Quote Originally Posted by Service Guy
There are byproducts and fillers in bleach that really shouldn't be in pool water and can wreak havoc on pH & alkalinity.
Unfortunately, that's a totally bogus claim. Apparently, you've never actually *used* bleach!

There's no 'filler' in bleach, except water . . . and as has been discussed many times, the stronger the bleach is (and the less water) the faster it breaks down. Like any source of pool chlorine, bleach is not perfect. Probably it's worst characteristic is that it's so bulky.

But, it's cheaper than any other form of chlorine available to homeowners; it's has fewer side effects. It has no calcium, unlike cal hypo; no stabilizer, unlike everything sold by most pool stores; and no copper, unlike some new and truly awful blends. It's just chlorine, with a lot of water, and a little salt.

I realize that you are probably getting your info from one of the chemical manufacturer's handbooks, or from something like the CPO manual. But, as a CPO instructor, but also as someone who ran 20+ 100,000+ gallon pools with bleach . . . I can assure you that all the stuff about bleach's effect on pH and alkalinity is bogus. I operated one pool for years with bleach, and even though I had a partial 55 gallon drum of acid on site, I *never* used it up, in 6+ years!!

I'm sure that you have some helpful service tips to share, but please, for your sake and ours, hang on to your thoughts about chemistry till you've read and understood what this site is all about.

Sincerely,

Ben Powell