Chlorine and 3"pucks/tabs the smell

[PattyA]

Hi,

Since I found TFPool I've been using just liquid chlorine and love having more control over my pool using it. I have a full container of 3" tabs/pucks left over. The liquid chlorine has no smell. As I understand, chlorine gives off the strong smell when it comes into contact with bacteria. My question is, why do the pucks have such a strong irritating smell sitting in the bucket? Is it the filler that the chlorine is held together with that is interacting with the chlorine?

Thanks, Patty

 

[mark-o]

The pucks can run as high as 73% and the liquid is around 12.5% or less, but I've never seen a liquid chlorine with "NO" smell.

 

[Donldson]

Trichlor has a strong smell to it, whether powder or puck form. My guess is because it is a more concentrated form than liquid chlorine. Someone with much more chemical knowledge will chime in soon... Any minute now...

From myHTC One via Tapatalk

 

[Gilrock]

I use the 8.25% unscented bleach from Walmart and I'm pretty sure it smells. I don't try to smell it but afterwards I seem to have a couple drops on my fingers that smell quite strong.

 

[jblizzle]

Really what you are smelling with the bleach are usually CCs ... when the fumes start to oxidize what is in your nose or on your fingers.
I think that is what I have previously read

 

[Gilrock]

I'll never forget when I was a kid I opened up a container of chlorine tablets and put my nose at the top of the container to smell it out curiosity. I ended up in such bad shape sneezing and eyes watering that my mom didn't believe me when I told her all I did was a quick smell of the chlorine tabs. So since she didn't believe me she opened it up and took a whiff and ended up sick just like me. That was a fun "I told ya so". I seem to remember it actually induced a cold that took a few days to go away.

 

[Zindar]

Yes, I have pucks left over, and I really wish I'd've saved my money and not bought them, after reading what I've read on this forum. At least it only took me a little over a month of owning my current pool to learn my lesson. But I guess I won't throw them out, in case my CYA ever gets low in the future, though I'm not sure if that will ever happen, as I understand there aren't many ways for CYA levels to drop.

 

[jblizzle]

The CYA will slowly drop as you backwash and splash water out of the pool. It is also slowly oxidized by the chlorine in the water.

 

[PattyA]

Thank you for all the responses.

I'm using Chlorine from Target, their brand, 8.5%. It's doing a fine job and is inexpensive. You have 8.5% referenced in the Pool Math program, so I assumed it was ok to use. I probably wouldn't need as much if it were higher. I wasn't able to find anything around me that was higher % other than the pool supply store and they were 12% and expensive and they kept them in the back room not displayed. With the Target chlorine I only notice a mild smell, so to me that's no smell like the chlorine smell of previous years using tabs.

Even though I had tile and plaster repairs done to my pool this year after 33 years, which cost a few bucks, I'm saving money on the operating expenses and this will be wonderful. It's as if I have a new pool now.

I wish I had this information many years ago. I always relied on the pool companies and the pool stores.

Thanks again, Patty

 

[JohnN]

This website will help you compare the cost of the different bleaches/chlorine, if you are interested.

 

[markuszoom5]

I use Target bleach too, it's the best I used so far. Low smell and not as slimy as chlorox. And this week is buy 3 get 1 free!

 

[PattyA]

Yes markuszoom5,

I bought some yesterday and got the free ones. Nice for a change. My pool has been really nice this year now that I'm using only liquid bleach.

 

[JamesW]

Tabs have very little smell as long as they stay dry. Once the bucket gets any moisture in it, the smell can get quite strong.

The water causes some of the chlorine to dissolve and the bucket fills with chlorine gas and chlorinated gasses.

 

[Zindar]

Tabs have very little smell as long as they stay dry. Once the bucket gets any moisture in it, the smell can get quite strong.

The water causes some of the chlorine to dissolve and the bucket fills with chlorine gas and chlorinated gasses.

The last time I opened my bucket, I got a knockout punch worth of gas come out. I keep the bucket on my covered patio, but maybe the humidity in the air slightly reacted with the pucks inside.

Oh, and something interesting happened the last time I opened my inline chlorinator (which I recently turned off, because I'm switching to bleach instead of pucks). I was holding my breath because I knew how dangerous it was to breathe the gas. Well that part worked, but the gas hit my eyeballs, and they started burning fiercely, so I ran away and blinked my eyes several times until they felt better. I guess I should wear goggles or something.

 

[zimm]

It's the concentration of gasses from solid chlorine. When I worked for the county water company, we used solid chlorine (their slang was "sodium hypo") pills to feed some remote well water chlorinators. It was darn near 100% and NASTY stuff. Gas masks and chemical gloves nasty.