Can You Use Bleach In a Pool?
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At times you might find yourself in a pinch and needing chlorine for your pool...but you have none on hand, or the stores are closed, or in rare cases there is a supply shortage and chlorine products become increasingly difficult to find. This is of course a huge problem for swimming pool owners since you simply can not stop using sanitizer (chlorine) in your pool or the water will turn green and be unsafe to swim in. So in these cases, or any cases really, is it safe to use household bleach as a substitute for chlorine in your pool? The short answer is yes, it is safe to do.
Liquid chlorine products sold from pool and spa stores is effectively the same thing as household bleach, only at a stronger solution. Pool chlorine is generally available as either 10% to 12% concentrations, where household bleach is only a 6% solution. This means that while bleach may be used as a suitable replacement for liquid chlorine (or any chlorine) you would need more bleach than if you were to use liquid chlorine in order to achieve the same free chlorine increase in the water. For this reason it is generally considered that pool chlorine is the superior (more economical) option for chemical sanitizer, but cost comparison aside, they both do accomplish the exact same thing once they are in the pool.
Concerns with using bleach in pools - While most household bleach products are a 6% concentration there are some cheaper (diluted) brands which are only a 3% concentration. This would mean you would need four times as much of this bleach product versus a liquid pool chlorine product. Additionally some bleach products contain fillers, added scents etc. and all of these should be avoided. You do not want to add a bleach product that has these additions in your pool as they could be unhealthy or have unintended consequences to the pool and pool water chemistry. If you are going to use a bleach product in replacement of chlorine, you should seek out the 6% bleach concentration which is free of additives or "lemon fresh scent".
Liquid bleach potency deterioration - One of the main advantages of purchasing liquid chlorine from a local pool and spa store would be that the chlorine is fresh, and also stored properly. Improper storage of liquid chlorine (or bleach) can deteriorate the concentration and effectiveness of the product. For example, leaving liquid chlorine in direct sunlight will vastly reduce the effectiveness of the sanitizer. When you are purchase household bleach products there is always a distinct possibility that the bleach is old stock, or was exposed to too much heat or cold...you will not be able to tell other than your pool fails to achieve the free chlorine level that you were aiming for. So this is not a reason to avoid bleach, but more a cautionary note on the importance of chemical storage, as well as an endorsement to purchase from pool and spa stores directly, who are in the business of handling and storage of pool chemicals.
In reality, all forms of chlorine are the same in that they will increase the free chlorine level in the water. However, some chlorine products have additional fillers, chemicals etc. and these can potentially cause problems like rising CYA levels (from stabilized chlorine products). Liquid bleach is actually one of the better chlorine options in that it does not contain cyanuric acid (it is not stabilized chlorine) so using this as your primary chemical sanitizer means that your CYA levels will remain constant in the water. Which is ideal.
Given the weaker solution versus pool chlorine, and the potential for storage (or age) related decreased potency, it is likely that liquid chlorine is a more economical long term option for your pool. However, as a one-off solution to needing chlorine right away, the addition of liquid bleach to the pool is a completely acceptable solution. If you can find some bleach on sale, this can be good, but be aware of the potentially decreasing potency of the product over time.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool and spa specialist from Ontario Canada. With over 10,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the 2018 Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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