Storage of All Pool Chemicals

[JamesW]

CYA and calcium hypochlorite might create nitrogen trichloride, which is an explosive gas.

The reaction of an isocyanurate with hypochlorite can result in rapid formation of nitrogen trichloride, which at high enough concentrations will combust spontaneously with great violence.

What's Best For A Spa: Chlorine or Bromine?

 

[JamesW]

Cyanuric acid can be oxidized by hypochlorite, in concentrated solutions, in the following manner, forming nitrogen trichloride as an intermediate.

H₃Cy + OH^- --> H₂Cy^- + H₂O

Cyanuric acid + hydroxide --> Cyanurate + water

H₂Cy^- + 2ClO^- --> Cl₂Cy^- + 2OH^-

Cyanurate + hypochlorite --> dichloroisocyanurate + hydroxide

Cl₂Cy^- +7ClO^- + 4H₂O --> 3NCl₃ + 2CO₂ + HCO₃ ^- + 7OH^-

Dichloroisocyanurate + hypochlorite + water --> Nitrogen trichloride + carbon dioxide + bicarbonate + hydroxide

3NCl₃ + 9OH^- --> 1.5N₂ + 4.5ClO^- + 4.5Cl^- + 4.5H₂O

Nitrogen trichloride + hydroxide --> nitrogen gas + hypochlorite + chloride + water

Overall:

H₃Cy + 4.5ClO^- --> 1.5N₂ + 4.5Cl^- + 3CO₂ + 1.5H₂O

 

[cschnurr]

Our city council has added criteria to their permit requirements for a pools and hot tub to state that "Pool chemicals must be stored in a safe, vented and locked container or in a building out of the reach of children".
I assume most people would simply put one cabinet in their garage and store everything inside, which is quite dangerous.

Is it dangerous storing pH+ with pH-, or Chlorine with neutralizer?
Are there any precautions necessary for Filter cleaners clarifies, liquid cover, or stabilizer,

 

[cledee]

For those of you who close your pool during the winter months, what do you do with pool chemicals over the winter months? (Trichlor, Borax, Baking Soda, Algaecide). I've stored it in the shed during the cold winter, but maybe I should be storing these elsewhere during the winter months.

 

[Mdragger88]

For those of you who close your pool during the winter months, what do you do with pool chemicals over the winter months? (Trichlor, Borax, Baking Soda, Algaecide). I've stored it in the shed during the cold winter, but maybe I should be storing these elsewhere during the winter months.

I keep baking soda & borax in the house laundry area year round cuz that’s where i use it most. I have only ever needed to use it in the pool or hot tub a handful of times over the years.
I don’t have or use trichlor, dichlor, cal hypo, or mps granules so i’m no help there. Any trichlor pucks usually stay in the shed all the time in their container/bucket & only come out for vacations. The same goes for any boric acid, de powder, or salt i may have on hand it stays in the shed.
I have never used algeacide so not much help. I also don’t use dry acid but i keep my muriatic acid under my outdoor patio year round since i use it occasionally in my hot tub.
I store my liquid chlorine under my deck in the shade all summer & usually don’t have much left during the winter so then i keep a small jug under the table on my patio (for use in the hot tub) & any overflow in my laundry area.
The freeze point of muriatic acid & liquid chlorine is much lower than it ever gets where i live so its not a concern for me. I don’t know about algeacide.

 

[jerryk1234]

To all the rest, I would add: The bottles that Muriatic Acid comes in look robust. Their plastic is thicker than ordinary milk bottles. HOWEVER, they are not UV resistant. If you let one sit in the sun for a few weeks, it will literally disintegrate when you tap it. So store it out of direct sunlight!

 

[mariane]

We have our baking soda, borax, washing soda and ligiid chlorine stored in the basement/laundry room year round.
MA outside next to a large bin in the bushes a few feet away from the outdoor pool heater year round.
(Might that be too close?)
All dry chlorine pouches are stored in a plastic drawer unit inside the garage. Pucks in their original container also in the garage. All of this year round.
Other liquids ie: floc, cleaners, clarifiers are stored outside in the large bin mentioned above. In the winter they go into the detached garage.
We never use these and I've been trying to give them away. Don't know what else to do with them, don't want to dump them down the drain nor into our pool. LOL

 

[Websherpa]

For those of you who close your pool during the winter months, what do you do with pool chemicals over the winter months? (Trichlor, Borax, Baking Soda, Algaecide). I've stored it in the shed during the cold winter, but maybe I should be storing these elsewhere during the winter months.

This brings up a good point that I have always wondered about but never researched. In Ontario (Canada) here so the extremes of temperature (over a year of seasons) is pretty significant. I "instinctively" store borax in the laundry room (even though I have like 10 boxes of it each year!) as it clumps in hmidity, and keep muriatic acid inside heated garage year round.

But I have also wondered whether I could safely store muriatic acid in a shed outside along with the other chems during the summer (like back-up calcium hypochlorite for shocking, baking soda, etc - I use a salt water chlorinator AND borate so I end up going through a significant amount of muriatic acid through the summer) AND winter.

The shed is shaded but still heats up significantly for a portion of the day (and in winter if there is sun) and thus the temp range is big and constantly cycling (not typically good for any chemical storage over a long period).

Oh, and I store my mower / snow blower and other fuels (50/50) all year there too... never had any problems but.....

Thoughts?

 

[kimkats]

I would NOT store muriatic acid in any closed building that has something made of metal in it. The caps are vented so the fumes can get out. Over time those fumes may cause the metal to rust. I know my husband put the new jug he bought in the pool house as he was not sure where I kept it. I noticed there was an oily film on the windows one day. What in the world??? Saw the jug of muriatic acid and put 2 and 2 together. I removed it (showing him where I kept it for next time) and cleaned the windows. It took many paper towels and window cleaner to get it all off. I also did a light wash on the walls and the ceilings I could reach.

 

[kimkats]

I would NOT store muriatic acid in any closed building that has something made of metal in it. The caps are vented so the fumes can get out. Over time those fumes may cause the metal to rust. I know my husband put the new jug he bought in the pool house as he was not sure where I kept it. I noticed there was an oily film on the windows one day. What in the world??? Saw the jug of muriatic acid and put 2 and 2 together. I removed it (showing him where I kept it for next time) and cleaned the windows. It took many paper towels and window cleaner to get it all off. I also did a light wash on the walls and the ceilings I could reach.