Bleach as Chlorine

[hancop]

I was talking to a guy at the pool store, and he agreed that bleach can be used as chlorine but that it has many other additives in it that you don't want in your pool. He also stated that it would bleach my liner over time where the chlorine I can purchase from them would not.

Are these true statements ?

Thanks

[Sully]

Are these true statements ?

Thanks

Partially true. Bleach that is labelled with a whitener, "rain-fresh scent", or the like, will give you some headaches. The plain everyday household bleach, no!

The only difference between the pool store chlorine and your local stores household bleach, is the strength. Pool Store Chlorine is usually 10-12%, where as store bleach is 5-6%

[mbar]

No, they are not true. Regular unscented household bleach has no addatives in it except some sodium (small amounts) If you pour the bleach in the stream of the return jets, you will never bleach your liner - you have more chance of bleaching the liner putting in calhypo. You can do a search on here and find out the advantages of using regular unscented bleach in the pool. Most of us on this forum have been using it for years with wonderful results.

[CarlD]

Many pool stores sell "Liquid Chlorine" in gallon jugs that is 6% Sodium Hypochlorite solution. This is IDENTICAL to unscented "Ultra" Bleach sold in supermarkets. The only difference is the package.

If your pool store guy was talking about basic bleach, (and he probably was) then he was passing on the usual drivel that they are told to fling at unsuspecting customers.

[gonefishin]

I was talking to a guy at the pool store, and he agreed that bleach can be used as chlorine but that it has many other additives in it that you don't want in your pool. He also stated that it would bleach my liner over time where the chlorine I can purchase from them would not.

Are these true statements ?

Thanks


Bleach IS Chlorine.

They are both sodium Hypochlorite. Pool Chlorine is usually 10% or 12% while bleach is 6%. Either can "bleach" your liner if they aren't used correctly. But bleach is the milder of the two, by quite a bit.

take care,
dan

[Spensar]

Kind of funny that your pool guy says that grocery store bleach, and the store's wouldn't since pool stores usually sell a strong liquid chlorine.

As stated, there is 5.25% to 6% sodium hypochloride in what is labelled as "bleach" and usually 10% in the pool stores "liquid chlorine". If anything, the pool store produce has the greater risk of bleaching. If you add it slowly in the deep end in front of an outlet, there shouldn't be any problem.

I tend to put some in the pool, then put the jug under the water and top it up with water so it is more diluted.

[GraceByDesign]

I tend to put some in the pool, then put the jug under the water and top it up with water so it is more diluted.

Then how do you know how much actual bleach/chlorine you are adding to the pool??

[Spensar]

Then how do you know how much actual bleach/chlorine you are adding to the pool??


Didn't mean to be confusing. It's when I'm adding a full bottle of bleach.

[GraceByDesign]

ok, yes, my q was confusing also...

after you put "some" bleach into the pool, and top it off with water, how do you know what the concentration of the chlorine in the bottle is? I mean, if you put 1qt of water into the 3qt jug (let's say of 6%) that is significantly stronger than if you put 1.5qt water into the samg jug (4% vs 3%) So the next time you use that watered down jug, how do you know how much chlorine you are really adding? :confused:

OHHH, I just read it all again to see if I was missing something. . . you are using the entire jug, but you are just diluting it so you can pour with less fear of damaging liner DUH!

[tagprod]

ok, yes, my q was confusing also...

after you put "some" bleach into the pool, and top it off with water, how do you know what the concentration of the chlorine in the bottle is? I mean, if you put 1qt of water into the 3qt jug (let's say of 6%) that is significantly stronger than if you put 1.5qt water into the samg jug (4% vs 3%) So the next time you use that watered down jug, how do you know how much chlorine you are really adding? :confused:

OHHH, I just read it all again to see if I was missing something. . . you are using the entire jug, but you are just diluting it so you can pour with less fear of damaging liner DUH!

I think I saw a lightbulb turn on!:) I have one or two moments like that a day.

[Jakebear]

We've had our pool 4 years---Just converted to BBB this summer --- the pool and water is the best it has ever been ----- Thanks Ben and to all those on this forum.

Buy your own "drop type" test kit ---- read ----- read ----- read some more and ask questions.

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask!!!

[Ohm_Boy]

Funny that 6% Sodium Hypochlorite from a grocery store will bleach your liner, but no other chlorine-containing compound will, huh? Gotta love the pool store rhetoric. I'm sure that they believe what they tell you, they are just informed by the chemical companies and their bosses and co-workers. It's pretty tough for them to discredit Sodium Hypochlorite when their own product has the same stuff, so the "other" ingredients must be the trouble. I mean, after all, it's not "pool chlorine", it's bleach. Sakes! How's a poor pool store owner to stay in business, after all?
Nope. Same stuff. Just stay away from the 'designer' bleaches, as they do tend to have undesirable junk in them.

I recall back when I was 14 years old (some 34 LONG years ago) when I was helping to clean our olympic-size school pool. It was drained, and we scrubbed the concrete with stiff push-brooms and a solution made from mixing the chlorine granules with water. I don't know what they were using for chlorine back then, I assume it was di-chlor based solely upon what I know now, but it made quite an effective bleach. It SERIOUSLY took out a perfectly good pair of blue jeans and a tee shirt. I'll admit that they were pretty cool with the splatter bleach job, but parts of them were just too eaten to live long, and I had to pitch them. You can bet that solution would have bleached your liner too...