$5.00 gal Liquid Chlorinator vs. 50 cent gal Household bleach??
We purchased a 14 ft. 2600 gal. simple set viny pool last week. We opted to get the liquid chlorinator which cost about $5.00 per gallon and were instructed to add 3 oz daily (about 1/3 Cup) and an additional 2 1/2 cups weekly to shock. When we got home I noticed the pool chlorinator label read Sodium Hypochlorite 10%. I picked up my 50 cent household bleach bottle which also read Sodium Hypochlorite 6%. Even with the additional volume we need to match the concentration, I come out way WAY ahead using the household bleach. I also use regular baking soda to even out the PH and save a ton on the more expensive packaged pool sodium bicarbonate. We use a 4 way test kit and are able to keep everything within normal range this way. Am I missing something or is it o.k. to continue this regimen and use the money saved for.. er.. all those pool toys the kids keep begging for? thanks! Cheri Boy I dont know. You got that chlorine 10% for $5.00. We have been paying about .85 cents for it all the time thats what I use. You dont put so much in now and then,test it and see when you need itThe clorox at 5 and 6% is not worth it.What you do want to do. Is when you start to lose it to fast. You do have to add some stabilizer agent to the pool also check the alkalinity now and then. also check Broax will raise the pH and baking soda will raise the alkalinity. You want to get Muracit acid to take the pH down. if you have a lot a small kids there you will need the acid for sure. That 4 in 1 test kit is the only way to go. Dont forget to keep the filter clean. ED Thanks for the reply, Ed. I'm not familiar with Broax.. is that a brand name of borax powder? Actually, our PH stays on the low side and a box of baking powder puts me in normal range for several days. I do use the stabilizer that came with the starter kit but it says I only need to add it twice a season. I'm not altogether sure what that does - slow the loss of chlorine due to sunlight?? Should I add it more often? How would I know when to do so? Do I understand correctly that you pay .85 per gallon for your 10% liquid chlorinator? I would be willing to go that route if I could find some that inexpensively. I called the chemistry department at the major University nearby and they confirmed according to the labels that both bottles (pool chlorinator and household bleach) contain the same thing, in slightly different concentrations. Until I can find a comparable value, I think I'll stick with the household bleach and keep using the 4 in 1 test-kit to make sure I stay in appropriate ranges. The chemist figured I would need 1.66 times more 6% solution to equal the concentration of the 10% chlorinator so adding 5 oz. of household bleach keeps me in the same range as adding 3 oz of the 10% solution. That's only slightly more than 1/2 cup daily for our small pool at a whisper of the cost of the pool chlorinator. I have nothing against the pool chemical companies - we all have to make a living, and if I owned a pool of any real size, all of this would probably become moot. But for a family on a budget, it pays to pay attention to labels and ask questions. (I knew that 10th grade chemistry class would come in handy someday!) Cheri You can find Broax in any store with the soap. Stabilizer-- you add it only when the chlorine dont seem to last as long as it did. I would need 1.66 times more 6% solution to equal the concentration of the 10% chlorinator so adding 5 oz. of household bleach keeps me in the same range as adding 3 oz of the 10% solution. That's only slightly more than 1/2 cup daily for our small pool at a whisper of the cost of the pool chlorinator. Ok thats right. But dont put it in that way check the pool 2 time a week till you get to know it and see what you need. I put chlorine in just one time a week and stabilizer one time a year is all.So do all the pool companys that clean pool here and it just works fine. ED As Ed noted, you should be able to get the 10% in the $.80-1.00/gal range. Check the large pool supply places (Pinch-a-Penny in our area). They'll have it in the large reusable containers (I think they're 2 1/2 gals). FYI when my wife runs out of household bleach I sometimes refill one of her containers with a 50-50 mix of the 10% and water (with a net cost less than what the household bleach would cost).
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