Bleach vs. liquid chlorine?

[suziequsie2945]

I have been here for two years so far (love this website!) The past two years I have used liquid chlorine, but I know bleach is also recommended for FC. I have never used bleach before and we are opening the pool tomorrow. I have no liquid chlorine at the moment and have to run out tonight in a pinch to get some but all pool stores are closed. I am thinking of trying the bleach this year instead of liquid chlorine. (For some reason I have been scared to pour straight bleach in but it is identical to liquid chlorine, is that right?) Anyway, what do I get? I'll be going to Wal-Mart. Just Chlorox bleach? Do I need to look for anything in particular? I'll be using the calculator to calculate when the time comes but I assume I'll need more bleach than I did when I used liquid chlorine. Just trying to figure out how many bottles I need.

Also, is it okay to intermix the two if need be? Say if I start chlorinating with bleach and then switch to liquid chlorine or vice versa, or even if I use both in the same day, is that ok?

Thanks so much guys!

 

[tim5055]

Also, is it okay to intermix the two if need be? Say if I start chlorinating with bleach and then switch to liquid chlorine or vice versa, or even if I use both in the same day, is that ok?

Thanks so much guys!

The only difference is the % in the solution. Bleach is actually weaker than what you have been using. But in the end they are all chlorine in a liquid form. Some just have extra water in the solution.....

 

[suziequsie2945]

So good ole Chlorox it is!

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Do you find any difference between the two when using them in the pool? And since they are the same, I assume I can intermix? I see the Chlorox is half the strength.

 

[tim5055]

So good ole Chlorox it is!

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Do you find any difference between the two when using them in the pool? And since they are the same, I assume I can intermix?

Yes, intermix away. No difference. And, no need for the name brand stuff. WalMart Great Value is much less expensive than the name brand Clorox. Just look on the side and verify the %

 

[suziequsie2945]

Awesome! Thanks! Wish me luck with my opening and I'm sure I'll be back - LOL!

 

[tim5055]

Awesome! Thanks! Wish me luck with my opening and I'm sure I'll be back - LOL!

Good luck then - we will be here!

 

[chem geek]

Just make sure the bleach is NOT splash-less, outdoor, scented, etc. since these add things you don't want in your pool like thickeners that will foam.

 

[pooldv]

I buy Kroger brand concentrated bleach at the grocery store. Easy enough to toss a few in the basket when they are on sale. 8.25%. Liquid chlorine is usually 10% or 12%, exact same ingredients.

 

[suziequsie2945]

Just make sure the bleach is NOT splash-less, outdoor, scented, etc. since these add things you don't want in your pool like thickeners that will foam.

I just saw this post this morning after I bought 20 bottles of bleach! I just checked and all it says is "regular scent." Anyone know what that means, and is it okay to use that today? That's all I have on hand and I'd like to get some FC in the pool ASAP!

 

[tim5055]

What brand?

 

[JVTrain]

Regular scent is probably fine. I take "regular" to mean unscented... unless someone knows what "regular" smells like?

 

[suziequsie2945]

What brand?

The Rite Aid Home brand.

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Regular scent is probably fine. I take "regular" to mean unscented... unless someone knows what "regular" smells like?

I was thinking the same thing. IF it's not okay, what will my pool look like? Foamy? This way I can gauge whether it's adding other unnecessary stuff to the pool.

It's 8.25% and the rest is "other ingredients." It does indicate no phosphorus.

 

[tim5055]

The Rite Aid Home brand.
I was thinking the same thing. IF it's not okay, what will my pool look like? Foamy?

It's 8.25% and the rest is "other ingredients." It does indicate no phosphorus.

You are good to go. The MSDS sheet on it lists two ingredients

Sodium Hypochlorite

Sodium Hydroxide

This is normal bleach.

And to answer your question, yes the splash-less will cause foaming. Almost all of us have grabbed a bottle at least once in the past.

 

[suziequsie2945]

You are good to go. The MSDS sheet on it lists two ingredients

Sodium Hypochlorite

Sodium Hydroxide

This is normal bleach.

And to answer your question, yes the splash-less will cause foaming. Almost all of us have grabbed a bottle at least once in the past.

Thank you for looking that up! Good news I couldn't imagine returning 20 bottles back to Rite Aid - LOL

 

[Red Neckerson]

Sodium Hydroxide, aka caustic soda, is often used as a stabilizer in bottled bleach.

 

[Patrick_B]

Bleach is made by passing electrical current through NaOH, so it will inherently contain it as part of it's makeup.

 

[Red Neckerson]

Bleach is made by passing electrical current through NaOH, so it will inherently contain it as part of it's makeup.

Yep, forgot that.

Is IS often added though. Hypochlorite likes it alot.

 

[Patrick_B]

I did not know that. My industry uses big volumes at such high rates, there is no point in doing that. Interesting.

 

[chem geek]

If you do not leave some excess lye (sodium hydroxide) in making bleach, then the pH will be lower and the bleach will degrade more quickly. So a small amount is left in. In high-quality 12.5% chlorinating liquid, there's around 0.25% lye and the pH is around 12.5 (with no excess lye, the pH would be around 10.6).

As for fragrance, that won't cause foaming. It's the thickeners that cause foaming. The fragrance probably doesn't do a lot of harm, but we like to avoid adding anything extra to the pool just in case. It sounds like regular scent is unscented -- it's the regular clean bleach smell.

 

[Patrick_B]

I see... It makes perfect sense.