Can liquid bleach be used in swimming pools?

Author: Whitney Wunsch  |  Last update: Thursday, June 30, 2022

Household bleach, Clorox and liquid chlorine can all be used to sanitize a pool. They are all types of chlorine. Household bleaches such as Clorox usually contain about 5-6% available chlorine, about half that of pool liquid chlorine. Household bleaches often have unwanted fragrances and colors.

How much liquid bleach do I add to my pool?

Clorox itself recommends using between 100 and 200 ounces of regular-strength bleach per 10,000 gallons of pool water -- one gallon is 128 ounces, and many bottles of bleach are available in one-gallon or half-gallon sizes. Pool professionals tend to recommend more conservative amounts of bleach.

Will liquid bleach hurt pool?

High concentrations of chlorine (above 1.5 ppm) will attack the liner and bleach it, thus damaging it. Any level below this range will weaken its ability to kill off bacteria.

What happens when you put bleach in your pool?

6 reasons why you should avoid disinfecting your pool with bleach instead of chlorine. Finally, if it is not properly dosed, bleach can become dangerous for bathers! Pool water that is too concentrated in bleach can become toxic, irritating the eyes, skin and respiratory tract of swimmers.

What can I use instead of chlorine in my pool?

There are alternatives to chlorine including bromine, ionizers, and ozonators, though with each you'll still need to use some chlorine. A fourth alternative is PHMB, which doesn't require the use of any chlorine. All four have drawbacks, including cost.

Using Clorox Bleach in Your Swimming Pool

What can I use instead of chlorine tablets?

What can you use instead? Bromine — considered a safe substitute for chlorine. Looks for BCDMH tablets, which are typically 66% bromine and 27% chlorine. If unable to find, you can use just bromine but it may leave the water a dull green color.

What is the difference between pool chlorine and Clorox?

The main difference between bleach and chlorine is their strength. Chlorine is much stronger than bleach. To get your pools chlorine level to the point it needs to be to keep the pool looking clean and bright; you will need to use more bleach than you will chlorine.

Are pool chlorine and bleach the same?

In truth, bleach contains the same base chemical as pool chlorine. That chemical is, of course, chlorine, and the only major difference between the two products is the concentration strength. Pool chlorine typically contains some form of stabilizer, as well, though this is not a crucial factor.

Can I use liquid chlorine in a vinyl pool?

Liquid chlorine is a safe choice to use for shocking a vinyl liner pool. It distributes very quickly and is unlikely to bleach or damage your pool liner like cal-hypo or trichlor will.

Is liquid chlorine the same as bleach?

Liquid chlorine

They are identical in every way, with the exception of strength. Household bleach is usually a 6% concentration (although some of the cheaper stuff is 3%), while pool chlorine can typically be found in strength between 10% and 12%.

How long after putting bleach in pool Can you swim?

It is a good idea to wait at least 20 minutes after adding the water balancing chemicals. If you use calcium chloride in your pool, you should wait at least 2 hours to swim.

What can I use instead of pool shock?

Common unscented household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) works well to shock a pool.

Can you use regular Clorox in a pool?

Household bleach, Clorox and liquid chlorine can all be used to sanitize a pool. They are all types of chlorine. Household bleaches such as Clorox usually contain about 5-6% available chlorine, about half that of pool liquid chlorine. Household bleaches often have unwanted fragrances and colors.

Is pool shock the same as liquid chlorine?

Liquid chlorine and granular shock have the same active chemical that sanitizes your pool, what changes is the strength and the way you use it. Liquid chlorine is less costly, unstabilized and comes in liquid form. Granular shock is stabilized and comes in a solid form that dissolves in your pool.

Can I use liquid chlorine in my Intex pool?

Intex Pool Sanitizers

Free Available Chlorine (FAC) should be no lower than 1.0 ppm at the absolute minimum. For the greatest protection against algae, bacteria, and cloudy water, Intex pools should maintain a chlorine level of 2.0-4.0 ppm at all times.

What is stronger bleach or chlorine?

Answer: It is true that pool chlorine is stronger than bleach. For bleach and water to be the same strength as pool chlorine and water, you would have to adjust the ratio, increasing the bleach and reducing the water. But no matter which chlorine you use, make sure to test a small area before doing the job.

Is a salt water pool better than chlorine?

Pros of Saltwater Pools

There's less chlorine and less of the heavy chemical scent and content. They're gentler on the skin, with less irritation to the eyes, hair and swimsuits. The water has a softer, silkier feel to it compared to chlorine water. They have lower maintenance costs than chlorine pools.

What is the healthiest pool system?

Mineral Swim is the only system of it's kind combining Australian made ozone water purification technology with 100% natural Dead Sea minerals to make it the safest, healthiest swimming pool about.

Is there still a pool chlorine shortage?

During the fire, around 40% of the entire nation's chlorine was destroyed, sending a shockwave through the pool industry and setting up supply issues going into 2021. Now, as the industry prepares for pool season 2022, this very important factory has yet to be completely rebuilt and is still not producing chlorine.

Can you substitute bleach for chlorine in a pool?

The solution to maintaining a clear pool is to use readily available liquid bleach as your chlorine source. Chlorine bleach, as discussed above, is not bound to a stabilizer, so when you add chlorine bleach to the pool, it will go right to work killing microbes and sanitizing.

Can I use Splashless bleach in my pool?

Well-known member. No! Splashless contains a type of soap as a thickener, and it will make bubbles in your pool, as well as HE washing machines. Don't use splashless bleach.

Can you use bleach in place of pool shock?

Bleach is safe and the only chemical you should be using in your pool unless cleaning pool tile with baking soda. So yes, you can use bleach to keep your pool water chemistry balanced.

Can I use bleach in my pool instead of shock?

If you need to mildly shock a 30,000-gallon pool by raising the free chlorine concentration to 5 ppm, you need 2.5 gallons of bleach. To raise it to 10 ppm, you need 5 gallons.

Can I use Clorox toilet tabs in my pool?

It is possible use use the tablets in your large wading pool. However, this is not economical and it will take a large amount of tablets to clean your pool. Unless you have a major supply of these tablets on hand, I would not suggest using them to clean a pool.

Can you bleach a pool during the day?

Best time is either after sunset, or when you need it. Bleach doesn't lose concentration overnight unless it has something to work on. In fact, a good way to tell if your pool is in good shape is to do an overnight chlorine test. Ideally, the FC at night should be the same as the FC level the next morning.

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