Chlorine Tablet In Strainer

BobFino

BobFino

Active Member
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Aug 26, 2010
189
Virginia Beach
Boat Info
Sea Ray 550 Sedan Bridge 2005.
Engines
MAN 900
Twin Disc MG-5114
Hello, I was recently told by a Marine A/C technician that it would be a good idea to put 2 small 1" chlorine tablets in the A/C and Engine strainer baskets to keep algae down and it serves as a constant maintenance of the water lines. Doing some research it doesn't seem like it would be enough chlorine to do any damage. Thought I would reach out to see if there are any other thoughts or experience with using the chlorine tablets. Thank you.
 
BobFino said:
Hello, I was recently told by a Marine A/C technician that it would be a good idea to put 2 small 1" chlorine tablets in the A/C and Engine strainer baskets to keep algae down and it serves as a constant maintenance of the water lines. Doing some research it doesn't seem like it would be enough chlorine to do any damage. Thought I would reach out to see if there are any other thoughts or experience with using the chlorine tablets. Thank you.
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It was previously recommended on the forums not use chlorine tabs but to use bromine tabs as they are not as corrosive. They are available in the stores for use in hot tubs. I used them last year and they seem to help. Since water is constantly running through they do dissolve and need to be added regularly depending on you use.

-Kevin
 
I don’t believe it’s recommended to run the engine with the tablets in there though.
 
Keep in mind that the strainer baskets have a plastic bottom in them. When you shut down the A/C or engine, With the remnants of a chemical tablet in the basket, you very shortly have a super concentrated solution of what ever chemical tablet you are using. That really shortens the life of the plastic basket components. Most of those baskets are priced like they are made of precious metal, so you be the judge as to whether it is worth it or not.
 
I use AC Pan Tablets in my HVAC drip pan and shower sump bilge.

You can find them locally but I bought a big bottle to use on the boat as well as home.
 
+1 on what Frank said. I used bromine tablets, but the plastic bottom on the strainer basket disintegrated. Perko thinks a LOT of those things. Perhaps it would have been ok if I had let the pump run until the tablets were dissolved.
 
flyboycj84 said:
I put copper pieces from the hardware store in mine. My diver recommended and it works great!
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Now that is interesting.

As for bromine, I use in AC strainer as it runs regularly every day and they last a week or two before I put new in. Never use in any others.

MM
 
fwebster said:
Keep in mind that the strainer baskets have a plastic bottom in them. When you shut down the A/C or engine, With the remnants of a chemical tablet in the basket, you very shortly have a super concentrated solution of what ever chemical tablet you are using. That really shortens the life of the plastic basket components. Most of those baskets are priced like they are made of precious metal, so you be the judge as to whether it is worth it or not.
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I'm with Frank on this one, I watched what bromine tabs do to hot tub parts over time
 
MonacoMike said:
Are there any worries about metals reaction in doing this?

MM
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No, they dissolve over time. I was talking with anA/C guy a while ago and he was telling me of a system that uses copper to work on backnicles. Apparently the copper has. Chemical reaction and destroys the ability of barnacles to attach and grow. Lots of literature about this. Hence why it used to be in our bottom paint.
 
In our fresh, salt-free, shark-free, barnacle-free water, biological growth-slime is what we fight. will copper do the trick on that?

MM
 
+3 and +4 on the copper pipe scraps in strainer. Copper was the main ingredient in bottom paint to keep barnicles and other organisms from growing on bottom. It also deters green growth on bottom. Plant life and sea life don't get along with copper. Drive a copper nail into a tree and the tree will die.
 
rcknecht said:
why not just drop pennies in the strainer??
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Because then you would LITERALLY be throwing money away! Sorry, couldn't resist.

This was actually the first time I had heard of putting copper pieces in the strainer. But to more directly answer your question... pennies aren't so much copper, anymore. I think it was in 1982 that they became mostly zinc (or is it tin? I forget) - like at least 95%. I can verify this since I remember, as a kid, taking a torch to a penny and then all of a sudden the copper bubbled up slightly, then broke open, and a liquid blob of shiny metal dribbled out leaving a very thin casing of copper. Pretty cool science experiment, if you're bored tonight! How did I find out it was 1982? A buddy and I kept torching various year pennies till we figured it out! We didn't have the internet back then so we had to do it the old fashioned way... which was also a lot more fun.
 
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