great deals on chlorine 3 inch tablets

[mitzie]

Costco in Suffolk County New York yesterday received hundreds of HTH 3 inch chlorine tablets that they are selling for $164.99 for a 37.5 pound bucket. That is $4.40 per pound. Amazon is selling the same thing for $237 which is $6 per pound. The Costco SKU number is 1625066. Costco will accept unused buckets for a full refund at the end of the season. I am wondering if other TFP members feel this is a good buy to splurge some money now on a few buckets at the beginning of the season, or is this a trend that prices will go down for 3 inch trichlor tablets as the pool season gets closer. I am told that Costco will refund the original price if prices go down. Do any of our members or forum supervisors feel this is a trend for the price of trichlor tabs going down and plenty of supplies in the stores in the future months. This HTH product with the new blue HTH product label has a small label on it that says imported from Spain bar code 0 73187 42060 2 with import id 23TN011C. Seems to me that US made shortages caused price hikes mainly because of chocking import restrictions and tariffs to artificially keep the prices high. Alibaba had chlorine tabs from China for the past several years at $0.50 to $1 per pound but you had to buy 1000 to 2000 pounds and pay $500 for the shipping container and with two month shipping and hope you receive it as advertised.

 

[Newdude]

Do realize the 37lb bucket will raise your CYA by 80 and that's only because your pool is huge. For a smaller pool it will be even higher and unmanagable sooner. The closer to average sized pool with 15k gallons would net 164 CYA.

I am told that Costco will refund the original price if prices go down

Costco has a very generous return policy but all of the retailers with similar are cracking down these days. It's only a matter of time before people ruin it, such as returning a bucket of tabs after the summer, or a Christmas tree in January.

 

[Dirk]

For me, there is no such thing as a "great deal" on tabs. I wouldn't use them if they were free. Many people like to use them, so thanks for the heads up. But using tabs alone is not sustainable, long term. Eventually you have to exchange water to manage the build up of CYA. Depending on where you live, a pool's worth of water might still be cheap, or it might be prohibitively expensive. That has to be considered when evaluating the price of tabs, along with the labor involved in exchanging water. And in some rare instances, a water exchange, depending on how it's accomplished, can compromise a pool's structure and/or its finish, including damage to either. That's not a common occurrence, but it can happen.

For me, the convenience of a saltwater pool, which "manufactures" its own chlorine, fresh daily, is the true bargain.

 

[Mdragger88]

I mostly agree with @Dirk - I have a huge bucket of them that were given to me for free & I still only use them very sparingly for vacations & to help maintain my cya & fc in the dog days of summer because I have an undersized swg so it’s likely a lifetime supply for me. They upset the apple cart with my normally rock solid ph & ta.
They have their place but using them solely for daily chlorination isn’t it.

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.google.com

 

[mitzie]

My installer put in a Jandy high capacity SWG Aquapure PLC1400 nature2 fusion soft FSOFT1400 with R0452500 Trisensor combo chlorine and mineral generator integrated to an RS 8 solenoid remote control system. This never worked from day one brand new. All it does is give error codes even after it was updated to a new Jandy trisensor with interface module. This system is a lemon brand new. The SWGs made are very fickle to make them work and replacement anodes for mine are $800. I winterize in September and recommission in June and in-between the system is shut down and pipes blown out. During winter pool is closed with a Zodiac Cover Pools automatic pool cover with several floating chlorinators and 3 inch tablets in the cold water about 30 to 40 degrees. I tried liquid chlorine but the cover will not open in freezing temperatures due to ice in the rails and the cover freezing to the water from below. Without 3 inch tablets there has been major algae bloom in the past during the 9 cold months even with 30 to 40 degree water. The vinyl cover was destroyed at least once due to trapped chlorine vapor gas that could not get out from under the opaque cover that is sealed into side rails. I am told this system needs to be air degassed from CL2 gas monthly to avoid vinyl cover breakdown. I continue using tablets because adding bleach daily during winter is impossible and SWG only works when system is not blown out. Algae bloom is simply the worst option when the pumping system is shutdown and winterized. Anyone have a better idea? This pool spa gunite combo has cost $130,000 to build and for only 3 months per year of use per year so I am beginning to regret building it especially when it turns green and the system is shutdown and pipes blown out and cannot be remediated in this state until June.

 

[Mdragger88]

I close when water temp has fallen below 60 degrees,
do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to confirm No organics then
raise fc to slam level for my cya with liquid chlorine & close the pool.
Never had an algae problem upon opening, never needed to add chlorine during the winter, & always open with target or above fc levels & Crystal Clear water. I open before water temp rises above 60 degrees.
FC/CYA Levels
I don’t use any polyquat so I don’t let my fc fall before closing.
I follow this guide

Closing an In Ground Pool

Winterizing a pool is essential for keeping your in-ground pool protected during cold-weather months. This Pool Repair guide will show you how to do it.

www.troublefreepool.com

For your swg here’s some good info

Jandy AquaPure SWG - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Newdude]

Anyone have a better idea?

1) Fix the SWG, even if you have to change brands to do so.

2) leave the pool open until the water is well below 60 degrees and algae is mostly dormant. *

3) open early. *


* to denote how little pool care is needed with a properly functioning SWG. I left mine open until mid November this year local to you, with very little effort. I'll probably be opening in a few weeks, also with little effort, if the weather stays warm

 

[mitzie]

Thank you for the responses.
Algae grows slowly below 60 degrees even with the intense bright winter sun. Problem with waiting for pool water to be below 60 degrees and doing early opening is the freezing of above ground plumbing, gas heater, filter, and pump from sharp drops in night temperatures in fall and spring below freezing long before pool water drops below 60 degrees especially in a 33,000 gallon pool. Variable speed pump that automatically comes on during 1 to 5 am in low speed when ambient outside temp drops below 32 degrees at night solves that issue. Auto cover no good with ice and snow. The cover pump outlet hose freezes very fast and the pump burns out quickly. Even the impeller freezes stationary. The ice and snow heavy loads destroys the slider and rails and the rope webbing stitching pulls apart. Spring loaded mesh cover that doesn't use a cover pump is the only option. From January to March pool can be completely open so ice and snow goes right into pool water and there is no leaves during those months. Oct to January and March to June the mesh winter cover is on. This seems to work in the frigid north climates.
Do other members experience frequent repairs on their SWG? Is there such a thing as a reliable SWG ? I have had very bad luck with mine and it is the most expensive one on the market. I am ready to buy another brand if anyone knows what is reliable.

 

[Dirk]

My installer put in a Jandy high capacity SWG Aquapure PLC1400 nature2 fusion soft FSOFT1400 with R0452500 Trisensor combo chlorine and mineral generator integrated to an RS 8 solenoid remote control system.

Most of that sounds like unneeded gear, and some of it might even be harmful to your pool. Others here can elaborate on fusion and mineral systems. Is it still under warranty? If it doesn't work, make the builder pull it out and replace it, but leave out everything except the SWG. I think that is the consensus here at TFP.

I run my SWG down to 52°, and while I don't have to winterize, liquid chlorine dosing is minimal throughout the winter months. I can sympathize with your growing disenchantment with the pool. Three months a year doesn't sound that great. I'm not all that happy with my swim season either, but I justify the minimal work my pool requires by enjoying it outside of the swim season. Which is the primary reason I don't cover it. I can't swim in it for half the year, but I do enjoy it during that time, as a part of my landscaping. I realize you can't leave your pool open all year, but perhaps closing later and opening sooner will not only solve your algae issues, but also allow a little extra enjoyment of the water.

@Mdragger88 and @Newdude have offered some alternative winter care options. Perhaps some of those could work for you.

 

[Newdude]

I have had very bad luck with mine and it is the most expensive one on the market

All manufacturers have their duds. You got one. (Or two). When properly working, they make poolcare a breeze.

I have adapted my openings and closings per the weather for 10 years and this year was by far the longest I've gone, but it was necessary with it being so warm, so late into the season.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I see the problem being you bought a complicated Jandy system and never had it fixed while under warranty. It also added metals to the water which build up and cause problems. I personally wouldn't buy Jandy as pool owners must buy from business and that business must do all the install work. A PITA, IMO.

Consider a new SWG, one of the simpler ones, and toss that Jandy to the curb. Or demand Jandy fix it?

Taking used items back to Costco just because you can is smarmy.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Here's an easy one if you want to self install-

Circupool Core 55 Salt Chlorine Generator | Salt Water Chlorine Pool System

www.discountsaltpool.com