Question about Clorox (bleach) and chlorimines?

[lovingHDTV]

Here is the typical pool store answer I've recieved:

"Can I just use Cloroxâ„¢ instead of chlorine?
No. Cloroxâ„¢ is not stabilized. Cloroxâ„¢ has only a small amount of free chlorine. It also causes buildup of total available dissolved solids which causes cloudiness. "


I realize that Clorox is not stabilized (a benefit). What is the argument regarding free chlorine? Is it that Clorox is only 6% chlorine and not 10% or 12%? I've also been told that Clorox is mostly chlorimine, not chlorine. Isn't chlorimine a more stable version of chlorine that they use in drinking water now?

Just curious,
dave

 

[kirbinster]

All a bunch of bs. No it is not chloramine, it is sodium hypochlorite. Chloramines are what is produced when chlorine attacks nitrogen compounds in your pool. Sodium hypochlorite whn disolved in what gives you hypochlorous acid which is exactly what you get from any form of chlorine you put in the pool.

Chlorox is fine as long as you don't use their special products that have fragrences or thickeners in them. Just stick with generic house brand bleach (5.25%) or ultra bleach (6%) and you will be fine - plus it is usually cheaper than branded products.

 

[nocaster]

You should check and see if this same store sells "Liquid Shock" which is 10% Sodium Hypochlorite and sells for about $7 per gallon. It will say so on the bottle in the same location as bleach. In fact, you could have some fun and take a bottle of bleach to the store and have them explain the difference between the two other than the Sodium Hypochlorite concentration. It would probably be something similar to a GMC dealer telling you a GMC pickup has more welds per foot than a Chevy.

 

[lovingHDTV]

Actually that was the conversation. We were looking at his 10% at $4.95 per gallon and asked if I wanted any. I said no it was too expensive . . .

From my reading of the ingredients they were exactly the same except for the concentration.

 

[nocaster]

I'll bet the liquid shock and bleach are made at the same plant using the same process. There is a packager here in Enid, Ok that packages 3" chlorine pucks. I've been there to work on office equipment. They put the same pucks in the same buckets with different names on them.

 

[kirbinster]

Having been in the chlorine business I can tell you that you are better off buying lower concentrations. The higher concentrations decompose very easily if their are any trace metals in the process. When you buy 6% you will most likely get 6%.

 

[chem geek]

This link talks about the trace metal contamination problem that kirbinster refers to and near the bottom of the link is a chart of chlorine half-life for high-quality chlorine. I have found that 12.5% chlorinating liquid from my local pool store is as advertised in strength and loses strength rather slowly over 4-6 weeks (as measured in my pool soon after use), but I may be lucky that the chlorine is of high quality and I store it away from the sun (though it is in a well-ventilated pool shed outdoors -- I've also taken moistened pH strips to see if any chlorine appears to be leaking and not detected any nor any odor). I agree that you need to be careful and test levels in your pool to see if your source of chlorine is good and lasts as long as you need it.