Chlorine Gas

Chlorine Gas
Chlorine gas is the most potent form of chlorine product as it is 100%

chlorine. It may be used by pool maintenance professionals as well as
public pool complexes to raise free chlorine levels very efficiently,
compared to chlorine acid liquid solutions. While chlorine gas was
commonly used by professionals due to its efficiency in terms of both time
and cost, it is probably overkill for most residential needs. It is an excellent
disinfectant and has a relatively low price. But the cost of maintaining
equipment, rising insurance premiums, training requirements,
transportation, and high toxicity levels has significantly reduced its use over
the years. Therefore, for safety reasons, gas chlorine has been banned in
many places. Chlorine gas may also be dangerous and lead to poisoning if
not handled correctly.
Sodium Hypochlorite (Liquid Bleach)

Sodium Hypochlorite, commonly referred to as liquid bleach, or just
“bleach” by service technicians, is a liquid sanitizer that is both very
common among pool professionals and cost effective.
A household chemical widely used since the 18th century as a

disinfectant or a bleaching agent, indeed the oldest and still most
important chlorine-based bleach. It is made of a 12.5% sodium
hypochlorite solution, but in fact, it is the least expensive form of chlorine
sanitizer.
Pool professionals like liquid chlorine because it may be added in bulk,

which makes it a great solution for larger commercial pools.
There are some drawbacks to using bleach on private residential pools,

however. One drawback is that liquid bleach has a pH value of 13 or
higher.
So, you will need to counter the pH effects of liquid bleach by adding
muriatic acid to balance its impact. This reduces the overall cost benefit of
liquid bleach.
Another drawback is that liquid bleach can be highly corrosive to pool
surfaces. If used improperly, the long-term costs of using liquid bleach can
far outweigh the short-term savings. This form of chlorine also will increase
the water’s total dissolved solids (TDS) due to its sodium chloride content
(salt), but it has no negative impact on disinfection.
Sodium hypochlorite is not stable and eventually could lose strength over a
period of time. It’s recommended that the product be kept in a cool, dark
place. Even though we all use it regularly in our homes, we need to be
careful when it comes to storage. Its corrosive properties, common
availability, and reaction products make it a significant safety risk. In
particular, mixing liquid bleach with other cleaning products, such as acids
or ammonia, may produce toxic fumes. Always remember to wear
protective clothing when handling chemicals. Sodium hypochlorite is a
liquid, so it is recommended to have a secondary containment. This may
make it very bulky and problematic with space requirements if you have
limited storage area.
 Byproducts in pool water: hypochlorous acid (HOCl) + sodium (Na+)
+ hydroxide (OH-)
 Available chlorine by volume: 10-12%
 pH: 13.0 (extremely alkaline)
Calcium Hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo)
Calcium Hypochlorite is the most popular powder sanitizer among private

pool owners.
Generally the commercial substances are sold with a purity of 65% to 73%
chlorine concentration, mixed with other chemicals present, such as calcium
chloride and calcium carbonate, resulting from the manufacturing process.
As you can see having a relatively high concentration of chlorine, other
than liquid bleach, it tends to be the most cost effective of chlorine
sanitizers.
The primary things to be aware of are that cal-hypo will raise calcium
hardness levels of your water.
If water pool water stays too hard for too long, it can cause corrosion to the
pool surface.
Cal-hypo also has a high pH of about 12. So, acid will need to be added to
maintain goal pH levels after adding cal-hypo.
Cal Hypo comes in the form of powder or tabs; tabs require a feeder to be

introduced to the water. These feeders tend to get clogged with calcium
and organic waste buildup, sometimes referred to as “chalking”.
The bigger issue with cal hypo, however, is its volatility. It is a very strong
oxidizer and fire hazard, and when it is near certain chemicals (other types
of chlorine, for example), it can spontaneously combust.
 Byproducts in pool water: hypochlorous acid (HOCl) + calcium (Ca+)
+ hydroxide (OH-)
 pH: 11.8 – 12.0 (strongly alkaline)
Dichlor
Dichlor is perhaps the most “best of all worlds” chlorine sanitizer. It is

typically found in concentrations of 60-65%, which is comparable to cal-
hypo.
It is a powder sanitizer, which makes it easier to spread or broadcast
around the pool than chlorine tablets.
It is stable, which means it can be used as both a chlorine sanitizer and as a
shock.
Unlike Lithium Trichlor (below), this type slightly reduces the pH and total
alkalinity of your pool water. It has a pH of 7, which means only a modest
amount of pH increaser may be required with use of dichlor.
One drawback of dichlor is that, like trichlor, it raises cyanuric acid levels.
This may be a problem if cyanuric acid levels get to high and you must
replace some of your water.
Another drawback is dichlor tends to be quite a bit more expensive that
cal-hypo.
Dichlor is a fire hazard, and is not easily introduced via an automated
feeder system due to its fast-dissolving nature.
This compound comes in two forms: anhydrous, which has a higher level of
available chlorine and therefore is more hazardous for storing (Class 3
oxidizer), and dehydrate, which has a lower level of available chlorine.
This merits a lower NFPA hazard classification (Class 1 oxidizer).
 Byproducts in pool water: sodium cyanurate (NaH2C3N3O3) +
hypochlorous acid (2HOCl)
 Available chlorine by volume: 56-62% (but roughly 50-60% of that is
cyanuric acid)
 pH: 6.8-7.0 (neutral)
Trichlor
Inexpensive and can be dispersed passively.
The active ingredient, trichloro-s-triazinetrione (trichlor) (Chlorine tablets
form), is up to 90% chlorine which makes this form of sanitation highly
efficient.
Trichlor has a low pH, typically around 3, so pH increaser may need to be
added to maintain pH balance between 7.2 and 7.8.
Trichlor is volatile, and explosive when met with cal hypo. Trichlor is also
very acidic, which can corrode metal components within the pool system,
especially if the pump is not circulating water 24/7.
Metals can dissolve when met with stagnant water with highly acidic
trichlor.
Eventually that metal content will fall out of solution and stain. Given what
we know about the LSI, trichlor should never be used in cold months, as its
pH almost guarantees etching and corrosion when the water gets cold.
 Byproducts in pool water: cyanuric acid (H3C3N3O3) + hypochlorous

acid (3HOCl)
 Available chlorine by volume: 90% (but 55% of that is cyanuric acid)
 pH: 2.8-3.0 (very acidic)
Lithium Hypochlorite
More expensive than other sanitizers due to the high demand of lithium in
other industries, particularly batteries.
This comes in granular form and its high cost make it a poor choice for
many service companies, especially those charged with maintaining
commercial pools.
At 30-35% chlorine concentration, it is quite a bit weaker than some of the
other solutions.
However, it does have one primary benefit that has earned it a loyal
following of one segment of pool owners. Lithium-hypo dissolves very
quickly, which reduces the risk of bleaching effects in vinyl pools.
 Byproducts in pool water: hypochlorous acid (HOCl) + lithium (Li+) +

hydroxide (OH-)
 pH: 10.8 (alkaline)
These sanitizers are sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, lithium hypochlorite, chlorine gas, and
stabilized compounds trichlor and dichlor.
Chlorine is added to the water to kill germs. But it does not work right away. If used properly, free chlorine*
can kill most germs within a few minutes. CDC recommends pH 7.2–7.8 and a free chlorine concentration
of at least 1 ppm in pools and at least 3 ppm in hot tubs/spas.

Chlorine Gas

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Chlorine Gas

Chlorine gas is the most potent form of chlorine product as it is 100%

Sodium Hypochlorite (Liquid Bleach)

A household chemical widely used since the 18th century as a

Pool professionals like liquid chlorine because it may be added in bulk,

There are some drawbacks to using bleach on private residential pools,

Calcium Hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo)

Calcium Hypochlorite is the most popular powder sanitizer among private

Cal Hypo comes in the form of powder or tabs; tabs require a feeder to be

Dichlor is perhaps the most “best of all worlds” chlorine sanitizer. It is

 Byproducts in pool water: cyanuric acid (H3C3N3O3) + hypochlorous

 Byproducts in pool water: hypochlorous acid (HOCl) + lithium (Li+) +

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