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. Bleach is also going to come in a liquid form only, and chlorine is most commonly sold in tablets.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mix required amount of Clorox® Regular Bleach2 with 2 gallons of water and scatter over surface of pool. Mix uniformly with pool water. Empty small pools daily. (Clorox® Regular Bleach2 will not harm plastic pools.)
Though other brands are available at under $1, people still buy Clorox that costs them $3 per bottle. What is the difference between Clorox and Bleach? Bleach made by Clorox is so popular that bleaches made by other companies are considered inferior, though, there is basically very little difference between the two.
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.
Bleach comes in 5.25% regular strength to 6% ultra strength sodium hypochlorite. That is all that matters, the percentage of sodium hypochlorite. The name of the brand doesn't change how well bleach cleans and disinfects. I would go the the generic because if is cheaper.
Household bleach is a liquid that contains sodium hypochlorite, which is simply chlorine in its liquid form. Bleach, however, is typically only 5 to 6 percent chlorine.
Bleach as a hot tub shock
Bleach is our #1 choice if you want to bathe chemical free faster. We love this because it is designed to evaporate quickly which means it will do the job and leave. Choose non-scented and without additives. Household bleach will raise the pH level because it has a very high pH of 13.
Myth #1: Bleach contains free-standing chlorine.
There is no free-standing, or elemental, chlorine in bleach. Bleach is manufactured from salt and water to produce sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in bleach. Bleach is simply a water solution of this compound.
Not all bleach has chlorine in it. In fact, more and more cleaning products are using hydrogen peroxide instead. The label will always indicate if it's a chlorine bleach or a non-chlorine bleach. When in doubt, read the ingredients list: If it is made with sodium hypochlorite, it's a chlorine bleach.
The recommended concentration for disinfection has been 600-800 ppm of chlorine bleach and 50 to 200 parts per million (ppm) for sanitizing.
Adding white vinegar to diluted household bleach greatly increases the disinfecting power of the solution, making it strong enough to kill even bacterial spores.
Regular, old, chlorine bleach disinfects in part because of its active ingredient, sodium hypochlorite. Variations, like "color safe" or "splash-less" are made of different chemicals, which can leave them without the power to truly disinfect.
Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), commonly referred to as "liquid chlorine" or liquid bleach, is an aqueous solution created by mixing chlorine gas in water with concentrations of sodium hydroxide. This liquid is manufactured at differing trade percentages.
Oxygen Bleach (AKA, Non-Chlorine Bleach)
It can be used on almost all washable garments, though it's best for colors. If you have sensitive skin, oxygen bleach is a safer bet than chlorine bleach.
Clorox is the manufacturer of Javex bleach, typically used in the laundry to get whites even whiter. Javex has many other uses as a disinfectant and cleaning solution for your home and garden. Javex bleach by Clorox is useful for much more than just getting your laundry white.
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. The addition of chlorine to your pool water has to be done in a careful manner.
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.
*1 gallon of chlorinating liquid delivers the same amount of chlorine as 2 chlorinating tablets.
Now you can know the gallons of bleach you would need to shock your pool as follows: use 0.5 gallons of Clorox per 10K gallons of water to increase the level of chlorine by 5 ppm. If you want to raise the level of chlorine by 2.5 ppm, then you would need ¼ gallon of the product per 10K gallons of water.