Pool chlorine instead of bleach to clean water tanks

[Valmika]

Does anyone use pool chlorine instead of bleach to purify their water tanks and system. I flush my tanks twice a year with it and just wondered if anyone else does and what ratios they use?

[a64pilot]

Pool chlorine is I believe calcium hypochlorate. Liquid bleach is sodium hypochlorate.
I believe the pool chlorine can leave calcium deposits and the bleach not, seeing as how cheap bleach is I would not go the pool chlorine route.
My Father used to use bleach in a plaster pool because the calcium or pool chlorine would build up on the plaster and eat up kids feet, ever seen a kids toes when they have spent the day in the pool?

I assume you have plastic tanks?

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Pool chlorine is I believe calcium hypochlorate. Liquid bleach is sodium hypochlorate.
I believe the pool chlorine can leave calcium deposits and the bleach not, seeing as how cheap bleach is I would not go the pool chlorine route.
My Father used to use bleach in a plaster pool because the calcium or pool chlorine would build up on the plaster and eat up kids feet, ever seen a kids toes when they have spent the day in the pool?

I assume you have plastic tanks?

Ah... Well... Perhaps in your neck of the woods but in most places, "Pool Chlorine" and household "Laundry Bleach" are both sodium hypochlorite, which is derived from salt. The "white stuff" you see in a pool that hasn't had its water changed from time to time is salt precipitate and, in some cases, calcium carbonate arising from the "plaster" or stucco/concrete used on the pool which arises from poor pH balance. In fact, water in a pool can become "salty" from the breakdown of the pool bleach over an extended period unless the water is periodically replaced. In most all cases, the only difference between pool bleach and laundry bleach is the concentration of the agent with "pool bleach" being a much greater concentration.

Beyond the foregoing, using excessive bleach in one's water system would be very unwise. There are effective cleaning agents that one can use to clean out ones system although one will need to do several or more repeated flushes, followed with a flush with a white vinegar solution, before the system is really clean. (Of course, one also needs to replace all of the cartridges in the water filters with new before the job is fully done.)

BTDT...

[skipmac]

Used to work for a company that had a division selling pool chemicals and CalHypo (calcuim hypochlorite) was one of their main products. Seems both sodium and calcium chlorines are used in pools. I believe they also went into municipal water treatment systems.

[JstaRebel]

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.

[a64pilot]

Maybe it is just a down South thing, but apparently Sodium hypochlorate clumps up as it absorbs moisture, where calcium does not?

Ingredients -- Calcium hypochlorite

[zeehag]

if your tanks are stainless dono t do this. if plastic-- go for it.
the strong cheicals kill the welds and you will also have that issue with which i am currently dealing---ie, gods donot make enough jb weld for the welds of m y tanks.....

[wsmurdoch]

The big tablets of "chlorine" carried at WalMart in the summer are 99% trichloro-s-triazinetrione. Ground up to a powder 1/2 teaspoon puts up to 10ppm Cl in the water in my 30 gal tanks depending on the water's chlorine demand. The stuff is 90% chlorine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichloroisocyanuric_acid

Last year I bought "Clorox Bleach Crystals (Regular Scent)" at Target. It is sodium dichloroisocyanurate. I may give it a try this year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium...roisocyanurate

We add chlorine to our water tanks to bring the water up to sort of like "light swimming pool" (0.5 to 1.5 ppm), then we pass the drinking water through a charcoal/0.5 micron filter before drinking it. Except for a volume reduction, I see little extra benefit from using things other than Clorox, although others claim otherwise. Practical Sailor had an article a while back.

[a64pilot]

Just for those of us that have metal tanks, may consider not. Mine are aluminum for example, Zee's apparently stainless.
So far with three years as the sample, I have filtered out the chlorine prior to filling with little issue, I once started getting a sulfur smell and then I filled the tanks without filtering the chlorine out of the city water supply and that handled it, Seems maybe very, very little chlorine is required?
Then people with watermakers, I assume never have to add chlorine to the tank?
It seems to me the secret is to continually "turn" your supply meaning go through a tank or so every week, and I believe water temp has a lot to do with it too, surely colder water is more likely to stay clean longer, it's why we refrigerate food?

[Dave22q]

OP appears to have solved a non-problem. With bleach cheap and widely available and the small amounts needed to disinfect a tank there is absolutely no point in seeking alternatives. Now if you want to discuss Clorox vs. private label...

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

OP appears to have solved a non-problem. With bleach cheap and widely available and the small amounts needed to disinfect a tank there is absolutely no point in seeking alternatives. Now if you want to discuss Clorox vs. private label...

I have to tend to agree. While the collective knowledge is impressive, and on principal the science is interesting, it is somewhat irrelevant. We're talking about pennies to the spoonful on a yearly basis.

It cost more in labor for me to read this than I would have saved pursuing alternative 'solutions'.

We might as well debate the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Valmika

Does anyone use pool chlorine instead of bleach to purify their water tanks and system. I flush my tanks twice a year with it and just wondered if anyone else does and what ratios they use?

Instead of bleach, we use a purpose made water system sanitizing product: Neutra Sul HP41N Professional Grade Oxidizer [for cleaning/sanitizing potable water tanks and plumbing- similar to 7% hydrogen peroxide, but better.]

This won't harm anything in the water system [we have 316 stainless steel potable water tanks] has no odors of its own, is cheap, and oxidizes to potable water if flushing tanks after a 'flash' treatment is not an option. [i.e., It is used to sanitize water to make it potable.]

In case this is of interest.

Cheers! Bill

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by wrwakefield

Instead of bleach, we use a purpose made water system sanitizing product: Neutra Sul HP41N Professional Grade Oxidizer [for cleaning/sanitizing potable water tanks and plumbing- similar to 7% hydrogen peroxide, but better.]

This won't harm anything in the water system [we have 316 stainless steel potable water tanks] has no odors of its own, is cheap, and oxidizes to potable water if flushing tanks after a 'flash' treatment is not an option. [i.e., It is used to sanitize water to make it potable.]

In case this is of interest.

Cheers! Bill

Is of interest but according to the MSDS this is hydrogen peroxide 5-10% concentration. Can you elaborate on what difference you see between Neutro Sul and regular hydrogen peroxide?

By the way, plain old hydrogen peroxide H2O2 does readily decompose to form water and oxygen.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by wrwakefield

Instead of bleach, we use a purpose made water system sanitizing product: Neutra Sul HP41N Professional Grade Oxidizer [for cleaning/sanitizing potable water tanks and plumbing- similar to 7% hydrogen peroxide, but better.]

This won't harm anything in the water system [we have 316 stainless steel potable water tanks] has no odors of its own, is cheap, and oxidizes to potable water if flushing tanks after a 'flash' treatment is not an option. [i.e., It is used to sanitize water to make it potable.]

In case this is of interest.

Cheers! Bill

It is very interesting.
Yes I know it's just 7% Hydrogen peroxide, however what is the dilution ratio? I have been looking for a way to sterilize my tank if need be, but have been afraid of chlorine, bromine and any other way I have found, even played with UV light as a concept, but it is apparently absorbed very quickly in water, so you not sterilizing a tank with it, unless its empty.

Yes Hydrogen peroxide decomposes into hydrogen and oxygen, Germans experimented with it being submarine fuel, but it's way too explosive for that, makes great rocket fuel though
Not 7% though.

[Valmika]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Pool chlorine is I believe calcium hypochlorate. Liquid bleach is sodium hypochlorate.
I believe the pool chlorine can leave calcium deposits and the bleach not, seeing as how cheap bleach is I would not go the pool chlorine route.
My Father used to use bleach in a plaster pool because the calcium or pool chlorine would build up on the plaster and eat up kids feet, ever seen a kids toes when they have spent the day in the pool?

I assume you have plastic tanks?

FRG tanks molded in.