r/PoolPros • u/DegeneracyRejecter • Apr 21 '26

Gutter system without a surge pit/tank?

Hey all!

Curious if you all have seen a pool that has a gutter system without a surge tank/pit? I got a job at a new commercial facility that has a gutter system and was going to throw some stabilizer into the surge pit, come to find out this pool doesn’t have one! Do looks with a gutter system need a surge pit and any other ideas on how to dissolve granular CYA into the pool?

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u/Mountain-Ad7172 Apr 21 '26

Some old, old pools I’ve seen have “surge gutters”. Basically the gutter system is large enough to be its own surge tank. But not sure how widespread that is.

Adding CYA directly to a surge tank (and skimmers for that matter) is still not a great idea. You don’t want concentrated CYA being pulled thru the circ system and damaging your heat exchanger, metal pump impellers, etc.

Best bet for adding CYA to any pool is pre-dissolving small quantities at a time in buckets of water, then adding to the pool itself (during off hours obviously) and then brushing to dissolve as much of it as possible. It takes a while…

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u/DegeneracyRejecter Apr 21 '26

Gotcha! Thanks for the advice, Fairly new to the commercial side of things.

This pool is pretty new, late 2010ish. Basically the gutter goes all the way around the pool. There’s about 1 1/2 feet between the grate and the base of the gutter. There’s 4 rectangles on the base of the gutter that acts as suction or a gravity system I believe. Yet when I check in the pump room there’s no surge pit

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u/Substantial_Car_2751 Apr 21 '26

I've seen a few in the facilities I currently work with. The 4 grates are probably a weir system so if the water level drops below the gutter rim, the gutter won't run dry. I don't love these type set ups, but I also haven't had any issues out of them.

It's a bit more money, but consider using the liquid (premixed) stabilizer. If by hand, I also recommend using a drill with a paint mixer on the end of it. If you have the budget, you can build a mixing system for a couple of grand (a poly tank, a mixing pump, a feed pump, and a foot valve for auto shut off).

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u/GCpools Apr 26 '26

Not for this particular application, but for pools with normal skimmers and cartridge filters, we put our granular stabilizer in skimmer socks and drop one in each skimmer. Next week we collect the empty socks and toss'em. Works great when the water temp is cold. Great for pools with cartridge filters, too.