BBB method--from the WalMart guy!

[aylad]

Yes, the WalMart ultra bleach is what I use--comes in a white jug with a green and blue label. Just make sure it's not the scented kind.

Janet

[ChuckD]

I recommend everyone do themselves, the environment, and the local economy a favor and use the 5 gallon jugs of 12%. Find it at a local Mom and Pop pool store. The jugs are returnable and when you're working with such high volumes (15 gals. of 12% in the week I opened) concentrating it makes it much easier.

I've still got 36 empty Clorox bottles out in my shed (it's a big shed) from the first time I opened my pool 3 years ago. Anyone need boat mooring buoys?

C.

[chem geek]

Great suggestion. That's what I do by buying 12.5% chlorinating liquid in gallon jugs that come 4 in a milk carton crate and they are returnable (they have a small deposit). I've thanked my local pool store for being environmentally responsible as well as reasonably priced. The chlorine concentration always seems correct so their turnover is good.

Richard

[cleancloths]

I would suggest everyone avoid the high concentration stuff. You have no idea if it was left out in the sun and it degrades quickly. A few hours out in the sun and it may be down to 6% or less. I buy the 6% 96 oz bottle at Walmart here in NJ and they go for $1.17 a bottle.

[ChuckD]

I would suggest everyone avoid the high concentration stuff. You have no idea if it was left out in the sun and it degrades quickly. A few hours out in the sun and it may be down to 6% or less. I buy the 6% 96 oz bottle at Walmart here in NJ and they go for $1.17 a bottle.

No offense cc, but I think that's pure conjecture. It's definitely not been my experience. Using the PoolCalc I can always predict the rise in Cl in my pool when it's added which pretty clearly shows that it's concentration is as advertised. This includes using an unopened 5 gal. bottle that sat in my unheated garage all winter. Measured Free Cl before adding, calculated the amount to bring up x amount and then after one hour of circulating measured again and all's going according to plan.

Do you have evidence Cl will degrade in a sealed container? It's volatile and will evaporate in the open air, but actually degrade?

C.

[cleancloths]

No offense cc, but I think that's pure conjecture. It's definitely not been my experience. Using the PoolCalc I can always predict the rise in Cl in my pool when it's added which pretty clearly shows that it's concentration is as advertised. This includes using an unopened 5 gal. bottle that sat in my unheated garage all winter. Measured Free Cl before adding, calculated the amount to bring up x amount and then after one hour of circulating measured again and all's going according to plan.

Do you have evidence Cl will degrade in a sealed container? It's volatile and will evaporate in the open air, but actually degrade?

C.

Well the evidence I have is I am a chemical engineer and used to work in a manufacturing facility that made the stuff. If there is the slightest amount of trace metals in the bleach (which their almost always is) high temp will cause it to degrade. Low temp in your garage will not impact it.

[chem geek]

This effect of metals on the rate of degradation is true and described here where there is a nice table of half-life of chlorine at various concentrations and temperatures near the bottom of the page. Roughly speaking, the product degrades 4 times faster with a doubling of concentration and degrades about twice as fast with a 10F rise in temperature.

Most manufacturers of chlorinating liquid, including Odyssey and Hasa, make a good product as far as I can tell from many different reports on multiple pool forums. I've tested the strength of my chlorinating liquid both via direct dilution and via the effect on the pool of known volume and they are always near the correct strength -- in the range of 12-13% where the claim is 12.5%. Once I got something that might have been 11.5%, but that was the worst I had.

Bleach degrades much more slowly because of its lower concentration, but I wouldn't shy away from chlorinating liquid. Just try it out and see if it behaves as expected.

Richard

[aylad]

I recommend everyone do themselves, the environment, and the local economy a favor and use the 5 gallon jugs of 12%. Find it at a local Mom and Pop pool store. The jugs are returnable and when you're working with such high volumes (15 gals. of 12% in the week I opened) concentrating it makes it much easier.


C.

That would be great if you could buy it that way in Louisiana-- but you can't, so bleach is the next best alternative for us.

Janet