Chlorine lock on swimming pool?

[MossRoad]

+100000000000000

I highly recommend you consult trouble free pools:

Pool School - TFP Home Page

Think of tractorbynet, but for pools. No one is trying to sell you anything there.

I'll second that website. LOTS of good info over there.

 

[kenmac]

Yes bleach is cheaper, But it doesn't have near the available chlorine as a quality shock does.
You may have to use 5 gallons of bleach to do the same job as one bag of quality shock.

 

[MossRoad]

Yes bleach is cheaper, But it doesn't have near the available chlorine as a quality shock does.
You may have to use 5 gallons of bleach to do the same job as one bag of quality shock.

As I mentioned... it depends on the price of the day for us.

For example,
Bleach was 6% sodium hypochlorite.
Pool shock was 12% sodium hypochlorite.
Bleach was on sale for $2 a gallon.
Pool shock was $5.00 a gallon.
Bleach was a better deal that day.

This spring, I found pool shock 12% sodium hypochlorite on sale for less than $3.00 per gallon. So I bought 6 gallons, used three for start-up and have three left over in case of emergency. But that's all I'll use all summer long, and I'll probably use the last 3 gallons of shock to winterize it.

 

[rustyshakelford]

what I use is 73 % available chlorine . what you are using only has 10-12% available chlorine .

One bag of what I use treats 16,500 gallons of water. I would have to dump in 6 gallons of what you use to equal one lb bag of what I use.

I use 2 one lb bags for 30,000 gallons of water.
I would have to buy 12 one gallon bleach bottles to get the same amount of chlorine for 30,000 gallons.

One bag of what I use 73 % available chlorine is $5.30 per bag

It would cost me $24.00 using chlorine @12% vs $10.60 for 2 bags @73% chlorine. So ,what I buy saves me $$

Your not getting it. There's bad stuff in this miracle bag your talking about. We use about a cup to a cup and a half a day to sanitize our pool. That pretty cheap when I can get the bleach 12% for $3 a gallon. If it works for you, keep doing it. Doesn't mean it's right nor does it mean what I'm doing is either. However, I know exactly what I'm putting in my pool and can guarantee you my pool chemistry is more accurate that yours

Brett

 

[kenmac]

It would cost me more to use bleach @ 6% chlorine I would need 24 gallons of bleach @$2.00 per gal.= $48.00.

I use 2 bags of quality shock (73% chlorine) 2 bags @$5.30 = $10.60

 

[kenmac]

Your not getting it. There's bad stuff in this miracle bag your talking about. We use about a cup to a cup and a half a day to sanitize our pool. That pretty cheap when I can get the bleach 12% for $3 a gallon. If it works for you, keep doing it. Doesn't mean it's right nor does it mean what I'm doing is either. However, I know exactly what I'm putting in my pool and can guarantee you my pool chemistry is more accurate that yours

Brett

Yes, I get it. It would cost me 2x as much to use your miracle bleach.
I can guarantee my chemistry is more accurate than yours .. See how that works ? LOL.

Doesn't matter to me if you make your own bleach.
I've owned this pool for 20 yrs. I think I've got a little understanding of what's going on.

Oh, this bad stuff I'm using is used by more people than use bleach. If it wasn't , they wouldn't keep making it

Oh, yeah. The guy that installed my pool had been installing pools for 30+ years. He said to use chlorine. I have since day one No issues till this past winter. I guess he didn't get it either . LOL

 

[rustyshakelford]

Yes, I get it. It would cost me 2x as much to use your miracle bleach.
I can guarantee my chemistry is more accurate than yours .. See how that works ? LOL.

Doesn't matter to me if you make your own bleach.
I've owned this pool for 20 yrs. I think I've got a little understanding of what's going on.

Oh, this bad stuff I'm using is used by more people than use bleach. If it wasn't , they wouldn't keep making it

Oh, yeah. The guy that installed my pool had been installing pools for 30+ years. He said to use chlorine. I have since day one No issues till this past winter. I guess he didn't get it either . LOL

This is turning into a pissing match. I read up on your cal hypo to refresh my memory. It adds CH. liquid chlorine adds nothing unless you consider a very minor amount of salt besides sanitation. Please continue to go to Leslie's and drink their kool-aid. Don't forget to buy their PH decreaser and whatever else you need for your pool. Clearly everything you need comes from there.

I'll continue to maintain my pool with the BBB method and others learned from studying up and researching the best ways to care for my pool. I don't need someone at a pool store to tell me what I need due to the professional testing kit we have and the extensive logs that are kept to ensure the pool or hot tub is always ready for fun

Brett

 

[MossRoad]

Here's the MSDS sheet on Leslie's Power Powder Plus...
http://www.lesliesmsds.com/DocumentCenter.aspx?did=0ea71a6c-2b55-408c-8be4-e4445a3e78df

Looks like calcium hypochlorite... (powdered bleach)

Calcium hypochlorite - Wikipedia

as opposed to sodium hypochlorite... (liquid bleach)

Sodium hypochlorite - Wikipedia

Yes, it has greater available chlorine than liquid bleach or liquid pool shock.

I only have 12,500 gallons in my pool. Since I don't add chlorine to my pool EVER during the summer unless a squirrel drowns or a little kid poops in it, and I spent a total of about $18 on bleach last year, the point's kinda moot for me.

 

[kenmac]

It wasn't a pissing match until you made it one.I never saw you post that you were a pool expert. I must have missed it. Keep buying that junk that was made to wash clothes in if that's what works for ya.

I posted what works for me, and you begin to tell me it's all bad stuff and how your chemistry is better than mine , etc, .

I don't care what you use in your water and it works for you, stick with it. I'll stick with the great stuff I've been using for 20 yrs and doing a great job

Next time I see the old man that installed my pool, I'll let him he must be nuts telling people to buy a good grade of chlorine.
In the 20 yrs I've owned my pool, I never drained it once for CYA you speak of. I have drained it twice to replace the liner. 10 years out of each one.

I have never been told by a pool store to use their products, But I doubt a fireman knows as much as a a guy with 30 yrs installing pools.

My water is always crystal clear and the chemistry spot on.

Keep using your bleach with the so called good stuff. I'll keep saving $$ using the great stuff.

 

[tractchores]

I've had similar issues, it's almost always caused by cya (cyanuric acid). It builds over time and that may be why it hasn't been an issue. Unfortunately if it's high the only fix is to drain some water and refill. You don't need to drain it all. Test kits or the pool store can test the level to confirm....

Less likely, but PH can also make chlorine not work, so I would check that too. Once it's all balanced make sure to brush everything down (preferably with a wire brush if the pool can handle it). That can help expose all the Algae to the chlorine. Nothing more frustrating than balancing a difficult pool.