Can't find liquid chlorine

[contentedPilgrim]

Only Home Depot and Wal-Mart where I live. Wal-Mart has stopped carrying its Pool Essentials Chlorinating Liquid (probably due to winter), and Home Depot doesn't carry any (it's a small town). Neither deliver it. I tried ordering from Leslie's but it says they don't ship. I know that all the Chlorox Bleach products have Cloromax with detergents in it.

So, hoping someone has a source that will ship liquid chlorine that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I thought going with the TFP bleach method would be simpler and less expensive... but this is adding a twist to spa care.

 

[duraleigh]

for that volume, I think I would just use pucks and drain and refill when the CYA got too high.

Secondly, you could look in grocery stores for their private label "chlorox" which wll likely not contain any additives.

 

[trivetman]

Dollar store bleach might be another avenue. Any sort of off-brand.

Delivery is going to be hard to find.

 

[contentedPilgrim]

Dollar store bleach might be another avenue. Any sort of off-brand.

Delivery is going to be hard to find.

Delivery is indeed hard. I learned my lesson to stock up during the summer, but it's too late for that.

for that volume, I think I would just use pucks and drain and refill when the CYA got too high.

Secondly, you could look in grocery stores for their private label "chlorox" which wll likely not contain any additives.

The CYA will get too high pretty fast at 10ppm per week. It's just myself and my wife, and my goal is to only fill once every six months. It has worked for the past 15 years with my old spa without issue. But I haven't used chlorine before.

*******
It's hard to trust the contents of off-brand / private label "Chlorox". But thanks to both of you for the suggestion.
*******
There is one seller on Amazon selling 12.5% Champion, but it's $60 for 4 gallons delivered. My nearest pool store is 1-1/2 hours away. They sell for $13.99 / gallon - not much better than Amazon and not worth the drive.

 

[jdlangley1]

Check with your local pressure washing companies and ask where they buy bulk chlorine. You can get 5 gallons of 12.5% for under $15 where I live.

 

[Mdragger88]

The cheapest household bleach generally has the least additives. So long as it doesn’t say fabric protection or splashless & is unscented.
Try dollar general, family dollar, $tree, etc. brands like xtra, cloralen & such. Aldi as well.
Unfortunately they often don’t have the % on them but they are often 3-6% so you just have to try it & see where it gets you & adjust your dosage accordingly. They are usually in bottles smaller than a gallon so not the best value persay but it does make them easier to handle when using the small amounts a spa requires. I recently picked up a small bottle at dollar general, I will use it up & then refill it with my stronger pool store bleach. I like the little bottles since they are meant for bleach & fit under my coffee table on the patio.
Hopefully that will get you through.
Like mentioned above, call around to chem suppliers & janitorial suppliers.
For next year, try to get a stock built up for the winter before the stores stop carrying the liquid chlorine. Bleach does degrade over time but in the winter it’s not too terrible of a loss if kept in a shady place.

 

[Mdragger88]

Also check Ace Hardware, the ones around here will order things for you.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You could look into converting the tub to an SWG. The Saltron mini’s are very popular with hot tubbers here on TFP. I think they generally last about 2 years or so before the cell needs to be replaced but it at least makes generating chlorine on-site pretty easy. Considering the high prices for liquid chlorine in your area and the scarcity of supply, it may be a better value.

 

[JoeSelf]

I got 2 gallons of LC from Ace during the summer so I could get a 2.5 gallon jug from my pool store and have containers to store it in my basement for the winter. Was still 12.5% played a little TETRIS with the jugs on the pallet of get one from the bottom middle.

 

[contentedPilgrim]

Thank you all. I've got enough LC for the next month.... time enough to research your suggestions. I need at most 2 gallons to get through the winter, so no big loss if I have to pay $15 / gal. Lesson learned to prepare for winter earlier.

 

[Newdude]

Check any cleaning aisles in your stores. They should carry 'disinfectant" bleach year round. It's half strength around 6%, but like you said, that's no biggie.

The disinfectant bleaches are typically free of the scents, flavors, technologies and thickeners (splashless) that create foaming. So steer clear of the laundry aisle but you'll probably score in the cleaning aisle.