Liquid Shock vs Store Bought Bleach?

[BuBBles827]

Hi - I'm new to the site. I just bought 4 gallons of 12% hypochlorite [88% other ingredients] Liquid Shock. I read on the site that some people use grocery store bleach instead. I'd love to save some money, but does the grocery store bleach contain the same 12% hypochlorite [88% other ingredients] as the liquid shock? Can someone please tell me what brand of grocery store bleach is comparable & safe to use in my gunite pool? Thanks for your help.

 

[tim5055]

Welcome to TFP!!

No, bleach and what you purchased (called chlorinating liquid) are not he same %. The highest bleach is 8.25%. But, they can not be compared side by side. Chlorinating liquid is normally in Trade % which is a VOLUME % of Available Chlorine. Bleach is normally in WEIGHT % of sodium hypochlorite. 8.25% of bleach is equivalent to 8.64 Trade %.

So, side by side using Trade % yours is 12% and the highest bleach is 8.64%.

 

[chem geek]

So to compare prices divide your price by the volume (probably 128 fluid ounces) and divide by 0.125. For 8.25% bleach you may find, divide by its volume (which is probably 121 fluid ounces) and by 0.0825. This gives you the price per same amount of added chlorine.

There may be advantages to the chlorinating liquid you are buying over the bleach that are not just price. In my case, I get 12.5% chlorinating liquid from my local pool store because they reuse the bottles. I return a case of 4 bottles and get a new case so there's no recycling waste. To me, that's worth something extra even if I were able to find bleach for a lower cost but where I needed to recycle the jugs.

 

[zea3]

Determining which is best is often based on what is available. I've not been able to find any decent prices on chlorinating liquid in my area so I stick with grocery store bleach. Grocery store bleach is a little lower concentration than chlorinating liquid and as long as you use plain, unscented bleach you should be ok. Don't buy bleach with any add ons like "splashless", "outdoor formula", or perfumes. Those add ons may cause foaming. It won't damage your pool, but it is a pain to clean up.

 

[kimkats]

Also make sure to check the date code. Old bleach could be a waste of time and money as it has lost it's punch. Also if is stored out in the heat..that can make it lose some of it's power.

Kim

 

[DaninFLA]

store bought bleach, 8.25% is a bit more stable as well and doesn't break down as fast. the 12% stuff can degrade quicker.

to answer your question, its all the same stuff, just different percentage, so you need more of the store bought bleach to put the same amount of chlorine in the pool as the 12% stuff.

12% chlorine is not something you can buy a ton of and stock up...as it will degrade to lower %. make sure its fresh and use it quickly and keep it out of the sun and high heat.