Suction side chlorinator vs just dosing liquid by hand, weighing it

Started by robotvic · · 5 replies
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#1
Been going back and forth on this one for a while. Right now I'm just dumping liquid chlorine in by hand based on what the FC reading tells me, works fine but I'm basically chained to checking it every day in Houston summer heat since it burns off so fast.

Looking at one of those suction side feeders that just meters tabs or liquid in ahead of the pump, seems simple enough and no moving parts to fail. But everything I read says the dosing isn't that precise and you still end up babysitting it some, just less often.

Part of me wonders if I'm overthinking this and should just get the Ondilo ICO dialed in better first since that's already telling me my FC trends, and let it nudge my dosing schedule instead of adding another box on the pad. Anyone run both and actually noticed a real difference in consistency, not just convenience.

5 Replies

#2
If tabs are even in the running, know that's trichlor so your CYA will creep regardless of how precise the feeder doses, that part isn't a consistency problem to solve. The ICO is great for seeing the trend between tests but it won't fix the underlying chlorine demand in Houston heat, mine still swings on hot days even with good data in front of me.
#3
ngl i don't think you're overthinking it, hand dosing liquid chlorine is literally what pulled my swamp back and i still just do it by feel off my taylor k-2006 numbers, no feeder box needed. priya's right about the CYA creep on tabs though, that'd be my bigger worry than whether the dosing is "precise" since liquid doesn't add any stabilizer at all.
#4
Priya's nailing the CYA thing, that's the part people skip over when they get excited about "set it and forget it" feeders. One thing nobody mentioned though, suction side feeders sit before the pump so you're pulling tab byproduct through your impeller and basically bathing your pump seal in concentrated chlorine every time it cycles, that's rougher on equipment than most people realize. I don't run one, just hand dose liquid off my own test numbers like swamp_tyler, but I did have a buddy with one who went through pump seals way more often than seemed normal and he never put the two together until he stopped using it. For what it's worth if you do go that route, inspect the seal every season, don't just assume it's fine because the pump still runs.
#5
Honestly before any of this, are you running liquid or tabs right now when you hand dose? Cause the whole CYA conversation only matters if tabs are actually on the table for you, if you're already all liquid and happy with that, a liquid suction feeder sidesteps Jason's seal concern entirely since there's no trichlor byproduct getting pulled through. Different problem than what everyone's answering so far.
#6
Had a tab feeder on a customer's pad years back and the fitting right at the suction port had worn thin and was sucking air, took us forever to figure out why his pump kept losing prime, so Jason's seal point is real but I'd watch the fittings too since that concentrated stuff eats o-rings and threaded joints faster than people expect. If you're already happy hand dosing liquid off good numbers I wouldn't add a box just to save yourself a daily look at the test kit, Houston heat or not.