Just bought 5 gallons of liquid chlorine from ACE Hardware and no one working could tell me the percentage? When I asked the fellow that filled the jugs he said "it was strong". On the up side they did not try and sell me any chemicals I did not need and I did not have to drive 1 hour to the closest pool store. I guess with daily testing, percentage is not that important.
Liquid Chlorine from ACE Hardware
- Thread starter jasonknox
- Start date
- Jan 21, 2014
- 1,069
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Within a cpl days you should be able to figure out the strength if you dose based on 10%. If your readings show that you're adding too much, it must be 12.5%. If they show you aren't adding enough its 6 or 8.25%
If it's bulk I'm betting 12.5%, but I've been wrong before.
If it's bulk I'm betting 12.5%, but I've been wrong before.
What I've seen at Ace before is labeled as 10% available chlorine. See if you can see a date code printed on the side and you can determine how fresh it is.
I also recommend checking the date code. I recently bought 6 jugs of 10% liquid chlorine at Ace. When I got home I noticed one of the jugs was a 2013 date (the day of year was smudged - unreadable). The other jugs were 2014 dates codes manufactured early in the year. I measured the chlorine strength of all date codes using the 10,000 to 1 dilution test. The 2013 jug measured 4.5%. The other date codes measured 9.5% and 10.5%.
The guy said the ACE employee "filled" the jugs so I doubt there are any date codes.
- Jan 21, 2014
- 1,069
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
FWIW This is why I guessed it was 12.5%. The prefilled @ Ace are 10%, and they don't sell bulk in my area...but that doesn't mean they don't elsewhere.
I just got a call from the sales rep that sells to ACE Hardware. He could not believe they did not know the percentage. He indicated that it was 13% by volume and 10.5% by weight which brings up the question of, which percentage is standard? The pool store shows theirs as being 10.5%. I must have a good life if this is all I have to think about. I guess percentage really only matters in determining cost per oz. of chlorine so you can determine what kind of a deal you are getting.
There are three numbers typically used and their relationship is as follows:
% Available Chlorine (this is a weight %) < % Sodium Hypochlorite (this is a weight %) < Trade % (this is volume % available chlorine)
The second number is always 1.050 times (5.0%) higher than the first since their relationship is the weight of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) to the weight of chlorine gas (Cl2). The third number is the first number times the density of the product which varies by concentration but is usually around 1.07 for 5.25%, 1.08 for 6.0% (NaOCl), 1.10 for 8.25% (NaOCl), 1.14 for 10% (Trade), and 1.16 for 12.5% (Trade).
There is no way that their % Available Chlorine is 13% by volume and 10.5% by weight. More likely, if it's 10.5% by weight, then it's 12.2%, probably 12.5%. That is a pretty common Trade % for chlorinating liquid.
% Available Chlorine (this is a weight %) < % Sodium Hypochlorite (this is a weight %) < Trade % (this is volume % available chlorine)
The second number is always 1.050 times (5.0%) higher than the first since their relationship is the weight of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) to the weight of chlorine gas (Cl2). The third number is the first number times the density of the product which varies by concentration but is usually around 1.07 for 5.25%, 1.08 for 6.0% (NaOCl), 1.10 for 8.25% (NaOCl), 1.14 for 10% (Trade), and 1.16 for 12.5% (Trade).
There is no way that their % Available Chlorine is 13% by volume and 10.5% by weight. More likely, if it's 10.5% by weight, then it's 12.2%, probably 12.5%. That is a pretty common Trade % for chlorinating liquid.