Bleach is no longer cost-effective???

I am starting my new pool for the first time soon and I like the concept of using bleach for chlorination. However, unless my math is wrong, it looks like the cost-effectiveness of bleach has worsened dramatically in the last few years due to an increase in bleach prices.

Taking data from an excellent thread by chem geek here , a few years ago, the cost-effectiveness of various methods of chlorination was:

Trichlor Tabs/Pucks (3") ... $77 for 35 pounds so that's $2.20 per pound
Dichlor ... $104 for 40 pounds so that's $2.60 per pound
73% Cal-Hypo ... $120 for 50 pounds so that's $2.40 per pound
Lithium Hypochlorite ... $150 for 25 pounds so that's $6.00 per pound (from this website since Leslie's doesn't carry it online as far as I could tell)
12.5% Chlorinating Liquid ... $3.25 for 1 gallon from my local pool store (9.7 pounds -- product is 16% denser than water) so that's $0.336 per pound
6% Bleach ... $1 for 96 ounces (6.75 pounds -- product is 8% denser than water and 96/128th of a gallon) so that's $0.15 per pound

Notice how much less expensive per pound the chlorinating liquid is. It had better be because most of it is water, so what we really need to see is the cost per available chlorine and that is as follows:

Trichlor Tabs/Pucks ......... $2.20 / 0.915 = $2.40 but $3.83 when accounting for Washing Soda to adjust pH
Dichlor .......................... $2.60 / 0.554 = $4.70 but $5.73 when accounting for Washing Soda to adjust pH
73% Cal-Hypo ................ $2.40 / 0.724 = $3.31
Lithium Hypochlorite ....... $6.00 / 0.352 = $17.05
12.5% Chlorinating Liquid . $0.336 / 0.108 = $3.11
6% Bleach ..................... $0.15 / 0.057 = $2.63

However, in researching today, I find the following costs:

Trichlor = $2.29/lb
Dichlor=$3.29/lb
Cal-Hypo=$2.49/lb
6% bleach= $2.16 for 96oz = $.32 per lb (big increase vs other options)

Compensating for available chlorine:

Trichlor= $2.29 / 0.915= $2.50/lb or $3.93 w/acid compensation (assuming no change in washing soda price)
Dichlor= $3.29 / .551 = $5.93/lb or $6.96 w/ acid comp
Cal-Hypo=$2.49 /.724= $3.40/lb
Bleach = $.32/.057 = $5.61/lb

Given the above, it seems like Trichlor is the winner for those worried about high calcium levels, even considering that perhaps someday I will have to drain some water to reduce CYA.

Anyone have other thoughts?

If you hunt around, I am sure you can find a much better price than that for bleach. Costco was running about half that price if you bought a whole case the last time I looked, and WalMart around here is only a little more than Costco.

actually, I got the price from the costco website here

I do have to agree with you somewhat as I was calculating this the other day. At WalMart I get a 182oz jug for $2.54 so that is definitely less than what you are finding.

However it has been a royal PITA purchasing the WalMart brand bleach. Half of the jugs I grab have busted seals on the top. So now when I purchase I end up having to open each jug before I put it in the basket. This is time consuming and frustrating at the same time. Now, the seals that are intact do not want to remove with the useless "pull tab". I end up cutting them off. It just seems to be much more of a hassle than it used to be.

On the other hand some of the other methods may seem cheaper initially but it's the side effects they cause that make it more costly and causes one to chase his tail. For instance the trichlor pucks are acidic plus they add stabilizer. Neither is a great option for me as my pH is constant and doesn't swing due to the fact that I chlorinate with bleach.

I guess I got off track a bit however it's all related. The cost may have gone up but I still think it allows maintaining crystal clear water very easily ;)

-Scott

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Originally Posted by ScottS

. Now, the seals that are intact do not want to remove with the useless "pull tab". I end up cutting them off. It just seems to be much more of a hassle than it used to be.

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I agree with you there--in fact, I've started leaving a butter knife outside near the pool just for that purpose!! Didn't notice it so much last summer, but then again our WalMarts had a hard time keeping the larger size jugs in stock.

Still worth it, though, once you get your water where you want it, it's really the easiest way to keep it there, short of SWG!

Janet

Fortunately, I am able to get 12.5% chlorinating liquid from my local pool store for $3.00 per gallon (before tax) which actually went down in price from last year and is equivalent to $1.11 for a 96-ounce (3/4 gallon) jug of bleach. They also reuse the bottles which is better than recycling.

Beavis,

I came to the same conclusion several years ago. It is also too inconvienant to buy bleach so often.

I bought 40 pounds of trichor at cosco for $89 and that will last all swim season. I shock with bleach and I open my pool using bleach.

I always open my pool to 0 cya every season, so I am not concerned about adding cya through the season.

If one has a shorter swim season, a smaller pool, a sand filter backwashed weekly, summer rains with overflow, winter rains or other reduction of CYA over the winter, then one can sometimes get enough water dilution to manage using Trichlor pucks/tabs.

For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) added by Trichlor, it also increases Cyanuric Acid (CYA) by 6 ppm. Even with a low 1 ppm FC per day chlorine usage, after 6 months this is over 100 ppm CYA if there is no water dilution. So this wouldn't work very well for those with cartridge filters that don't get backwashed, dry summers with no rain, larger pools, and longer swim seasons. My pool falls under most of those criteria (cartridge filter so no backwashing, dry summers with almost no rain, 16,000 gallon pool, 7-month swim season).

Every situation is different, and BBB is about understanding what is going on and doing what is appropriate for YOU armed with information and knowledge to make an informed decision.

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Originally Posted by chem geek

I...

Every situation is different, and BBB is about understanding what is going on and doing what is appropriate for YOU armed with information and knowledge to make an informed decision.

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Precisely!

Generally, we suggest B-B-B and avoiding Tri-Chlor pucks. People who WATCH their CYA and pH levels, and know exactly where they want to be, can use them very effectively.

But people who don't pay attention to these things or follow pool store advice get into trouble with pucks that using Bleach/Liquid Chlorine don't because the bleach doesn't impact pH or CYA .

(Chem_Geek has some great posts on how the action of bleach both raises and lowers pH ending in...a zero-sum effect!)

Ultimately, the BEST way to save money on your pool care is with knowledge and information--and we have lots of it in our stickied posts-- everything you need for simple pool maintenance and trouble-shooting plus a lot more.

Just purchased Clorox 182oz @ Sam's Wholesale for $7.18 for a case of 3. $2.39 a bottle. Clorox brand does not have those pesky "safety" tabs.

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Originally Posted by pedsrn

Just purchased Clorox 182oz @ Sam's Wholesale for $7.18 for a case of 3. $2.39 a bottle. Clorox brand does not have those pesky "safety" tabs.

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Yeah, those tabs suck. Not sure why they even put the little grippy thing on them since they rarely work. Clorox is easier to open and pour if you can find a good price.

I have a plaster pool so calcuim levels are not a problem. Today I found 100 lb. of calcium hypochloride at the pool store (granuale chlorine labeled shock) for $177 before tax. 3/4 of a lb. of cal hypo = 1 gallon of bleach. Just to check the math 1 lb. gives 80,000 gallons 1 ppm. That 8 ppm per 10000 gallons. Bleach gives 6 ppm per 10,000. 6/8 = 3/4.

So 100 lbs. is equal to 133 gallons of bleach. Walmart sells 1.42 gallon bottles for $2.52. That is approxmiately 94 bottles. So the cost we I live would be $236 before tax. So buying 100 lbs. is a bargain for chlorine and much less than bleach. Note this may not work for smaller sizes 50 lbs is $112. Equal amount of bleach would be $118 so it gets pretty close here.

However, those who do not have plaster and concrete might have a problem with the calcium levels rising. My pool actually needs a little more after draining over half to get CYA to 70. It is still a little high but much better. The local water has a bit lower calcium.

I think the reason I am switching is mainly because buying so much bleach takes time and bleach backspalsh has ruined more than one pair of shorts and a shirt or two. The cal hypo I bought states it is netural PH so it may bring the PH over time, PH 6.5 to 7 current PH is 7.5 with a slightly high alkanity of 140. So slowly taking down some PH isn't bad.

Bleach still has its benefits but it looks like the calcium is a better buy right now.

Well just my newbie 2 cents.

I found out that in Florida they sell liquid chlorine (BLEACH) for $4.49 for 2.5 gallons. It's 10.8 percent.

Now today I find out that once every 6 - 8 weeks they have a buy 2 get 1 free. So now you are getting 7.5 gallons for under $10 - now thats not all the time but if you factor it in long term it appears to really bring down numbers.

Plus they give you the 11th fill free - and (on top of it) wednesday they give you 2 "credits" for liquid chlorine.

I asked how "fresh" it is. They told me they get 15 thousand gallons every Thursday and use every bit of it up. THey said after 30 days it loses about 10 -15 % potentcy and gets worse as time goes on..

So today I bought 2 gallons - got 1 free but I got 6 "credits" so 4 more buys and I get one more free.

Again, I dont know where you live or what is available. But doing rough math in my head with the price, bonuses, and buy 10 get 1 free: Planning my purchases on Wednesday and all that - it really works out to be a bargain.

And you are getting straight up liquid chlorine and you don't have to worry about CYA.

I am a TOTAL newbie. My pool has been running for about 24 hours now -- so I am just sharing what i've learned thus far...

Great price! I pay nearly $20 for 5 gallons of 12%.

You can test the strength yourself. You just need to dilute the LC 10,000 times and measure it with a FAS-DPD measure just like your pool.

10,000 TIMES??????

Yeah. You add one CC (Milliliter) of LC to 10 liters of tap water--that's 5 soda-bottles full. You can usually get a marked eyedropper that has an ML marking on it--and 10 liters easily fits in a five gallon bucket.

You know, I oughta do a sticky post on testing liquid chlorine strength.

Oh, yeah--test the chlorine content of your tap water BEFORE you add the LC---you may well get a reading of 1-3ppm of FC.

I actually did test my tap water - more so to get "used" to taking measures - after 2 or 3 days I feel like an old hand :)

My tap was about 1.5 FC

Another way to dilute chlorine for testing is using a syringe (without the needle). You need one which measures 10 ml (10 cc).

Put 10 ml chlorine into 1 liter of water, mix well. Put 10 ml of the mix into 1 liter of water, mix and then test that.