It surprises us that so many people believe that it is easier AND less expensive to shock/superchlorinate with liquid chlorine. And although we sell liquid chlorine, we disagree.

All types of chlorine have their pros and cons (see the bottom of this page). As with all things, the shorter the list of cons, the more you pay for the product.

The chart below compares your total cost to shock a 15,000 gallon pool (less sales tax). All fractions have been rounded UP to the next whole cent.

 

 

Per Shock

 

CLC® or Burn Out® WP:

 

 

2-1# Bags of Burn Out® AND 1 cup acid

5.32

or

1½# CLC® (based on 5# container) AND ¾ cup acid

3.85

or

1½# CLC® (based on 25# container) AND ¾ cup acid

3.35

 

 

 

 

Lithium or Burn Out® 35:

 

 

3-1# Bags of Burn Out® 35 AND 1 cups acid

14.88

or

2½# Lithium Hypochlorite (based on 5# container) AND 1 cup acid

12.59

or

2½# Lithium Hypochlorite (based on 15# container) AND 1 cup acid

12.23

or

2½# Lithium Hypochlorite (based on 25# container) AND 1 cup acid

10.93

 

 

 

 

BioGuard Lite™ (exclusive formula):

 

 

1¼# BioGuard Lite™ (based on 2# container), no acid needed

5.29

or

1¼# BioGuard Lite™ (based on 6-pack, 2# container), no acid needed

5.03

or

1¼# BioGuard Lite™ (based on 25# container), no acid needed

4.73

 

 

 

 

Liquid Chlorine:

 

 

2½ gallons liquid chlorine AND 5 cups acid

3.94

 

 

 

 

Oxysheen®:

 

 

2-1# Bags of Oxysheen®, no acid needed

9.78

or

1½# Oxysheen® (based on 6# container), no acid needed

6.99

or

1½# Oxysheen® (based on 50# container), no acid needed

5.39

Pros and Cons:

Product Name

Pros

Cons

CLC® or Burn Out® WP

Use 1 pound per 10,000 gallons

  • Inexpensive
  • Strong (67% available chlorine)
  • Contains calcium (helps maintain calcium level in pools that fall below level)
  • Store up to one year
  • Temporarily clouds water
  • Can be dangerous if not kept dry
  • Contains calcium (may build up - pool dilution may be necessary)
  • Must be pre-dissolved in vinyl or fiberglass pools

Lithium or Burn Out® 35

Use 1 pound per 6,000 gallons

  • Contains 35% available chorine
  • Dissolves instantly
  • Totally soluble
  • Store up to one year
  • Most costly way to shock pool

BioGuard Lite™
(exclusive formula)

Use 1 pound per 12,000 gallons

  • Swim in 15 minutes
  • Contains clarifiers for clearer water
  • Neutral pH
  • Dissolves instantly
  • Totally soluble
  • Store up to one year
  • Moderately priced
  • Must be used religiously, every week

Liquid Chlorine

Use 1½ gallons per 10,000 gals.

  • Inexpensive
  • Short shelf life (2-4 weeks depending on heat/sunlight)
  • Never sure what the % available chlorine is (may result in NOT achieving shock level)
  • 2.5 gallon yellow jugs weigh 20-25 pounds
  • Spills will bleach and eat through fabrics and carpet
  • Difficult to transport
  • Very high pH requires a lot of acid to neutralize
  • High total dissolved solids (pool dilution sometimes necessary)

Oxysheen®

Use 1 pound per 10,000 gallons

  • Swim in 15 minutes
  • Dissolves instantly
  • Totally soluble
  • Contains no chlorine
  • Store up to one year
  • Moderately priced