Chlorine confusion

[PoolDoc]

Sams Club chlorine has copper? Darn, darn, darn!

I'm going to check my local club tomorrow.

[GregP]

Sams club chlorine brand has it just listed as inert ingredients. I called the company for the MSDS to find out exactly what the inert ingredients were and they were the ones that said copper was added, but that it was in small amounts. They never did provide me with the MSDS like I asked.

Greg

[PoolDoc]

Sorry I never followed up on this. It took me a few days to collect the data, and I just never got back here.

Sams's Club is selling the "Pool Brand" brand of pool chemicals through out much (maybe, all?) of the USA. There are 3 products in this like that are a GOOD deal.
1. The 50# bucket dichlor powder is often being sold BELOW wholesale (at least, below the wholesale prices that apply outside of Florida and California). Here, it's about $2/llb
2. The bagged shock (12 or 24) is pure dichlor and is HARD to find. It's also at a good price.
3. The 40# bucket of trichlor is also pure, and an EXCELLENT price.

If copper is present, I'm pretty sure it MUST be a listed ingredient on the container.

They also have 2 gallons of 40% linear quat algacide for under $30, I believe. Do NOT use this during swim season. But if you've got a sludged pool, it may be worth trying as a first cleanup step.

[CarlD]

Hi Greg! How did it turn out?
$6/gal liquid chlorine is the equivalent of $3/gal 6% bleach. In my area, pool stores sell 5 gal carboys of the stuff for about $17. Yes, you must make a deposit of $6/carboy, and you'll need a $4 spigot, but that's a one-time investment to get the equivalent of $1.70/gal bleach. When you need a new carboy you give them the empty instead of a deposit. The spigot lasts for years. I must have my 3 carboys 6 or 7 years now, exchanging them when needed.

Liquid Chlorine is usually nominally rated at 12%, basically double the strength of 6%. That just means half the amount has the same effect. Sometimes it tests higher, occasionally lower (especially if it's old). So...if it costs less than double what a gallon of 6% ("Ultra") bleach costs in your area it's a good buy. If it costs more, it is not. $6 is just too much.

Do check that best-guess table. If you cannot get the Taylor K-2006 or K-2006C test kit there are a few reasonably good alternatives (that also use FAS-DPD testing) that are the equivalent, plus some "Plan B" alternatives you can use if you cannot get the Taylor or alternative.

[GregP]

Thanks for the information. I still don't have the pool opened up yet. In PA lately one day it is 80 degrees and the next there is a hard frost. I want to get it up and running hopefully in the next couple of weeks. My pool store carries the liquid chlorine, but I do not know the strength or price. I gave up on the pucks and chlorinator, it is not worth the problems and hassle that I had with it.
In reading PoolDoc's reply, if the Dichlor and Trichlor is "pure", then is it free of CYA?
Thanks
Greg

[PoolDoc]

In reading PoolDoc's reply, if the Dichlor and Trichlor is "pure", then is it free of CYA?

No -- if it was, then it wouldn't be dichlor or trichlor. "Pure", in this context, just means, "not blended with other goop".