Chlorinator Problems

There are several types of automatic chlorinators on the market today. Two of the most popular are New Water Cycler and Hayward brand automatic chlorinators. These systems may be plumbed in-line or off-line. The inline method, the most popular method, is when the unit is cut directly into the pool plumbing. The off-line method is when a series of small fittings, clamps, and tubing are used to tap into the pool plumbing. Obviously, not using these small fittings, clamps, and tubing eliminates the chance of these items loosening up or wearing out and also makes for a neater installation.

Too Much Chlorine

Water Cyclers are dependent on pressure in the range of 4lbs to 10lbs, 6 lbs is best. At times, the pressure is too high, over ten. This happens when the pool is equipped with a floor system. If this happens, the two options are switching to a standard chlorinator such as a Hayward CL200 chlorinator or you can just use Powersticks in the existing chlorinator by cutting off the top of an empty Cycler Pac. Powersticks are a larger tablet than what the Cycler Pacs contain and dissolve at a slower rate. You can also adjust the level by adding more or less tablets.

Sometimes an off-line chlorinator can be helpful in this situation because the flow is restricted through the off-line tubing.

Lastly, there are several chemical programs which do not require chlorinators at all such as Pristine Blue and that are very easy to follow.

Not Enough Chlorine

Water Cyclers will not disperse any chlorine under 4lbs of pressure. If filters are dirty, water pressures in return lines are lower. If you are not getting enough water to pass over the chlorine in the chlorinator then the levels will test low. If you measure low pressure, even with the filter’s multiport on “recirculate” position (which bypasses the filter eliminating a dirty filter as a problem), or if you know that the filter is clean, try a smaller eyeball fitting in the return line to create more backpressure.

Although rare, check to make sure that the oval openings at the end of your Cycler Pac are not figure-8 shaped, that they are, in fact, oval. If they are figure-8 shaped then cut back your pac a bit more, carefully, making sure that the red screen stays in tact. Also, make sure that the chlorine hasn’t melted into a formed bridge disallowing the chlorine tablets to fall to the bottom of the oval openings. If it has, simply shake the pac to break up the bridge.

Hayward chlorinators and similar bulk feeders and brominators operate based on the amount of water flow. Check for proper flow. Dirty filters cause restricted flow resulting in less chlorine or bromine into your pool. Operational running times can effect chlorine levels also. If you decide you want to run your filter less to save electricity, remember that you will be getting less chlorine into your pool, also, since the chlorine only goes into the pool when the filter is running.

Chlorinator Cap Stuck On

If your New Water Cycler cap is stuck on, the best option is to use an axe…just kidding…your best option is to buy another cap wrench and double the two up and connect them with duct tape. This makes the wrench stronger and helps to avoid bending it. The extra leverage may be enough.

To prevent this from happening, you should scrub the o-ring in the cap and put dishwashing soap on it. If the o-ring is deteriorated, replace the o-ring. The o-ring should probably be replaced every couple years anyway. They tend to swell and deteriorate rapidly in that high chlorine environment which they are in. If you have trouble replacing the o-ring, you can always bring your cap into our Parts Department at either of our stores and we will replace it for you. Use dishwashing soap or the proper silicone on the o-ring routinely. Never use any petroleum based lubricants on any o-rings because they tend to break them down.

As always, Family Pools is here to help you

As always, if you have further questions, please call our Parts Department at our Lawrence, MA store at 978-688-8307 ext. 23 or our Service Department at ext. 14. Thank you so much for your patience with our voicemail. As you can see by our website, there are a lot of questions out there and we try our best to handle our several hundred phone calls per day. If you get our voicemail, kindly leave a message and we will definitely call you back.