3" Trichlor Tablets Exposed!

If you research 3” Trichlor tablets you will find a lot of Google posts that say they contain 90% available chlorine. You won’t find much at first glance about any side effects and they seem like a real magic chlorine pool pill. But there are drawbacks and side effects which you should be aware of.

Trichlor or Trichloroisocyanuric Acid comes in three forms. The familiar 3” tablets that slowly dissolve in your pool, a very fine powder shock and a granular form. About 50% of the Tri-Chlor by weight is Conditioner (Cyanuric Acid). So, a 50 lbs. bucket of tablets is about 25 lbs. of Conditioner. If you overuse tablets your pool’s CYA level can go up rapidly. This high level of Cyanuric Acid (CYA) can cause the chlorine in the pool to work more slowly. This will lead to you using more and more chlorine just to keep algae from growing and in some cases, you will need levels above 10 ppm if the CYA level rises over 150 ppm in your pool.

Trichlor tablets are usually 90% to 99% active chlorine. Trichlor tablets have a very low pH of 2-3 so they will lower the pH in your pool. The tablets contain acid in the form of Cyanuric Acid so if one falls into the pool it is likely to stain the surface by burning it.

Trichlor granular is very powerful stuff. It is the Trichlor Tablet grounded up in granular form and is 99% active chlorine. Use with extreme caution as the Conditioner in the granular can stain the plaster. The CYA in the tablet is acid and if you let it pile up on the pool surface it will stain the plaster as if you dropped a 3” Tablet into the pool. Never add this to the skimmer and if you do use it for Black or Mustard algae make sure it is evenly dispersed on the pool surface. Not for use in Vinyl, Fiberglass, or color plaster pools.

The 3” Trichlor tablets must be used and handled safely to avoid chemical burns and possible breathing issues. If a bucket of tablets were to get water in it, the vapors or gas from these tablets can be extremely overpowering. Make sure to only use a watertight bucket of tablets like these from In The Swim (the brand that appears in the video). Make sure you store the tablets in a safe and dry place and since it is an Oxidizer I don’t recommend storing them in your garage or inside your house.

Here are the gloves I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00558V358/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

When you go to put the tablet in an in-line or off-line chlorinator, be aware that any undissolved tablets in the chlorinator can also give off a strong smell as there is water in the chlorinator chamber. I always open the chlorinator with my head off to the side and not directly over it, you can also wear a mask as protection. The floater in your pool is relatively safe from fumes as it is in the open air and not a closed chamber like a chlorinator. Just use caution with the 3” Tri-Chlor tablets when you use them in a chlorinator attached to your pool equipment.

You also do not want to put a 3” Tri-Chlor tablet directly into your pool skimmer. Since the tablets contain acid in the form of Cyanuric Acid when the pool turns off all of that acid will be sitting in the skimmer and building up. When you turn the pool back on, a large amount of acid will travel into the pool equipment and then out the return lines. This acid can ruin the metal parts in your heater and also stain the pool plaster at the return lines. Use the tablets in only a chlorine floater in your pool or a chlorinator attached to your equipment.

Pros:
A very strong form of chlorine
Slow dissolving in tablet form so it releases chlorine all week long
Easy to use
Keeps a good residual chlorine level in your pool all week
Very long shelf life

Cons:
Expensive this season
Will raise your CYA levels rapidly
Can stain the pool surface
Can have a toxic odor if they get wet in the bucket

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