Testing % of store brand bleach

[jcowart]

New member and pool owner. First thing is I am trying to forget about everything the pool liars told us when they were taking our money for the pool. We were sold on the frog system. I got a test kit and after about a week or so I noticed the water looked clear from the surface but was cloudy underwater. With the frog they say .5 FC. I reset the frog and hold the FC at about 5 and the water is clear now but my CYA is 50 or 55. I can just barely see a dark ring at 50 and just goes cloudy at 55 so I might bee looking at it wrong. Anyway I am dumping the frog and going BBB. I sent my wife to the store for bleach. She comes back with several 96oz bottles of Hill Country Fare regular bleach for $1 each. That's from HEB grocery for the ones in Texas. The sodium hypochlorite is not listed as a %. Is there a way to mix a small batch to see if it's 6%?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

If you're fairly certain of your pool size (gallons), you can use the Pool Calc to figure how much to add to raise it a certain ppm FC and then test after you add it to see if it hit target. If it did then it's the expected percent. If it didn't, do it several more times and if it's constantly low by the same % the bleach is weak.

 

[anonapersona]

There is also a way to test using a bucket and a certain amount of bleach. I thought I had written it in my pool book but cannot find it. Searching here may find it for you.

 

[erivette]

I buy mine at HEB as well, the hill country fare brand. If it's the "old" 91oz or 182oz bottles it's 6%. If it's the "new" 121oz it's 8.25%.

 

[jcowart]

Well I live and learn. Two days with no frog thing. I tested the water and plugged the number in the pool calc. Add the bleach it called for yesterday morning. When I tested the water at sunset I was very surprised at the FC drop. I added more to get it up to target. Tested this morning and it was way lower that it should have been. Added more to bring it up. Tested at sunset today and it was low again. I added what it called for to get to target and after 40 minutes of pump time I retested. Surprise surprise it was nowhere near what it should have been. I started playing with the pool calculator and I am glad the % is not just a pull down box. I put my "then" and now in the target and found my % at 2.5. I used my last jug of that #@!& to finally get it up to target from a test. We will see in the morning if it holds. Moral of the story is don't use it if the % is not listed. You know what.... I think I saw that in another post when I was just lurking and absorbing information. I guess it did not sink in. posting.php?mode=reply&f=10&t=52626#

 

[zea3]

The good bleach has the % marked on the label. HEB Bravo bleach is 6% for the old 96 ounce and 8.25% for the new concentrated formula.

 

[Bama Rambler]

I'm always leary of any that doesn't specifically list the percentage on the label. I've been using Dollar General bleach and it states 6%.

 

[adeller]

If you added the bleach in the morning and tested in the evening, then added and tested again in the morning, it is possible that the bleach percentage might not be off, but that the pool is consuming the bleach. I would look for the experts here to chime in, but I would reference Pool School for starters.

 

[jcowart]

No the first two days I would test in the morning and add the bleach. I would test that evening and it would be low so I would add some more. Last night I wanted to do an ofcl test so I tested 30 to 40 minutes after I added the bleach. It was way lower than it should have been. I took my original test number as "now" and the new test as "target" and started changing the %. When I got to 2.5 it showed the same amount I added to get to that target. I then changed the target to where I wanted and kept 2.5%. I used the last of that stuff to get to my real target. I did have a 1.5 drop this morning that I need to look into. If I would not have tested after the add I would still be scratching my head. At $1 per 96oz I learned my lesson.

Side note: Is it common to retest after an add to see if it came up to target?

 

[jblizzle]

Side note: Is it common to retest after an add to see if it came up to target?

I think only if you suspect a problem ... as you did. After some time and "good" bleach, you will get a feel for what the FC levels should be the next time you test ... and if they are not, you try to figure out why. Seems like you are on top of things.