Walmart Bleach - Suspect levels?

[jamesurq]

So when I first stumbled on this site a couple of weeks ago - I went for the Walmart bleach isle and subsequently figured out that either:

1 - the total volume of my pool must be slightly more than the pool calculator was suggesting; or
2 - Walmart's claimed 6% chlorine level in bleach is not quite what it should be.

I've now found a slightly cheaper (9 cents per 1.4 gallon) option - and it's name brand (chlorox). I went to dose based on the pool calculator and the net increase in FC levels were quite substantially higher.

Now granted, pool conditions are obviously not lab conditions, but I did notice a more yellow tinge and I couldn't help but notice a FC level that went higher and stayed higher... One would assume that if the label says 6% there would be relatively strict controls on that. But based on my experiences with Walmart from a supplier perspective I can't help but think that perhaps the suppliers being squeezed so hard would resort to slight dilution of the product.

Has anyone noticed anything similar?

 

[JasonLion]

Bleach "spoils" sitting on the shelf. So, the turn over rate at the specific store is important, as is the manufacturer. Clorox produces bleach with a slightly higher than average concentration, so it will still be at least 6% even if it has been sitting around for a while.

Most WalMarts do fairly well at supplying fresh, full strength, bleach. But that does vary from store to store.

 

[jamesurq]

Ahhhh... I see.

Good to know.

The store in question seems to be turning it rather quickly. When I went there last weekend the shelves were completely empty. I have to wonder though if they didn't have a truckload of it from a couple of months ago that was in the back stockroom in the heat.

(mostly I'm just glad I"m not imagining it due to some sort of brainwashed brand recognition)

Thanks.

 

[hillsgold]

I finally decided it was time to take care of my pool myself. Thanks to this site; I get the chemistry. So I have been using the calculator and noticed that no matter how much Great Value Walmart (not chlorine-free) bleach I added, it didn't seem to raise the levels significantly. I kept adding more than the recommended amt from the calculator. Then I thought my pool is clear--maybe my testing kit is wrong--then noticed after shocking with powder stuff; kit worked just fine. So I made sure I stored fresh bought Walmart chlorine inside and decide to test it--it did not register any chlorine at all!! Alright tomorrow I will try another brand. I live in Arizona--any brand recommendations??

 

[anonapersona]

Hmm, I was sort of suspecting the same in my pool. I think I did notice that it smelled normal though. So I was not suspicious enough to test anything. I just switched to Clorox. I also have CYA a lot lower than normal and so that was also part of that. I may buy a Walmart jug here just to test it against Clorox.

We bought some Irish Spring bath soap from Walmart recently. One bar out of the 6 (so far) was clipped at the corner, maybe 15% missing. I know that Walmart pressures its suppliers to lower costs constantly. Apparently Irish Spring decided that cutting corners, literally, was what was required to get the contract.