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.
Common pool chlorine is made up of the chemical calcium hypochlorite at about 65 percent strength. The calcium hypochlorite form of chlorine is a solid that is easy to introduce into pool water. In addition to the chlorine itself, calcium and other inert ingredients make up the remainder of the chemical.
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%. All of this is sodium hypochlorite, and works the same in sanitizing your water.
Pool-grade chlorine and a jug of Clorox are essentially the same thing, chemically. However, they're not made with the same concentrations of chlorine. Pool-grade chlorine, which you can usually buy in tablets, granules, or as a liquid, tends to be available in formulations of between 65% and nearly 100% chlorine.
Both types of pools actually use chlorine. Salt-water pools are chlorinated pools in which the chlorine is generated on site from sodium chloride. Other types of chlorinated pools use chlorine to disinfect the water with chlorine tablets or sticks. Why do pools sometimes have a chlorine or chemical smell?
The Bottom Line about Pools and Chlorine
As mentioned above, you could probably swim in a pool without chlorine without any major health issues. However, long-term use of a pool lacking chlorinated H2O could make you sick or, at the very least, contribute to rashes and other types of skin irritation.
Exposure to high levels of chlorine can cause lung irritation, skin and eye damage, and provoke asthma. Not only is it bad for your health, but it can be bad for your pool due to the increase in 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.
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.
The shortage started last August, when a fire sparked by Hurricane Laura destroyed the Louisiana chemical plant that makes most of the country's chlorine tablets. The pandemic-fueled increase in backyard pools has exacerbated the situation by spiking demand. Some cities delayed planned openings.
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.
Bleach is sodium hypochlorite and I was reading I can make my own bleach using a formula of 2 tablespoons of calcium hypochlorite (shock 70%) and 3 cups of water to make the concentrate. The add 8 drops of this concentrate to a gallon of water to create the standard 6% off the shelf bleach.
Chlorine is produced by the electrolysis of salt water. When electricity is passed through 2NaCl (salt) and 2H20 (water), the atoms dissociate into Cl2 (chlorine) + 2NaOH (sodium Hydroxide) + H2 (Hydrogen).
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate is naturally alkaline, with a pH of 8. When you add baking soda to your pool water, you will raise both the pH and the alkalinity, improving stability and clarity. Many commercial pool products for raising alkalinity utilize baking soda as their main active ingredient.
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.
BioLab Fire
It not only brought the threat of high winds, fallen power lines and deadly waters, but also the potential for hazardous air conditions caused by chemical breaches in the nearby chemical plant. The loss of this plant will result in a nationwide chlorine shortage that will be felt through the 2021 season.
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.
The percentage of available chlorine is quite low for pool bleach, 12.5% is standard. Household bleach, by contrast is typically a more diluted 5 or 6% solution of the same sodium hypochlorite solution.
Can You Use Pool Chlorine to Wash Clothes? NO, pool chlorine is not recommended for washing clothes, even though it might not damage your clothes immediately. However, your clothes can get damaged over time if you don't rinse the cloth in clean water.
Chlorine in tablet form, especially, is hard to find and expensive. There are several reasons for this: Pandemic problems. Supply chain interruptions and staff shortages mean less product on the market.
Chlorine reactions may include itchy, red skin or hives (itchy bumps). This is not an allergy but is actually “irritant dermatitis” (like a chemical burn), caused by hypersensitivity to this natural irritant. Chlorine is also drying to the skin and can irritate existing dermatitis.
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.
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.
Shock is liquid or granular chlorine. You should add one gallon (or one pound) of shock per 10,000 gallons of pool water every week to two weeks. During hot weather or frequent use, you may need to shock more frequently.
Every pool will also need other chemicals to raise calcium, cyanuric or alkalinity levels, usually once per year, and clarifiers, enzymes, algaecides can be an important part of the overall routine or are especially handy when you're in a pinch!