Bleach vs. pool chlorine?

[Noorm]

Why do so many people use "bleach" instead of pool chlorine? Or are you using the terms interchangeably? I've seen several comments about 121 ounce bottles of Chlorox bleach.
I get full gallons of Pool chlorine at Home Depot for $3.48 (0.27/oz.)

 

[jblizzle]

They are the same thing. Often the store bleach is cheaper for the # of ppm of FC you get.

See: Recommended Pool Chemicals

And here is a calculator that can compare prices: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/56787-Liquid-chlorine-calculator

 

[Patrick_B]

It's terminology Noorm, and that's all. In heavy industry, they call it Bleach, or Chlorine. Just not Pool Chlorine. Pool Industry likes to call it that I think, because we are all brought up that "Bleach" is a bad chemical. the only real difference is in strength. Industrial is 12.5, and "Pool Chlorine" is usally 10%, where household Bleach is nowadays 8.25 as standard.

 

[Divin Dave]

Right.

 

[Richard320]

Why do so many people use "bleach" instead of pool chlorine? Or are you using the terms interchangeably? I've seen several comments about 121 ounce bottles of Chlorox bleach.
I get full gallons of Pool chlorine at Home Depot for $3.48 (0.27/oz.)

It's the same stuff. Sometimes price or convenience make 8.25% Clorox a better deal than 10 or 12.5% liquid chlorine for pools.

Sometimes the pool stuff is labelled as "Shock," which is a meaningless term. So if we called it that, people might see the various forms of powdered chlorine - also labelled "shock" - and buy it instead. And raise the CH or CYA without intending to.

Also, in general, bleach at the grocery store turns over rapidly. So if it claims 8.25%, it probably is. The pool chlorine sitting outside in the garden section at the home improvement center might have been there for months, losing strength. Check the production dates next time you're buying it. http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/83147-Chlorine-Date-Code-Decoder-Easy-Way-to-Measure-Strength

 

[tim5055]

Yea, but the pool store here in South Carolina said liquid chlorine was illegal...:rabbit:

 

[JasonLion]

There are additional rules about how many safety systems they need to have to carry higher concentrations of bleach/liquid chlorine. They just don't feel like installing those safety systems. This is true in several states. The extra regulations make selling the higher concentrations less profitable, so they don't bother. Janitorial supply shops always carry it, though they often won't sell to the public.

 

[tim5055]

There are additional rules about how many safety systems they need to have to carry higher concentrations of bleach/liquid chlorine. They just don't feel like installing those safety systems. This is true in several states. The extra regulations make selling the higher concentrations less profitable, so they don't bother. Janitorial supply shops always carry it, though they often won't sell to the public.

I figured there was some rule regarding concentration, but she just looked at me funny when I asked how did WalMart sell it then

 

[Isaac-1]

Personally I use cheap "bleach" and use it as a generic term, this is partly because the only place around my area that sells " liquid pool chlorine" is Home Depot and they get the stuff in very rarely and multiple pallets at a time which is kept outdoors in their garden center. Bleach / Liquid chlorine looses strength strength over time, faster at higher temperatures, so the idea of buying 1-2 year old stale "12% liquid chlorine" which is now likely weaker than fresh 8.25% bleach just does not make sense.

 

[ITR]

I had a good laugh last weekend. Went to the pool store to pick up some HCL and figured I'd take a sample in for testing just for giggles. Everything was in check...and he asked if I needed some chlorine too. When I said, "No, I'm good, I have plenty of bleach at home." He asked, "What??" I said, "Just household bleach." The look on his face was as if I was dumping toxic waste in my pool. I didn't waste my time or his and just shrugged, smiled, and left. I'm sure the bleach was less toxic than the tattoo on his neck. (Disclaimer...no flames as I have ink as well).

 

[outdoor]

Funny, I just had a conversation with Friends on the use of Bleach instead of Lithium since it is much cheaper. They insisted that it cannot be good to add something into your Spa/Pool that when they add to there laundry will bleach their clothing.

Insisted they only add what their pool store tells/suggested them to use. Can't be safe adding Bleach. Their chemist friend uses pool store chemicals as well, doesn't just add bleach.

 

[tim5055]

Funny, I just had a conversation with Friends on the use of Bleach instead of Lithium since it is much cheaper. They insisted that it cannot be good to add something into your Spa/Pool that when they add to there laundry will bleach their clothing.

Insisted they only add what their pool store tells/suggested them to use. Can't be safe adding Bleach. Their chemist friend uses pool store chemicals as well, doesn't just add bleach.

Some people are only willing to listen to what "experts" tell them. When you get down to it, the chlorine is the same. In its natural state, chlorine is a gas and needs to be bound to something to make it a solid/liquid so,it can be packaged and sold for use. Your friend who is using the lithium is using the highest priced chlorine delivery system. More expensive is better, right?

 

[domct203]

FWIW- Regardless of strength, when sodium hypochlorite is dissolved in water is it commonly referred to as "bleach".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hypochlorite

Looks like we are all swimming in a big bowl of bleach LOL !!

 

[wayner]

Looks like we are all swimming in a big bowl of bleach LOL !!

I don't add sodium hypochlorite, electricity converts the NaCl in my water to Free Chlorine.

 

[outdoor]

OK your link to definition says

Sodium hypochlorite is a chemical compound with the formula NaOCl. It is composed of a sodium cation (Na+
) and a hypochlorite anion (ClO−
); it may also be viewed as the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid. When dissolved in water it is commonly known as bleach or liquid bleach.[1] Sodium hypochlorite is practically and chemically distinct from chlorine.[2] Sodium hypochlorite is frequently used as a disinfectant or a bleaching agent.

Was this supposed to say Indistinct?

 

[domct203]

OK your link to definition says

Sodium hypochlorite is a chemical compound with the formula NaOCl. It is composed of a sodium cation (Na+
) and a hypochlorite anion (ClO−
); it may also be viewed as the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid. When dissolved in water it is commonly known as bleach or liquid bleach.[1] Sodium hypochlorite is practically and chemically distinct from chlorine.[2] Sodium hypochlorite is frequently used as a disinfectant or a bleaching agent.

Was this supposed to say Indistinct?

I'm no chemist LOL, but I know that there are some on this forum.

I'm guessing the article is correct, and it's some crazy 'sodium ion' or 'chlorite' thing.

 

[jblizzle]

"chlorine" is Cl2 (gas at room temp)
bleach is NaOCl (liquid at room temp)

Those are in fact distinct.

 

[outdoor]

"chlorine" is Cl2 (gas at room temp)
bleach is NaOCl (liquid at room temp)

Those are in fact distinct.

OK, i guess not being precise, when we most people are asking or talking about Bleach vs Chlorine, they are referring to liquid bleach vs say Lithium, Dichlor, Cal-Hyp etc....

Other than the add Calcium Hardness, or CYA in some of the other products the diff is mainly strength. Maybe some pH diff.

But in essence they are all providing Chlorine at various strengths.

 

[jblizzle]

Think of "chlorine" as the element that disinfects in the pool. It is bound to other things to get it into the water and when describing the various products, the generalization of "chlorine" should not be used.

The statement "bleach vs. chlorine" does not make any sense because chlorine is part of bleach, just like it is part of Dichlor, Trichlor, Cal-hypo, etc.

Just like saying "chlorine vs saltwater pool" does not make any sense

 

[Isaac-1]

Let me try to put this a different way. Chlorine is the chemical that does the sanitizing and oxidizing in a chlorinated pool, at room temperature chlorine is a gas, and a fairly nasty one at that at higher conecntrations. Therefore to get chlorine into the pool water without dangerous high pressure tanks and hazmat endorsements it needs to be bound to something this may be (bleach / liquid chlorine / sodium hypochlorite all 3 are different names for the same thing), dichlor, trichlor or lithium hypochlorite, all four of these break down in water to release the chlorine (well technically it combines with the water to become Hypochlorous acid HOCL but so does Chlorine gas when you bubble it through water) as well as something else.

With bleach you get Chlorine + Sodium in the form of Sodium Chloride (common table salt)

With dichlor and trichlor you effectively get Chlorine + CYA (also with trichlor in particular you get a acidic pH reduction)

With Lithium Chloride you get Chlorine + Lithium

If you look at "salt water pools" with an SWG you still put chlorine into the pool, just in this case the form is Sodium Chloride, common table salt, which does not separate under normal conditions in pool water. Instead it is broken down into Chlorine + Sodium when it passes through the SWC cell, as electricity is passed through the salt water between the SWG plates the water + salt form Sodium and Chlorine , then the Chlorine plus the water turns into Hypochlorous acid (HOCL) and Hydrogen gas which bubbles out.