Bleach & chlorine tablets

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Monkeymom1999

Active member
May 7, 2019
33
Virginia
Ok so a newbie to the bleach, borax, baking soda use. I’ve always rested the water and kept chlorine tablets in the little yellow container. This year will be my first year using bleach. Will I need to keep using the tablets for my daily chlorine upkeep? Will I just test and use pool math to calculate daily bleach needs?
Thanks in advance for any help. I don’t want to screw this up?
 
Bleach (liquid chlorine) is just a different source of chlorine. Each type of chlorine has its pros and cons. Bleach is cheap, has no cyanuric acid, and has no calcium. You can keep using tabs as long as your cyanuric acid levels are within normal limits, but the problem with tablets is that your cyanuric acid level is going to keep climbing over time because it's very slow to leave the water. What test kit are you using and what are your most recent results? You will need to test regularly to find out how much chlorine is in the water and add bleach according to calculations to make up for daily loss from sunlight and pool contaminants. Can you also fill out your signature or provide as much detail as possible about your pool? See my signature for an example (below this message).
 
Monkeymom1999 said:
Ok so a newbie to the bleach, borax, baking soda use. I’ve always rested the water and kept chlorine tablets in the little yellow container. This year will be my first year using bleach. Will I need to keep using the tablets for my daily chlorine upkeep? Will I just test and use pool math to calculate daily bleach needs?
Thanks in advance for any help. I don’t want to screw this up?
Click to expand...

Bleach and chlorine are the same thing. However the chlorine tablets have additional chemicals added that will build up in your pool, either CYA (stabilizer/chlorine sunscreen) and calcium. You don't want either of those to build up in your pool. Then there's sodium hypochlorite aka bleach/chlorine. You could use either or. However the bleach they sell in the laundry aisle has a lesser percentage (5.25%-8.25%) than the bleach, aka chlorine, they sell in the pool section (10%-12%). So if you use bleach, you will end up using more product because of the lower percentage. You're better off using liquid chlorine.
 
Pools, just like a pet, need to be fed each day. My pool gets a small dose of regular bleach almost everyday. Make sure when you get bleach that is is "regular". Stay away from the Clorox brand due to polymers added, and also avoid splashless or scented bleaches. Make sure to read our ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry for a good illustration of how everything works together, and read/save those Vital Links below in my signature as well. Have a nice weekend. :swim:
 
We decided to do away with the SWG after only 2 years of use it broke. I'm waiting on the test kit now so I can be sure to SLAM the pool correctly. I've been scouting out bleach (liquid chlorine) while I wait. Definitely feel like liquid chlorine will be my best bet. Have found 10% gallons for $3.33 nearby. Just a bit more in cost than Walmart bleach ($2.87 here) but looking at posts here, will need less.

Before we went with the SWG we had problems with the CA levels in the pool. Pool store had us spending $$$$$ for additives and then things that would supposedly remove the CA. Having said that, I definately would feel more comfortable using daily bleach to keep up the chlorine levels verses the tablets. Now saying that, if my CYA levels are low, I will use tablets o pull that up.

I've ordered the Taylor K2006 kit which I believe has everything I need to test while slamming and check the CYA. So as of now, my green swamp is just sitting idly by growing daily. I can't really proceed until I can test properly.
 
Sorry to hear your bad experience with a SWCG using pool store practices. Many of us here at TFP have SWCG’s and using TFP methods have no issues with them.
 
Monkeymom1999 said:
We decided to do away with the SWG after only 2 years of use it broke. I'm waiting on the test kit now so I can be sure to SLAM the pool correctly. I've been scouting out bleach (liquid chlorine) while I wait. Definitely feel like liquid chlorine will be my best bet. Have found 10% gallons for $3.33 nearby. Just a bit more in cost than Walmart bleach ($2.87 here) but looking at posts here, will need less.

Before we went with the SWG we had problems with the CA levels in the pool. Pool store had us spending $$$$$ for additives and then things that would supposedly remove the CA. Having said that, I definately would feel more comfortable using daily bleach to keep up the chlorine levels verses the tablets. Now saying that, if my CYA levels are low, I will use tablets o pull that up.

I've ordered the Taylor K2006 kit which I believe has everything I need to test while slamming and check the CYA. So as of now, my green swamp is just sitting idly by growing daily. I can't really proceed until I can test properly.
Click to expand...

I didn't have my test kit but I knew what my CYA was. So I matched it with the chart found on here. The next day was a dramatic difference. The day after I added 10ppm without a test kit on the recommendation of someone on here and that also made a difference.
 
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Thanks Kim! I have added while I wait for the kit, liquid chlorine based on the CYA. Sweeping it daily. It's still swampy green, but we definitely see improvement. Tuesday we will have the kit and be able to start the SLAM. Thanks for all your help!
 
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