Proper storage of BBB plus a few extra ?'s

[PoolDad2]

I did a search and didn't see it listed. Sorry if it has already been posted. I want to make sure I make the most of my pool endeavor.

1. Proper conditions to store our BBB supplies?
2. How long will the borax and baking soda keep, I understand the bleach has a short shelf life of a month or so correct?
3. Can the borax and baking soda be transferred into another air tight container, tuperware, old chlorine bucket properly marked as such?
4. D.E. anything special with storage of it?
5. Pool test kit, inside a nice AC'ed house?
6. Pool brush, what causes it to loose it's bristles, should it be stored inside out of the sun? Mine didn't last a year.
7. Best way to clean your vinal liner from the water line up?

Any thing else I might have missed? I figured this would be good to have for us newby's.

 

[JohnT]

Bleach and the test kit reagents need to be cool to maximize life. The powdered chems all just need to be dry, so a sealed container is best. Chlorine buckets are good, but don't make the mistake of labeling only the lid. The brush needs to be out of the sunlight and away from the dogs .

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

I did a search and didn't see it listed. Sorry if it has already been posted. I want to make sure I make the most of my pool endeavor.

1. Proper conditions to store our BBB supplies?

Cool dry place

2. How long will the borax and baking soda keep, I understand the bleach has a short shelf life of a month or so correct?

Borax I don't know. Soda will be fine if it is kept dry

3. Can the borax and baking soda be transferred into another air tight container, tuperware, old chlorine bucket properly marked as such?

Tupperware or other new container, sure! Chlorine bucket, I would not, because some things may react with residue in the plastic...

4. D.E. anything special with storage of it?

Keep it dry

5. Pool test kit, inside a nice AC'ed house?

Bingo! Under kitchen sink would be good...

6. Pool brush, what causes it to loose it's bristles, should it be stored inside out of the sun? Mine didn't last a year.

Could be chlorine left on it does not help it. Sun is not too friendly to them, either!

7. Best way to clean your vinal liner from the water line up?

Mr. Clean magic eraser (don't scrub too hard as they are abrasive), baking soda on a sponge (watch your pH!)

Any thing else I might have missed? I figured this would be good to have for us newby's.

Welcome to TFP!!

 

[Rangeball]

Chem geek posted a chart awhile back that showed 6% is fairly stable long term in what I considered normal outdoor summertime temps.

So it's the garage for my bleach Today it's 97*, and about the same for humidity

But the pool will feel great when I get off work

 

[Rob]

Any thing else I might have missed? I figured this would be good to have for us newby's.[/quote]

1. Proper conditions to store our BBB supplies?

- As cool and dry as possible, depending on how often you rebuy. Keeping the bleach in a warm shed for a week probably won't hurt much, but if you buy a large amount, I'd recommend storing the bulk of it in your basement or other cool/dry spot, and bringing it out closer to the pool in loads.

2. How long will the borax and baking soda keep, I understand the bleach has a short shelf life of a month or so correct?

Almost indefinately provided you keep moisture away from them. Not sure on the bleach shelf life, but a month sounds a bit short to me.

3. Can the borax and baking soda be transferred into another air tight container, tuperware, old chlorine bucket properly marked as such?

Yes

4. D.E. anything special with storage of it?

Not sure here, but again, I think you want to keep it dry.

5. Pool test kit, inside a nice AC'ed house?

Yes, if you want them to work properly! Probably the least stable of the things you use with your pool.

6. Pool brush, what causes it to loose it's bristles, should it be stored inside out of the sun? Mine didn't last a year.

Out of the sun will do, not sure what else you can do to make it last longer.

7. Best way to clean your vinal liner from the water line up?

People here have had a lot of luck with the Magic Eraser products, particularly dealing with "problem areas". Just about any gentle cleaner should work, but I'd try and minimize anything you use, since it's more junk in your pool.

 

[Rangeball]

6. Pool brush, what causes it to loose it's bristles, should it be stored inside out of the sun? Mine didn't last a year.
7. Best way to clean your vinal liner from the water line up?

PoolDad, where'd you buy your brush? I bought one last year at Walmart, blue plastic head and plastice type bristles. Shed bristles from day one, they'd be floating in the pool. I pitched it. I stored it in the garage as well, but I don't think it was a temp or UV issue, just a POS

For #7, weekly I use the head of a brush that you buy at walmart that you screw your hose into the end of the handle, for washing cars. It has really soft bristles, does a nice job. If I could figure out how to attatch it to my pole, I'd use it for the entire liner.

For more heavy duty cleaning (scum lines, scale, etc) I've seen Mr. Clean Magic Erasers recommended.

 

[JasonLion]

12% bleach will only last one to three months. 6% is generally good for a year or more. Both the bleach and the test kit should be kept out of the sunlight as much as possible.

 

[chem geek]

This chart gives chlorine half-life for a quality product (low-quality bleach with metal contamination will degrade faster). You can see that a 10F rise in temperature cuts the lifetime roughly in half and a doubling in concentration cuts the lifetime by roughly a factor of 4. These are half-lives in the table so it's the amount of time it takes for the chlorine to lose half its concentration -- as the chlorine degrades, it slows down in the rate of such degradation. So most of the degradation at higher concentration occurs more quickly.

The bottom line is as stated in previous posts, 6% bleach will last many months even at higher temperatures while 12.5% chlorinating liquid is far more sensitive so should be stored in cooler temps if possible. Now, that said, I find that the 12.5% chlorinating liquid that I buy doesn't degrade much at all in the 45 days until I get a new case. It's stored in a shed that has temperatures that range from around 55-60F at night to 70-90F during the day with the daytime temps usually below 80F most days. The lowest drop I've measured went down to around 11% from the initial 12.5-13.0%.

Richard

 

[PoolDad2]

This chart gives chlorine half-life for a quality product (low-quality bleach with metal contamination will degrade faster). You can see that a 10F rise in temperature cuts the lifetime roughly in half and a doubling in concentration cuts the lifetime by roughly a factor of 4. These are half-lives in the table so it's the amount of time it takes for the chlorine to lose half its concentration -- as the chlorine degrades, it slows down in the rate of such degradation. So most of the degradation at higher concentration occurs more quickly.

The bottom line is as stated in previous posts, 6% bleach will last many months even at higher temperatures while 12.5% chlorinating liquid is far more sensitive so should be stored in cooler temps if possible. Now, that said, I find that the 12.5% chlorinating liquid that I buy doesn't degrade much at all in the 45 days until I get a new case. It's stored in a shed that has temperatures that range from around 55-60F at night to 70-90F during the day with the daytime temps usually below 80F most days. The lowest drop I've measured went down to around 11% from the initial 12.5-13.0%.

Richard

Looks like storing bleach in my pool pump house is out unless I plan on using it fast. It gets up to 98 to 100 degrees in there. It is a 8'x10' fully enclosed and insulated building that we store all our floats and pool supplies in. The previous owner had it built when they had the pool built. I might see what I can do to get better air flow in the building. Right now it just has four automatic foundation vents in it, two on one side and two on the opposite side about 4 inches off the floor. I'm thinking if I put a vent into the ceiling for summer cooling that might help. It does a great job in the winter time even though our outside temps here in eastern NC don't get much below 24 and once in a blue moon in the teens. This is only for a night or so, mostly stays in the mid 30's.