Chlorine added to bromine pool becomes bromine?

[PappaSid]

I like the concept of a bromine pool, but not the cost. I have read that chlorine added to a bromine pool converts to bromine. If I start using chlorine tabs instead of bromine on a permanant basis what is the long-term result?
Please keep you answer simple....I aint no nerd....just want to save some money on chemicals...THANKS!

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

Chlorine added to a bromine pool reactivates the bromine. If you stop adding bromine, eventually a long time later you will run out of bromine to be reactivated. Generally bromine needs to be added at least once per year, often twice a year.

Bromine can be in two states, active sanitizing bromine, and inactive "banked" bromide. As long as you have enough bromine "in the bank" you can use chlorine to reactivate it. Bromide is lost very very slowly in normal usage. It can be lost more quickly if you pump or splash a lot of water out of the pool or when you backwash your filter (if your filter needs backwashing).

Bromine can't be stabilized against sunlight, so it is not a good choice for outdoor pools. It isn't impossible to use it outdoors, but you will lose a great deal of active bromine to sunlight, meaning higher chemical costs overall.

 

[PappaSid]

Thanks for the information. I go though about 30 lbs of 1"tabs per month. I'm thinking about mixing 1/2 chlorine tabs with 1/2 bromine tabs in the automatic dispenser for the season (here in Geogia) as a trial. Any thoughts?

 

[geekgranny]

Thanks for the information. I go though about 30 lbs of 1"tabs per month. I'm thinking about mixing 1/2 chlorine tabs with 1/2 bromine tabs in the automatic dispenser for the season (here in Geogia) as a trial. Any thoughts?

DANGER DANGER DANGER

DO NOT MIX THE TABS.

Someone will be along to explain. I won't go into the chemistry of it but mixing many of the pool chemicals can be dangerous in the least and deadly at the worst, includes deadly gases, chemical burns, explosions, etc.

gg=alice

 

[JasonLion]

You can use more chlorine than just half and half. I would try 3/4 chlorine or more.

As geekgranny said, you don't want chlorine and bromine tabs right next to each other. It is fine using them both on the same pool, but the two kinds of tablets shouldn't be put up against each other. Once they dissolve everything is fine.

 

[geekgranny]

Thanks for the information. I go though about 30 lbs of 1"tabs per month. I'm thinking about mixing 1/2 chlorine tabs with 1/2 bromine tabs in the automatic dispenser for the season (here in Geogia) as a trial. Any thoughts?

Welcome to TFP, Pappa.

How come you are using 1" chlorine tabs? I'm pretty sure they are much more expensive that 3" tabs.

Back in the 80's I used Bromine for my pool using any inline tab feeder. I can't remember but I probably purchased 50 lb buckets of 1" bromine tabs. If I am remembering right I don't think bromine even comes in 3" tabs but I could be wrong on that one. Previous to that the pool was a chlorine pool, using inline tab feeder. At that time I certainly didn't know about the CYA/Chlorine relationship. I switched to Bromine as the Chlorine was bleaching out my show dog coats, DH didn't like the chlorine smell, and I was getting itches from CCs (which I didn't know about until finding TFP.

Now that I know about all the relationships and keep my chlorine pool "perfectly" balanced the swimming black dogs have no bleaching, there is no odor to the pool at all, and my skin actually seems to benefit from being in the "chlorine" pool.

I do use bromine in my spa only because I have a bunch of tabs, left from when I wanted to try bromine, again, after not using it for years. I'm switching back to chlorine spa when the bromine tabs are used up. I found it much easier to keep things balanced, in the spa, using chlorine.

gg=alice

 

[PappaSid]

Sounds like mixing the tabs is out! Thanks for the warning. Plan B: I guess I will use up the bromine tabs and then buy chlorine 3" tabs. That will cut my cost in half!