Posted: 4/1/2012 12:12:24 PM EDT
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Over a year ago I found the poolshock thread on here and was intrigued about using it for water purification and/or barter in an emergency. I went out and bought some at my local hardware store. This happened to be the 50% variety and was branded "One Shot". I then re-read the thread and found that the recipe for creating bleach is based off the 70+% variety. No big deal, I figured I would keep the 50% with the understanding that the recipe would be altered to account for the different hypoclorite content.
I stored the 50% "One Shot" brand in it's original bags in a plastic bin with some other water purification supplies including RV rated hoses, a Sawyer .02 filter and various hose fittings. I opened it a few months ago to check on the contents and add a few bags of the correct 73% "In The Swim" brand Super Pool Shock and found that there was a strong chlorine odor and everything exposed in the container had a sticky type of film on it. The drill bit that comes with the Sawyer filter had even rusted on both sides. There was no significant moisture that was in the bin as it is stored in the house and is climate controlled. I thought that was wierd so I figured I would put both types of pool shock in mylar bags and seal them so they are in an even more inert enviornment. Fast forward to today when I checked on my stash again. The 50% mixture has turned the Silver mylar bag clear!!!  " />
The 73% mixture hasn't reacted at all with the mylar:  " />
Here is a pic with both in it, along with the obligatory foot  :
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Anyone have a clue what could cause this? Both versions of poolshock list the other chemicals as inert on the packaging. |
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Quoted: Anyone have a clue what could cause this? really??? chlorine is oxidizing the AL off the mylar Chlorine (pool shock) is caustic/oxidizer. It will tear up anything that's not inert. It really like metals, especially sodium.  The best way is to store it in a inert container, I use glass but the best would be heavy PET bottles that wont break. bottom line use a better storage vessel |
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I'm no expert, but I'll give you my opinion.
The plastic bags the poolshock you bought have started to deteriorate. They have holes in them. The poolshock absorbs moisture voraciously. It is dangerous to introduce a little moisture into a lot of poolshock. A chemical reaction occurs and the result is heat and gasses. Chlorine gas? (????) When you mix poolshock and water you put a little of the poolshock into a lot of water. If you put a little water on a pile of poolshock, you get heat and gasses. I'll stop there because I'm not sure of my facts. |
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The original bags are NOT a perfect seal - Eventually, some chlorine will diffuse through them, possibly contaminating other nearby items.
I've seen the same thing happen with unopened bags of pool shock stored inside sealed plastic 5 gallon pails - The chlorine causes other metal items (cans of food, jar lids, batteries, consumer electronics, etc.) inside the pail to corrode. Bottom Line: Don't rely on the original bag to store pool shock for extended periods, and don't store it near anything that might corrode or become contaminated by exposure to chlorine. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Anyone have a clue what could cause this? really??? chlorine is oxidizing the AL off the mylar Chlorine (pool shock) is caustic/oxidizer. It will tear up anything that's not inert. It really like metals, especially sodium.
The best way is to store it in a inert container, I use glass but the best would be heavy PET bottles that wont break. bottom line use a better storage vessel Can anyone explain why it would be doing this with the 50% version and not the 73%? These have both been stored in mylar the same amount of time. |
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Quoted:
Probably a better grade of pool shock bag in the 70+ one. Having to deal with shock on almost a daily basis, I would recommend strongly keeping your shock in its own sealed pail. Would it be reasonable to use food saver bags? I don't want to have to commit and entire pail to pool shock. I only have a few pounds... |
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Quoted:
Probably a better grade of pool shock bag in the 70+ one. Having to deal with shock on almost a daily basis, I would recommend strongly keeping your shock in its own sealed pail. I have a pool and therefore have chlorine tablets plus pool shock in those plastic 1# bags that I use on a regular basis. I also have some calcium hypochlorite for emergency water disinfecting. I keep those 1# bags in a separate plastic bucket, (one that used to have chlorine tablets in it) and I keep it away from metal and other objects that I do not want to see get eaten alive by seeping chlorine gasses. I am running an experiment now whereby I have filled some empty pill capsules with a measured amount of calcium hypochlorite, exactly enough to disinfect 5 gallons of water. I have these "trial capsules" in a plastic pill bottle (formerly used by Ibuprofen) and that is sealed in a zip lock plastic bag in my garage somewhere. I intend to see how long this will hold up with the calcium hypochlorite in those capsules. If it holds up fairly well, I will make up a hundred or more of those and use them to keep stored 5 gallon water containers clean and clear by dropping one of the capsules in every so often. Back on the main topic though. The pool shock is some very heavy duty caustic material and should not be placed near anything you want to keep for a while. I plan to try the mason jar with the plastic (not the metal) lids to see how well that will hold up over time. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Probably a better grade of pool shock bag in the 70+ one. Having to deal with shock on almost a daily basis, I would recommend strongly keeping your shock in its own sealed pail. Would it be reasonable to use food saver bags? I don't want to have to commit and entire pail to pool shock. I only have a few pounds... Maybe you can use a plastic container that is smaller than a five gallon bucket, that seals well? I would be concerned about storing it in my house. I have four bags placed into quart canning jars, in a cardboard box out in the garden shed. I was paranoid about fumes. Perhaps overly concerned? I need to see what they look like. I used metal flats and rings on the jars. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Probably a better grade of pool shock bag in the 70+ one. Having to deal with shock on almost a daily basis, I would recommend strongly keeping your shock in its own sealed pail. Would it be reasonable to use food saver bags? I don't want to have to commit and entire pail to pool shock. I only have a few pounds... Nope. Separate storage. Also I recommend getting a MSDS on it and taping it to the pail. Keep away from all food stuffs. |