What type of chlorine to use? The cheapest?

[mitchryan912]

I saw some videos and read some things on the BBB Method that said that ordinary household bleach will work fine for pool use, but from what I've gathered from online searches, the 12.5% sodium hypochlorite liquid I've been buying is less expensive (per gallon) than a gallon of Clorox at Home Depot (but I have to buy 5 gallons at a time and put a $10 deposit down on the jugs.)

Is the recommendation to use regular Clorox based mainly on prices offered at HD-type stores versus what's offered at most pool supply stores? Is the hypochlorite I've been using OK to use, especially in a vinyl liner pool?

Thanks for helping out a newbie!

[CarlD]

Bleach and 12.5% sodium hypochlorite liquid are the same thing, only different concentrations. Both are liquid chlorine.

Let's keep it simple: Up until a couple of years ago "Ultra Bleach" was 6%. I buy 12.5% LC for about $19/5 gallon carboy. I paid the deposit on my 3 carboys years ago and just keep trading them for new ones when they are empty--don't have to pay the deposit again. Be that as it may....at $19 for 5 gallons of 12% (really 12.5%, but we are keeping it simple) that's an equivalent cost of $1.90/gallon of 6%. So, the answer for that is obvious: If a gallon of 6% is more than $1.90, the 5 gallons are cheaper. If it's less, then the bleach is cheaper.

Actually comparing 8.25%, which is sold in 121 ounce bottles at my local ShopRite for $4.19 or $.03/ounce is quite a bit more because the same liquid chlorine at $19/5 gallons is $.0296/ounce...but the 12.5% is half again as strong.

Therefore at $4.19 a jug of 8.25%, vs the 5 gallon 12.5%, it costs 50% more for the same amount of Free Chlorine in your pool. If you add in the deposit, it comes to $.045 for the 12.5%--about the same price...but everytime you replace the 5 gallon jug, you cut the $10 down. After 10 jugs, it's only a dollar extra--and $.03125/ounce...much cheaper than the bleach.

[PoolDoc]

We recommend store bleach, because it's less confusing and with predictable quality & availability. It's also often fairly cheap; for example 1.4 gal jugs of 8.25% Walmart bleach are available locally (Chattanooga) for $3.00 per gallon, which is considerably less than what Carl has paid.

Commercial bleach (AKA "Liquid Chlorine") is unpredictably available, with uneven quality and prices. Once someone has mastered BBB basics (which Carl did a few years ago ;) ), they can look for better ways that are available to them locally, just like Carl has.