Is pool chlorine the same as bleach?

Author: Mr. Christian Daugherty II  |  Last update: Thursday, June 30, 2022

Liquid chlorine
Household bleach (the same as you use for your laundry) and pool chlorine are the same thing. They are identical in every way, with the exception of strength.

Can pool chlorine be used instead of bleach?

Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it depends on the formulation. The label on every bleach bottle should tell you the ratio of sodium hypochlorite (and available chlorine) in the bottle to everything else. A higher percentage is generally better, as you'll need to use less bleach to treat your pool.

Is pool chlorine stronger than bleach?

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.

What is the difference between bleach and chlorine in pools?

However, these terms are relative but not similar. The basic difference between chlorine and bleach is that chlorine is a natural element, while bleach is a solution of many elements. Moreover, chlorine occurs in nature as an essential part of plants and animals.

Is bleach and chlorine the same thing?

Bleach and chlorine are the same chemical, and both will keep your pool sparkling. After spending money yet again on chemical chlorine to clean the pool, just about every swimming pool owner has wondered whether common household bleach would do the job just as well.

Liquid Swimming Pool Chlorine & Bleach Compared

What is pool chlorine?

What is Pool Chlorine? Chlorine is a chemical element on the periodic table (part of the halogen group) that is commonly used as a sanitiser in swimming pools due thanks its ability to deactivate and destroy multiple types of bacteria and viruses.

Can I use bleach to shock my pool?

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.

How long does chlorine last in a pool?

Most floating chlorinators can hold anywhere from two to eight weeks worth of chlorine, depending on conditions such as the season and your pool's size. An automatic feeder works in a similar way, allowing it to mix with the pool water slowly and deliberately. This type generally comes in a large bucket.

What percentage of chlorine is in bleach?

A Clean Pool: Chlorine vs. Bleach. Typical pool chlorine is actually a chemical compound made up of 65% calcium hypochlorite with the remaining 35% made up of calcium and other inert ingredients. Household bleach, on the other hand, is usually only 6% chlorine and a different type at that.

Can you put bleach in a vinyl 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.

Is bleach the same as liquid pool shock?

Swimming pool shock contains 12.5% sodium hypochlorite (bleach) vs. 6-8.5% for Clorox (bleach). Some Clorox products go as high as 8.5%. At a 12.5% concentrate, liquid pool shock is approximately 2x's stronger than Clorox bleach.

How often should I put bleach in my pool?

After your cyanuric acid level is set, add the bleach. Then proceed with daily testing until you understand how much chlorine your pool uses. At this point, chlorine maintenance can be as simple as adding a little bleach to your pool every day to keep it within the target levels.

What is the difference between bleach and Clorox?

Clorox is a bleach product from a company by the same name having its headquarters in Oakland, California. Though the company makes several chemical products, it is its bleach that is most popular. Brita is one of the many subsidiary companies owned by Clorox.

How strong is pool chlorine?

Liquid pool chlorine has a strength of 10-12% available chlorine. So in 10 litres of liquid chlorine some 88-90% is water.

Should I put chlorine in my Intex pool?

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. If you opted for the Intex Salt Chlorinator, you can make your own chlorine by adding the correct amount of Pool Salt to the water.

Why do I have to add chlorine to my pool every day?

During the bathing season, the chlorine is "burned off" by the sun and when you are using the pool a lot, you also need to add up chlorine. As a rule, you must add chlorine every day to keep the right balance during the bathing season.

How much chlorine do you put in a pool daily?

You'll need about 52-104 oz of liquid chlorine per 10,000 gallons of water. This amount should get the chlorine level to between 5 and 10 ppm.

Will bleach clear a green pool?

Green algae, unlike its black counterpart, is a true algae; it isn't resistant to chlorine, so you can control it by shocking the pool. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on expensive pool chemicals, you can shock with household bleach.

How much bleach does it take to shock a 10000 gallon pool?

What is this? If you need to calculate how much bleach or Clorox you need to shock your pool, you will have to use 1/2 gallon of bleach per 10,000 gallons of water to raise the chlorine levels by 5 ppm.

Where do I put chlorine in my pool?

The procedure for adding granular chlorine is pretty much the same as adding calcium chloride or sodium bicarb to a pool. Measure the dry chemical, pre-dissolve in a bucket, and pour around the perimeter of the pool (never into the skimmer directly).

Is pool chlorine pure chlorine?

Note that they do all include chlorine. However, in the end, after they've reacted with the water, the chemical compound hypochlorous acid (HOCl or HClO) cleans your pool water, not pure chlorine (Cl2). In addition, pool chlorine needs a stabilizer so that sunlight doesn't leach it from the water.

Are chlorine pools safe?

The bottom line: We're vastly better off having pool chemicals than not, and chemically treated pools are generally safe to swim in, especially if they are well maintained and ventilated. Add to that some time-honored advice that probably bears repeating: Don't pee in the pool.

What is the strongest bleach you can buy?

The strongest bleach is Clorox Regular Bleach2, which is the best bleach for cleaning, stain removal, and whitening. It's the only bleach that can be used around the house to clean and purify a wide variety of surfaces.

Does Clorox have chlorine in it?

Clorox takes the chlorine it bought and bubbles the gas through a solution of water and sodium hydroxide. All the chlorine is converted to sodium hypochlorite. Clorox-brand household bleach is a 6 percent solution of sodium hypochlorite in water plus the other added cleaning agents, stabilizer and dispersant.

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