the algae.
Hope you'll subscribe to and share my channel and for more money saving DIY pool stuff please check out my website poolschooler.com
Man $100 for a 50lb bucket. I wish in 2022. More like $200
I know right?!!
I love your videos! Wanted to get your input on Sam's Club brand tablets and what I should use. Their tablets are 3" 99% Trichloro-s-triazinetrione, which I believe is a stabilized tablet. My ~24,000 gallon pool currently has 0 Free or Available chlorine and 0 CYA. How many tablets should I run to get where I need to be? Thanks!
I'd start with adding liquid chlorine to the pool to get the chlorine levels up more as fast as possible. I'd add 4 gallons w/pump running then test in an hour. If it's still low then add another gallon or two and repeat procedure til the level is ideal.
Don't know much about Sam's club brand tablets but most of those for Sam's or Costco are made for them by reputable brands to I'd suspect they're fine.
I'd also suggest a large chlorine tablet floating dispenser for your pool and start with 5 tablets. Then test weekly and adjust as needed.
I appreciate your videos! I’ve been watching a lot of videos lately for our new pool and yours have been the most helpful! Easy to follow, simple and practical. Thanks!!
Ditto to the above thanks
I hate those wrapped tablets too. An engineer Invented them I'm sure of it. I have noticed the 6 in 1 works the best for my pool.
Gladena Cole I’m not a fan of the wrapped ones either.
If you ever open a bucket and you see the tablets are yellow RUN AWAY 🏃♂️🤢and come back later. You could end up in the hospital, I learned the hard way in my first season
Daniel Villalba you are absolutely correct! That’s chlorine gas and it’s lethal. Thanks for the comment.
Should be fun running my pool route tomorrow in my wife’s escape, my truck is going in the shop tomorrow 😂
Kenneth Smith that’s a bummer. My truck broke down mid route a month ago and stranded me. Definitely a bummer. Keep the windows open so the fumes don’t get to ya. 👍
I left chlorine tablets outside can i still use them ?
You can but be VERY CAREFUL. If they got damp at all they will put off very dangerous fumes which can burn your eyes, nose and cause harm. I'd suggest using tongs to handle them as well. BE CAREFUL
@@PoolSchooler Okay, thank you for answering.
My Total chlorine is at 1 ppm & free chlorine @ 0.5 ppm, Cyanaric acid at 100. Have been following you the best I could. How can I bring the Chlorine levels to the "OK" levels?
Ehsan Ettehadieh cya seems fine. Both chlorine levels are pretty low. I’d suggest getting some liquid chlorine and put a gallon or two in your pool with pump running to help disperse it. Wait a few hours and test the water again. Don’t swim til then. Once your chlorine levels get into the ideal range then keep them there with tablets. You may want to keep more Tablets in your floater on a weekly basis.
Added one Gallon of liquid chlorine from home depot. Now after 2 days the readings are ~ 10 ppm total Chlorine, ~ 3 PPM Free Chlorine. Are they not supposed to be equal? Everything else is fine. Is there anything I should be doing?
Ehsan Ettehadieh free chlorine is the available chlorine that isn’t “attached” to stuff it’s trying to purify. Total chlorine is the chlorine that is attached to something it’s getting rid of. So many times they can be different.
And I got a tip for you
A hairdresser told me
not to use metal tong
& use plastic instead!
What is the chlorine tablet manufacturing mixture
You'd have to check the label of the tablets you get.
Shit I paid $100 for 20 pounds
There's a huge granular and tablet shortage in the US right now. Hopefully things will catch up by 2022.
For more great DIY Pool stuff check out my website poolschooler.com
what contain of each tablet
That information should be on the label of the tablets you get.
I use the glove when I handle the chlorine tablets, but I use baby power on my hands prior to putting on the gloves. The gloves then slid right on easily!
Pete Heiser baby powder gives cancer
You should be using unstabilized chlorine tabs. if you don't you will need to drain 1/2 of your pool water every year
In Arizona that's simply not true. As long as the CYA levels are not in the "high" range you don't need to change your water. It may be different in other areas, cities, states. But every pool guy/gal I know in AZ uses stabilized chlorine tablets for their clients pools and the cya levels do not increase to the point of having drain 1/2 of the pool water every year. As I said in my video on Changing your pool water most pools in AZ usually need the water changed every 3-5 years. But if they change 1/2 the water it can extend that a bit.
@@PoolSchooler But once you get your CYA in the ideal range of 30-50ppm, wouldn’t it make sense to switch from the stabilized to unstabilized to prevent from getting the CYA too high and having to drain the pool? It would save a lot of money in water not to have to drain it.
@@wurstofall is just that - pure . Unlike stabilized , it does not contain any cyanuric acid. This means that it has zero protection from the sun's UV rays, and you will be using a lot of it (and frequently) to keep your outdoor pool disinfected.
@@PoolSchooler Thanks for answering that. I have heard that from other pool guys too. Please help me understand this a little further. So if I'm understanding you correctly, then you're saying that the existing CYA in the pool is not the major factor in protecting the chlorine, but it is the CYA made into the current tablet being dissolved/used that protects THAT new chlorine from the sun? This has confused me. I figured if the pool has the CYA at 30-50ppm then adding liquid chlorine would then also get that protection, but this is false, correct?
@@wurstofall My understanding is that more cya in a tablet only adds to the cya of the pool. So if your cya is already at 30-50 (ideal) then more cya doesn't help hold the chlorine more. And unless the cya level drops you don't need more cya. BUT because cya is in tablets it will slowly accumulate.
The best part of handling tablets with your bare hands is the chlorine smell. Whats wrong with people.
😂😂😂
I had a bad experience with unwrapped 3" tabs about a year ago. I opened the container to get some tabs and the inside walls of the plastic container were brownish yellow. What hit me immediately after that was that I could no longer breath and could barely see as well. I had to rush to the other side of the pool and submerge my head(in case anything got onto my skin) and then leave the pool area before I could catch my breath again. When I went back to the open container it was white inside again. I'm assuming that I got a gust of chlorine(mustard) gas from the box. Could this have happened from moisture in the sealed box(humid Florida summer weather)? I still can't figure how this occurred so I don't have a repeat event. I've been using the wrapped Clorox tabs ever since. What are your thoughts?
Dave Leary Wow Dave! You were actually very fortunate for whatever reason moisture got into your chlorine tablet bucket and the chlorine actually began dissolving/evaporating and that yellow brownish cloud and color was chlorine gas. Extremely dangerous and highly toxic. It really wouldn’t have mattered if you had wrapped or unwrapped tablets. If moisture gets in the container that those tablets are being held in and then it’s closed as those tablets dissolve and evaporate inside that bucket they’re going to release chlorine gas. I’m glad you are OK. I’m always very cautious whenever I open a bucket of chlorine tablets or anything that deals with chlorine including shock etc. Heck, I’m just very cautious about dealing with any of the chemicals for pools. I’m not sure how the moisture got into your container. It could’ve been not sealed well it could’ve been humidity could be many many reasons. But usually it’s because the container is not sealed or the lid is not on securely.
Chlorine gas is the best. 99.99 percent pure chlorine going into your pool instead of inert ingredients. When being “safe” and the right training chlorine gas is the most efficient, effective, and cost savings out of all chlorine types. It’s to bad they stopped using it.
kyle bolender you are correct about the gas being more efficient and effective but it’s very dangerous in my opinion. When I was younger I was a lifeguard at a pool that used gas and I almost got killed once because it leaked Maude the equipment shed. So unfortunately I can’t recommend it.
Pool School I am curious what pool it was. I see that your in Arizona and I use to work for a municipal pool that used chlorine gas. The city I worked for use to have their chlorine gas in scrubbers. That way if it leaked it would get neutralized before getting out.
kyle bolender it was in Northern California. Back in the late 70’s. I walked into the equipment shed and literally hit the cloud and it flattened me. One of the other lifeguards grabbed me and pulled me out of the shed. I’m sure it’s safer now but that pretty much ended it for me.
Yikes. It definitely requires respect. It shouldn’t be stored in a shed. It should have been stored in a scrubber. I have worked with chlorine gas, sodium hypochlorite, and calcium hypochlorite in a commercial and residential setting and I can honestly say it was so much easier taking care of a pool with chlorine gas then any other oxidizer/disinfectant. I have seen people get hurt with simple bleach, gas just requires a little more precaution, I highly recommend it, especially at 48 cents a pound. But to each their own.
I don’t use the wrapped tablets either.
This vid could have been a minute long. Use unwrapped tabs and use tongs.
I have been told that due to the stabilizer in the tablets, the CYI will increase to unacceptable high levels. This will cause the chlorine in the pool to become less effective. This ultimately results in having to drain the pool. I would imagine that pool maintenance companies use tablets because they only visit customers once a week and need to have a slow dissolving release that will last until the next visit. Also I believe that tablets are less expensive than liquid chlorine. What method do you recommend for the pool owner do-it-your-selfer?
Hi CYA does indeed cause chlorine in the pool to become less available and absorbed by the water molecules. You may want to watch my video on CYA: ua-cam.com/video/_z55SBsjadw/v-deo.html
I do use stabilized Chlorine tablets for all my clients pools (unless they are salt) and although it's true that the do have CYA as the binder in the tablets it takes quite some time for that CYA to build up to levels that cause you to have to drain and refill your pool. Personally most of my clients pools only need draining and refilling every 5-7 years and that's with the use of tablets.
REMEMBER total dissolved solids increase in a pool because they are the total of everything that dissolves in your pool and once they get too high the water needs to be changed anyway.
To be sure, tablets are not only cheaper than liquid chlorine, they dissolve slower, allowing you to not have to add as often AND also don't evaporate as quickly. Think of them as a time release capsule.
Like I said earlier, the amount of CYA in the tablets is fairly small and it would take several years to accumulate to a point to have to change your water (5-7 years in Arizona). The main thing to make sure is that you're not also adding dry cya to your pool in large amounts in addition to the tablets.
I've watched a bunch of your videos...you need to invest in a better camera with the ability not to shake so much...I feel naucious watching some of your stuff that's hand held. Good information, but roller coaster video ..sometimes
My apologies. Yes, I make these videos in the field and often I don't have a tri pod with me. Sorry.
I watch these and the content is so good I never even noticed. But I guess I don't expect theater quality for a pool info video.