# clorox alternative?



## flankdrive04 (Jun 28, 2008)

We don't get "clorox" here in Australia. Can't I just use liquid pool chlorine instead??

Very easy to buy in 10 and 20litre drums!

Cheers!


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## Lou (Jun 28, 2008)

Yep, same thing!


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## flankdrive04 (Jun 29, 2008)

COOL!

I can get it in 20lt drums for $25 AUD.
Nice.

Are there other chems that I should look in my local pool shop for??

Cheers!


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## flankdrive04 (Jun 29, 2008)

....I know I can get


20lt Hydrochlauric Acid (32%)

Sodium Bicarbonate

Sodium Carbonate

Calcium Chloride

Hydrogen Peroxide

Cyanuric Acid

Not sure if they are all relevant or not? (I know some are)


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## flankdrive04 (Jul 5, 2008)

>BUMP< was hoping for a resopnse to the chems above


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## Lou (Jul 5, 2008)

Ok, fine. Most of those chemicals are quite useful.

You can use the sodium carbonate for (s)melting with silver chloride and charcoal, giving you silver metal.

The sodium bicarbonate is common baking soda, and is useful for neutralising acid spills.

The hydrochloric acid is useful for mixing with your ''chlorox'' substitute for dissolving gold. Obvious, eh?

Calcium chloride is an excellent drying agent, but since it's usually hotter than hell down under with minimal humidity, you have little need of it.


Hydrogen peroxide is a nice substitute for bleach in the HCl-Cl process. Called by some here AP (a term I dislike).

Cyanuric acid will have no use for you, unless it is trichloroisocyanuric acid, or TCCA. That's useful as a chlorine donor for pools, or for oxidising things in organic chemistry, or for making quite a bit of chlorine gas for chlorination of various metals.

Lou


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## flankdrive04 (Jul 11, 2008)

Cool!

Thanks for dropping some knowledge Lou!


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## donald236 (Jul 11, 2008)

hey lou ive got a question on the pool chlorine since you said its the same thing . as we all know bleach puts off a h... of a smell and the fumes will just about knock you down when you use it . will pool chlorine cut down on the smell as well as the fumes :?: :?: :?:


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## Lou (Jul 11, 2008)

No, it will be worse if anything.

The obnoxious odour you actually smell is chlorine dioxide as well as chlorine gas, generated by the decomposing hypochlorite ion.


Lou


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## donald236 (Jul 11, 2008)

well ok then ,
thanks any way


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## markqf1 (Jul 11, 2008)

Chlorine gas settles down low, under normal atmopheric (29.92)conditions.
Of course, standard temp. goes in to the equation (59).

Stay clear!


Mark


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## donald236 (Jul 11, 2008)

will do , thanks


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## Anonymous (Jul 21, 2010)

Many people enjoy their backyard pools in summer, and a good knowledge of swimming pool chemical storage is an important part of being a responsible pool owner. A pool or hot tubs needs to have chemicals added to it keep the water clean and safe for all users. Along with the filtering system, the owner needs to add products on a regular basis. Chlorine, bromine, pool shock, water balancers, algaecides, clarifiers and enzymes are some of the examples of chemicals that may be added to pool water. These powerful products can cause chemicals burns if mishandled. They may also present a health hazard if inhaled. Bromine is a far more efficient sanitizer than chlorine, slightly more complicated in use and slightly more expensive. However, your labour is the most expensive element in any pool. Once you become familiarized with the use of Bromine you would most certainly find that the frequency between visits can be reduced dramatically and those times consuming problem-solving visits eliminated completely. Both Bromine and Chlorine work well as sanitizers. Maintaining a consistently clean and safe swimming pool requires constant attention to the water’s chemistry. Muriatic acid is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride gas (HCI). It is a highly corrosive acid. It is used commonly as a reactive chemical solution and is a strong acid that is completely solvent in aqueous solution. At room temperature, muriatic acid gas is colorless to slightly yellow, corrosive, non-flammable, heavier than air, with highly irritating odor. When exposed to air, muriatic acid fumes from dense white. Stay safe using with swimming pool chemicals.

Tips and Warnings: never add more than 1 pt. muriatic acid or 1 lb. sodium bisulphate to the pool at one time. Wait 4 hours after application and retest to determine if more chemical is required, and how much.


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## lazersteve (Jul 21, 2010)

Is this some sort of swimming pool advertisement?

Steve


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## goldenchild (Jul 21, 2010)

lazersteve said:


> Is this some sort of swimming pool advertisement?
> 
> Steve



LOL I was thinking the same thing. At least we now know everything we ever need to know about swimming pool maintenance and more.


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## butcher (Jul 21, 2010)

precipitating gold from swimming pool, but he forgot to mention cleaning the carbon filter, I think Inceneration of filters would work.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jul 21, 2010)

goldenchild said:


> lazersteve said:
> 
> 
> > Is this some sort of swimming pool advertisement?
> ...




ROFL, he didn't even touch the surface of info for swimming pool maintenance. 8) But it was a good start.


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## solar seeker (Aug 5, 2010)

Swimming pools use several types of chlorine so it's probably best to check the labels. Common household bleach is sodium hypo-chlorate also known as clorox. The pool chlorine sold at the local hardware store also known as muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid. There is also a dry tablet form which is useless to substitute for bleach without the chemistry knowledge required. In short unless the label says sodium hypo-chlorate it doesn't have the oxygen in it needed to substitute for bleach (brand name "clorox") which is extremely common in the US as a household cleaner and clothing whitener. There for what you get at a pool warehouse is likely not what you're looking for.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Aug 6, 2010)

solar seeker said:


> Swimming pools use several types of chlorine so it's probably best to check the labels. Common household bleach is sodium hypo-chlorate also known as clorox. The pool chlorine sold at the local hardware store also known as muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid. There is also a dry tablet form which is useless to substitute for bleach without the chemistry knowledge required. In short unless the label says sodium hypo-chlorate it doesn't have the oxygen in it needed to substitute for bleach (brand name "clorox") which is extremely common in the US as a household cleaner and clothing whitener. There for what you get at a pool warehouse is likely not what you're looking for.



Wrong.....

Sodium hypo-chlorite is sold in pool supply stores. Granular form and tablet form.

You are not looking for sodium hypo-chlorate .


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## Oz (Aug 6, 2010)

Clorox brand bleach sold in the US is indeed sodium hypochlorite, not chlorate. 

As to pool chemicals, I plead the 5th.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Aug 6, 2010)

Oz said:


> Clorox brand bleach sold in the US is indeed sodium hypochlorite, not chlorate.
> 
> As to pool chemicals, I plead the 5th.



Damn I didn't catch that part Oz thanks. 

Too early and too many hours this week.

I will edit my post.

Thanks for catching that.


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## Oz (Aug 6, 2010)

I did not deserve your thanks as after you replied I actually read the thread in detail and saw the comment “The pool chlorine sold at the local hardware store also known as muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid”. 

Muriatic acid is indeed hydrochloric acid, but I have never heard it called pool chlorine. HCl is used by the more advanced pool chemists to lower the pH of the water from an alkaline condition. While that may free some Cl2 gas it is not being sold as a chlorinator in and of itself. In discussing pH it is only a reading of hydrogen concentration within a liquid. Generic as it is to say “pool chlorine” the products sold as such a designed to provide the dissolved Cl2 gas in the water as a disinfectant.

In reference to refining, HCl/muriatic acid in and of itself does not provide free Cl2 gas unless it is oxidized chemically or electrically to break the bond. This is the reason household bleach is added to HCl to dissolve gold. It is also why it is a commonly held belief (I disagree with that statement, but that is another story) that HCl will not dissolve gold when washing precipitates.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Aug 6, 2010)

Yes HCL is sold as pool chlorine. I am not sure about this and not sure where he got the info from but I guess in one of his classes. The gentalmen that tought me about pools always told me not to recomend liquid chlorine for this use because over a period of time a build up of salts develops in the pool. I never researched why this happens and not totaly sure it does.


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## solar seeker (Aug 6, 2010)

The major reason I know that muriatic acid is also used in swimming pools is the label suggests that purpose if you bother to read it. Likewise bleach also has it's chemical name on the label. :mrgreen: I'm actually surprised that this chemical difference wasn't noticed by the senior members who nearly always give excellent information.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Aug 6, 2010)

solar seeker said:


> The major reason I know that muriatic acid is also used in swimming pools is the label suggests that purpose if you bother to read it. Likewise bleach also has it's chemical name on the label. :mrgreen: I'm actually surprised that this chemical difference wasn't noticed by the senior members who nearly always give excellent information.



Which chemical difference are you referring to? chlorate/chlorite?
It possibly is here on the forum once you learn the posts.


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## qst42know (Aug 6, 2010)

solar seeker said:


> The major reason I know that muriatic acid is also used in swimming pools is the label suggests that purpose if you bother to read it. Likewise bleach also has it's chemical name on the label. :mrgreen: I'm actually surprised that this chemical difference wasn't noticed by the senior members who nearly always give excellent information.



Muriatic acid is one of the chemicals that can be used in pools for PH adjustment not to add chlorine. 

http://www.poolwizard.net/problems/ph.htm


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## Barren Realms 007 (Aug 6, 2010)

qst42know said:


> solar seeker said:
> 
> 
> > The major reason I know that muriatic acid is also used in swimming pools is the label suggests that purpose if you bother to read it. Likewise bleach also has it's chemical name on the label. :mrgreen: I'm actually surprised that this chemical difference wasn't noticed by the senior members who nearly always give excellent information.
> ...



I guess I forgot to make that point.


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