Testing chlorine?

[Butterflyaway]

Can you test the quality of chlorine?

I ask because I have purchased chlorine from one supplier and paid 190TL for 10kg’s. They assured me it was 90% chlorine.

I also purchased another 10kg’s a month later from my normal supplier who did not have the 10kg’s size available originally and I paid 385TL for 10kg’s. They assured me it was 90% and they claimed that the other company was telling customers theirs was 90%, but it was not!

The US$, Euro, TRY is not an issue as the exchange rates were very close on both occasions.

Some people have suggested they are both telling the truth and the company selling it cheaper bought an old stock of cheap poor quality Chinese 90% chlorine!

So, I would like to test both samples.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

[Geoff1131]

Take samples of both to one of the labs who test water ect and ask them if they can test the % of chlorine.

Geoff

[Groucho]

You could test it yourself.... use a water testing kit and make a weak solution. One grain (weight not easy to get right but by getting as much powdered chlorine as will adhere to the head of a wet pinhead you should be able be sure the amounts are pretty exact) per 5 gallons and see which one gives a higher reading. If the both give the same reading you know they are both the same... whether that's 90% is another question.... If the dosage does not register on the test sample, then keep adding amounts in the same fashion until the reading shows that chlorine level is correct. Which ever one uses the least doses to get there is the stronger

After many years buying here there and everywhere, I now only buy from Pooltech Catalkoy in the parade of shops next to the closed Lemar, as they stock new supplies on a regular basis and I've never felt the quality was anything other than excellent.

[paul90]

In my view it is best to get the 50Kg kegs of the genuine 90% granules from SIBA at €160.
This is the genuine product in sealed kegs with the original labels.
This last me two years.
I believe that nearly all this grade is made in China these days.
I have compared prices down South and the same genuine product works out at €162 - €174 currently.

[Groucho]

In my view it is best to get the 50Kg kegs of the genuine 90% granules from SIBA at €160.
This is the genuine product in sealed kegs with the original labels.
This last me two years.
I believe that nearly all this grade is made in China these days.
I have compared prices down South and the same genuine product works out at €162 - €174 currently.

That's one of the many places I bought chlorine from before... it was rubbish. As soon as I opened it the plastic bag lining the tub had deteriorated and fell to bits in my hands so it was difficult to dose the pool without bits of plastic bag floating to the surface. It was very old stock. It is by far better to buy fresh, after two years the efficacy of the chlorine will have reduced substantially as it reacts to exposure to oxygen.

[kerry 6138]

Could the price difference being one was stabilised one wasn't.

[Butterflyaway]

Thank you all for your help and advice.

I have also bought from Siba and found the same issue as Groucho.

So now I would like to know how I can check the following:

1. How old is the chlorine that you, the supplier is selling?
2. What percentage is the chlorine, 50%, 90% or something else?
3. Is the chlorine stabilized? (Whatever that means).
4. How long is left before I must use it all?
5. How can I confirm that your answers are 100% truthful?

Perhaps, I will just continue to buy my chlorine from my normal supplier. Yes, it is twice the price of competitors, but maybe there’s a reason or two why it costs more. Their chlorine has always been excellent.

Thanks

[kerry 6138]

unstabilized chlorine is simply chlorine that has not had cyanuric acid added to it. Cyanuric acid stabilizes the chlorine making it last longer in the swimming pool, but this chemical isn’t present in the unstabilized version


https://poolonomics.com/pool-chlorine/
Unstabilized Chlorine Compounds

Sodium Hypochlorite. Also called “Sodium Hypo”, this comes in liquid form and contains around 10-12% available chlorine

Lithium Hypochlorite. Also called “Lithium Hypo”, this comes in granular form and contains around 35% available chlorine.

Calcium Hypochlorite. Also called “Calcium Hypo”, this comes in granular or tablet form and contains around 60% available chlorine

Stabilized Chlorine
Sodium Dichlor. Also simply called “Dichlor”, this comes in granular form and contains around 56-62% available chlorine.

Lithium Trichlor. Also simply called “Trichlor”, this comes in powder and sometimes tablet or granular form, and it contains around 90% available chlorine