I'm trying to make economic sense out of TFP's preference for bleach and I can't see it so far. Was BBB born in a past era when bleach was more cost effective? I looked at the great thread on Bleach Prices 2013, and it looks like everyone is struggling to make the bleach idea work. An older but related thread is Chem Geek's Cost Comparison of Chlorine Sources.
The Pool Calculator is telling me that a 100-lb tub of Cal-Hypo 65% gives FC equivalent to 125 gallons of 6%. I can get 100-lb Cal-Hypo 68% for $195. That means I gotta get 6% for less than $1.56 per gallon to start taking bleach seriously. But I don't know of a way to get 6% at that price.
JasonLion has advised me to focus on 12.5% from pool stores. It would take 60 gallons to equate to the 100-lb tub of Cal-Hypo. I'd have to get 12.5% for less than $3.25 per gallon. That's hard enough to do, but the task is made even more difficult when every pool supply I contact thinks I'm nuts to consider using bleach.
Perhaps BBB makes more sense in high Calcium Hardness regions? I'm in western NC and our make-up water has very low CH, so Cal-Hypo's contribution to CH is welcome.
But I really am interested in BBB because, frankly, Cal-Hypo scares me. It's really potent stuff, and is made even more dangerous by the need to handle it when pre-dissolving before adding to the pool. That 100-lb tub in our community pool's storage room is an accident waiting to happen. Pouring a gallon of bleach into the pool seems so much safer.
The Pool Calculator is telling me that a 100-lb tub of Cal-Hypo 65% gives FC equivalent to 125 gallons of 6%. I can get 100-lb Cal-Hypo 68% for $195. That means I gotta get 6% for less than $1.56 per gallon to start taking bleach seriously. But I don't know of a way to get 6% at that price.
JasonLion has advised me to focus on 12.5% from pool stores. It would take 60 gallons to equate to the 100-lb tub of Cal-Hypo. I'd have to get 12.5% for less than $3.25 per gallon. That's hard enough to do, but the task is made even more difficult when every pool supply I contact thinks I'm nuts to consider using bleach.
Perhaps BBB makes more sense in high Calcium Hardness regions? I'm in western NC and our make-up water has very low CH, so Cal-Hypo's contribution to CH is welcome.
But I really am interested in BBB because, frankly, Cal-Hypo scares me. It's really potent stuff, and is made even more dangerous by the need to handle it when pre-dissolving before adding to the pool. That 100-lb tub in our community pool's storage room is an accident waiting to happen. Pouring a gallon of bleach into the pool seems so much safer.