6% Clorox or 10.5% pool store chlorine?

[Z06Boricua]

Hey guys, I'm usually pretty good at math, but the different concentrations here are really messing me up for some reason... I'm hoping you can help! I've been maintaining my new pool for about a month now, and I just finished off my 3rd jug of Clorox. I pay $8.49 for a box of 3x 182oz jugs of 6% Clorox. It seemed like a good deal to me until I went to my local Pinch-A-Penny today to pick up a floating thermometer. They had 2 palettes of 10.5% liquid chlorine in 2.5gal jugs on hand. I asked one of the people there who seemed to be the manager about it. He stated that they sell the jugs for $7.50 plus another $4.50 for the chlorine inside. Once you empty the jug, you bring it back and subsequent fills are $4.50, with every 13th jug being free. I inquired about the freshness of it, and he stated that what they had on hand was delivered yesterday morning, and they get 2000gal delivered 5 times a week. Assuming I haven't yet confused the heck out of you, which do you think would be the better deal?

Costco = 546oz of 6% for $8.49
Pool store = 320oz of 10.5% for $4.50 after $7.50 jug purchase, buy 12 get 1 free

I may be way off here, but if I divide 6 / 10.5, I get a ratio of 0.5714. I assume that if I multiply 546oz by 0.5714 it will give me the equivalency of 10.5%, so that 546gal of 6% becomes 312gal of 10.5% equivalent. Does that make sense to anyone else or am I way off base? If my calculations are correct, it would be about half the cost to get a jug every month or so from the pool store. Thanks for reading my rant, please discuss!

Jose

 

[jblizzle]

Look at it this way. For 50 cent more you can get more of the stronger stuff. That looks like a better deal ignoring the initial jug purchase.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone

 

[Z06Boricua]

Look at it this way. For 50 cent more you can get more of the stronger stuff. That looks like a better deal ignoring the initial jug purchase.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone

Hah! I was so backwards on this that I didn't even think about the most simplistic way of looking at it. Thanks!

Jose

 

[RaviePoolGirl]

Ok, I think of it like this. Someone let me know if I am off base

546 oz of 6% chlorine at $8.49. I take 546oz x .06 is 32.76oz of 100% chlorine in that batch. Take the price $8.49 and divide by 32.76 oz giving $0.25 per ounce of effective chlorine.

320 oz of 10.5% chlorine at $4.50. I take 320oz x .105 is 33.6oz of chlorine in this batch. Take the price $4.50 and divide by 33.6 oz giving $0.13 per ounce of effective chlorine.

So the 6% is $0.25 per oz of effective chlorine.
And the 10.5% is $0.13 per oz of effective chlorine.

10.5% sounds like a better deal.

 

[Smykowski]

This is what I use. FWIW, $2.50/bottle for 12.5% is the cheapest I've seen this year.

 

[supertune]

Hi Z06Boricua,
I'm in Clearwater and I use Pinch A Penny for my liquid chlorine.
They're 1 mile from my house and no traffic lights or stop signs, takes less than 3 mins to their door! 10.5% 2.5 gallon carboy jug.
I have found that I need to put in 10.0 % in the pool calculator for the dosing #'s to be right on with my chlorine additions.

Chuck

 

[Z06Boricua]

Thanks guys, this is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to get. Man, I love this place!

Jose

 

[hotlanta]

Hi Z06Boricua,
I'm in Clearwater and I use Pinch A Penny for my liquid chlorine.
They're 1 mile from my house and no traffic lights or stop signs, takes less than 3 mins to their door! 10.5% 2.5 gallon carboy jug.
I have found that I need to put in 10.0 % in the pool calculator for the dosing #'s to be right on with my chlorine additions.

Chuck

I've looked high and low for 10% 12% bleach Where do you find it??

I see at Home Depot Clorox Outdoor which has no reading on the label Is this the 12% stuff??

 

[AaronGo]

Besides pool supply stores, where else can someone purchase the higher concentration bleach? I would be willing to pay a slight premium for the stronger variety just to save on storage space.

 

[Guest]

Usually if the bottle doesn't tell you the percentage of sodium hypochlorite, you shouldn't buy it........and I can buy 12% from Menards it comes labeled I believe as Pool Shock

 

[Z06Boricua]

Other than a pool store, I would assume you'd be able to find 10-12% chlorine at a chemical supply place, but I'm not sure. I was just lucky to find a good price nearby! Also remember that higher concentration levels lose their strength quicker than the lower concentration stuff.

Jose

 

[Z06Boricua]

Usually if the bottle doesn't tell you the percentage of sodium hypochlorite, you shouldn't buy it........and I can buy 12% from Menards it comes labeled I believe as Pool Shock

Yeah I believe you can find stuff like that at places like HD, Walmart, etc. but it'll be labeled as liquid shock or pool chlorine. The problem is the prices that some places charge for it!

Jose

 

[AaronGo]

Other than a pool store, I would assume you'd be able to find 10-12% chlorine at a chemical supply place, but I'm not sure. I was just lucky to find a good price nearby! Also remember that higher concentration levels lose their strength quicker than the lower concentration stuff.

Jose

Do you mean the higher % products lose their strength quicker as the solution goes unused and remains inside its bottle, not that the higher % product loses its "cleaning power" at a faster rate than the 6% does once added to the pool?

 

[AaronGo]

Usually if the bottle doesn't tell you the percentage of sodium hypochlorite, you shouldn't buy it........and I can buy 12% from Menards it comes labeled I believe as Pool Shock

Yeah I believe you can find stuff like that at places like HD, Walmart, etc. but it'll be labeled as liquid shock or pool chlorine. The problem is the prices that some places charge for it!

Jose

The good news is that it's just a simple calculation to see which is the better deal! :-D

 

[JasonLion]

Do you mean the higher % products lose their strength quicker as the solution goes unused and remains inside its bottle, not that the higher % product loses its "cleaning power" at a faster rate than the 6% does once added to the pool?

It is all the same once added to the pool. The shelf life of the higher concentrations is shorter.

 

[Smykowski]

Other than a pool store, I would assume you'd be able to find 10-12% chlorine at a chemical supply place, but I'm not sure. I was just lucky to find a good price nearby! Also remember that higher concentration levels lose their strength quicker than the lower concentration stuff.

Jose

Do you mean the higher % products lose their strength quicker as the solution goes unused and remains inside its bottle, not that the higher % product loses its "cleaning power" at a faster rate than the 6% does once added to the pool?

The first part. The chlorine is so unstable, that even left in the bottle it will break down over time. Chem geek posted a chart with the half life of different concentrations based on their storage temp.

 

[AaronGo]

ok, good info to know, thanks. I went by Target to get a few bottles of bleach and their "no name" 6% variety was ~$3 for 182 fl oz. I can store 8-10 of those easily enough and re-stock as needed, so unless I can get the higher % product at a significant unit cost savings, then I will stick with the 6% version due to the shelf life factor.