2022 Bleach Prices - Yikes!

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Ps. @AndyTN
I visited Smith pools yesterday & procured guaranteed fresh 11% for $4/gal ($9.99/2.5gal). This is up $1 a jug from last year. This doesn’t include the jug deposit. He assured me that it was fresh & that they receive a report for every batch that confirms this. I am coming down from slam level after opening so I haven’t used any yet. I had been using the expensive yet old stuff from Walmart 😩
Also they had 5# bags of stabilizer for $19.99 vs the 4# bags of clorox stabilizer @ Walmart for $20.94. My swg is still kicking so hopefully I am set for a while with my 4 jugs of bleach & 3 bags of stabilizer. I do have to supplement my dinky swg during the dog days of summer.
 
Mdragger88 said:
Ps. @AndyTN
I visited Smith pools yesterday & procured guaranteed fresh 11% for $4/gal ($9.99/2.5gal). This is up $1 a jug from last year.
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I have never been to Smith Pools so I may have to check that out. I am going to start commuting downtown a couple days a week for work so their Southaven location won't be too far out of the way then. I have not been able to find any bleach at Home Depot and my Lowes just got in a few pallets so it is fresh but still $6 per gallon. I couldn't find anything a few weeks ago and was having to buy 6% germicidal bleach for $6 per gallon. The Chlorox at Costco is starting to look very attractive right now...

I called my local Leslie's because they started carrying bleach last summer with the puck shortage. They are charging $39 per gallon!!! It would be cheaper for me to just do a water exchange every two weeks....
 
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Crazy.

full
 
Saturn94 said:
Sized properly and FC maintained properly you shouldn’t need much bleach. I SLAM at opening and closing, and during the season I may have to bump FC a little with bleach a few times at most. I probably go through about 6-8 gallons of 10% total for the season (May - Oct).
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Understood. My understand was that if there is a need for additional chlorine (like after a storm or high swimmer load etc) you weren't supposed to use the SWCG to make up that need because it would reduce the cell life.

I have a pool approx 3/4 the size of your calculation but I still don't spend even close to $530/yr even with the high bleach prices. I do, however, want to quit looking for bleach in stock and driving around buying it :)
 
iadams said:
Understood. My understand was that if there is a need for additional chlorine (like after a storm or high swimmer load etc) you weren't supposed to use the SWCG to make up that need because it would reduce the cell life.

I have a pool approx 3/4 the size of your calculation but I still don't spend even close to $530/yr even with the high bleach prices. I do, however, want to quit looking for bleach in stock and driving around buying it :)
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Your understanding of using chlorine when you need a boost of FC is correct, although that shouldn’t be needed often.

Traditionally, the primary benefit of a SWCG has been convenience, not cost savings per se. In the past the total cost has been considered close. I’m not sure how it currently works out with todays prices, though. I think most SWCG users here would tell you they would stick with a SWCG even if it cost more than other methods.

We’ve been running a SWCG since 2004. A couple years ago, I figured out how much it cost us per season on average to chlorinate our pool, including initial purchase of the SWCG, repairs, replacement salt cells, bags of salt, etc. I was pleasantly surprised it came to about $180 a season.

YMMV of course. 😉
 
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Saturn94 said:
Your understanding of using chlorine when you need a boost of FC is correct, although that shouldn’t be needed often.

Traditionally, the primary benefit of a SWCG has been convenience, not cost savings per se. In the past the total cost has been considered close. I’m not sure how it currently works out with todays prices, though. I think most SWCG users here would tell you they would stick with a SWCG even if it cost more than other methods.

We’ve been running a SWCG since 2004. A couple years ago, I figured out how much it cost us per season on average to chlorinate our pool, including initial purchase of the SWCG, repairs, replacement salt cells, bags of salt, etc. I was pleasantly surprised it came to about $180 a season.

YMMV of course. 😉
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Thank you. I've been kicking around the idea of changing to salt purely for the simple fact that regardless of price, I have had trouble even finding chlorine for the past 2 years without driving all over the place. Before the Great Value bleach and others started including the additives, it was a lot easier. Now, our walmart is out of pool chlorine most of the time and stops carrying pool supplies altogether by mid August if not earlier. I have to drive 30min for a Lowes or Home Depot, and they are hit or miss and often have very outdated stock. So for those reasons alone I'm considering making the plunge into a saltwater pool.
 
iadams said:
Thank you. I've been kicking around the idea of changing to salt purely for the simple fact that regardless of price, I have had trouble even finding chlorine for the past 2 years without driving all over the place. Before the Great Value bleach and others started including the additives, it was a lot easier. Now, our walmart is out of pool chlorine most of the time and stops carrying pool supplies altogether by mid August if not earlier. I have to drive 30min for a Lowes or Home Depot, and they are hit or miss and often have very outdated stock. So for those reasons alone I'm considering making the plunge into a saltwater pool.
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Finding fresh chlorine can be a challenge here as well. It’s enough of a pain to get the little I need each season, so I can’t imagine what a pain it would be if I was manually chlorinating.

Actually, last time the main pump motor had to be replaced, I had to manually chlorinate for a week or so. I REALLY missed the SWCG!!
 

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mknauss said:
A circupool RJ 60 will add 6000 ppm FC to your pool over its average life. At approximately $1600, including tax and parts to install, not labor,

put 3 grams of table salt in one liter of distilled water.
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Where’s the best post for “dummies” on making the switch to saltwater? My search makes me feel like I’m trying to get a sip of water from a fire hydrant.
 
When I moved into this house in 2019, household bleach cost about 2.50 and pool chlorine jugs cost around 3, 3.50... when covid started, it was nearly impossible to find bleach of any kind, and when I did find it they limited how much I could buy. When it was stocking regularly again, I noticed I could no longer find just bleach, it all had additives. Couldn't find pool chlorine, so I had no choice but to use the stuff with additives, which made my water cloudy and foamy, but at least it was sanitized...I spent all of 2021 scrambling for bleach, having to buy a ton because I could only find 6-8%, sometimes only half gallons, my pool was always hazy and bubbly...
In late winter, I decided to look for an alternative and found cal hypo, $70 for 24 packs. I purchased 2 packs, so 48 for $140.
Then, this year, I could find 10% pool chlorine again... and it was double what it used to be. I spent like, $72 on 12 jugs. My pool is in direct sun and never gets shade, so that doesn't last me long at allllll....
Looked at the cal hypo I had purchased earlier. I still had some, but knew it wouldn't last all summer - and it's now $105!

I don't know all the calculations on the price per FC with all those numbers but I know it was SO much more than when we first started and I was stressed the heck out just trying to make sure I had enough around. We caved and got a SWG this month.
 
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Strawberryshortcake said:
When I moved into this house in 2019, household bleach cost about 2.50 and pool chlorine jugs cost around 3, 3.50... when covid started, it was nearly impossible to find bleach of any kind, and when I did find it they limited how much I could buy. When it was stocking regularly again, I noticed I could no longer find just bleach, it all had additives. Couldn't find pool chlorine, so I had no choice but to use the stuff with additives, which made my water cloudy and foamy, but at least it was sanitized...I spent all of 2021 scrambling for bleach, having to buy a ton because I could only find 6-8%, sometimes only half gallons, my pool was always hazy and bubbly...
In late winter, I decided to look for an alternative and found cal hypo, $70 for 24 packs. I purchased 2 packs, so 48 for $140.
Then, this year, I could find 10% pool chlorine again... and it was double what it used to be. I spent like, $72 on 12 jugs. My pool is in direct sun and never gets shade, so that doesn't last me long at allllll....
Looked at the cal hypo I had purchased earlier. I still had some, but knew it wouldn't last all summer - and it's now $105!

I don't know all the calculations on the price per FC with all those numbers but I know it was SO much more than when we first started and I was stressed the heck out just trying to make sure I had enough around. We caved and got a SWG this month.
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38k gallons of water in my back yard. Zero shade.
Haven’t used anything but bleach or LC (to sanitize at least) in my pool for nearing 10 years. LC is $5/gal and the cheapest thing around us.

Just came home with 25 lb of Cal-Hypo for $120. (I felt dirty, like I’m cheating on my spouse!) My pool eats calcium for 3 meals per day, so no worries there. But yah, looks like a conversion is in our near future.
 
We just bought a house towards end of last year. It came with a pool. The previous owners had a pool service maintaining it. After reading TFP (thanks so much!!), I decided to maintain it myself this year. Swim season just started for us last week. I am buying 10% LC at WM for $4.63 per gal. Pool uses about 0.75 Gal on a very sunny day and about 1/3 on cloudy days. I like it as WM delivers it to my home. 12.5% LC at pool store was more expensive (~$0.10 more per oz when taking concentration into account). I wish PA had some way to refill LC in jugs. However, I think I will be converting to a SWG in future.
 
Household6 said:
38k gallons of water in my back yard. Zero shade.
Haven’t used anything but bleach or LC (to sanitize at least) in my pool for nearing 10 years. LC is $5/gal and the cheapest thing around us.

Just came home with 25 lb of Cal-Hypo for $120. (I felt dirty, like I’m cheating on my spouse!) My pool eats calcium for 3 meals per day, so no worries there. But yah, looks like a conversion is in our near future.
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The sun makes it so hard! It's already hitting the upper 90s with heat indexes in the 100s so the UV index is super high. There is NO shade on my pool after 9am or so... I swear I can just hear the chlorine fizzing away.
 
C3Cl3N3O3 said:
I'm basically paying $150 / month for bleach right now.
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That's where I was for the few days until I got my SWG up and running. It took an hour and a half to hit 3 stores to find fresh bleach. I spent 45 mins at the middle store, Lowes, waiting for a kid to find a forklift to bring a pallet of LC down, and when he did, it was 6+ months old.

An hour and a half for that week's supply, at $6 a day. I was a HARDCORE swg dude before this. But it was nice to live the other way for a minute. And. Then. Never. Return. There.
 
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Is HD the best option for bleach right now? I've been buying 4 gallons for $17.98. My current concern is that it sits outside at the store. This is my first season and I'm not sure about restock over the next months.
 

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