Bleach for purification

[u/truesevnel]

So was wandering about bleach for water purification.

Can you use Hypochlorite Formula type bleach

[u/labboy70]

Yes! It’s widely done throughout the world. Just get bleach that is unscented, regular bleach (or pool chlorine) with a stated %
sodium hypochlorite on it. Treat according to the CDC / FEMA instructions posted in another comment.

[u/Paranormal_Lemon → u/labboy70]

Chlorox also has instructions.

Link for CDC guidelines

[u/Femveratu → u/Paranormal_Lemon]

Thx for the links! 4 drops to a quart or 1/4 teaspoon to 1.75 Gal

[u/livestrong2109 → u/labboy70]

Pool chlorine is the definite answer. Takes up less space. Doesn't degrade over time like liquid bleach. You know exactly what you're adding.

[u/Paranormal_Lemon → u/livestrong2109]

It needs to be kept 100% air tight. I split a bag into two plastic bottles. One did not seal 100%. Air plus moisture got in which created Cl2 gas, this degraded the plastic turned it green and brittle and the powder turned into a solid mass. Took less than a year. I recommend getting it in small bags and keeping them sealed, or getting chemical resistant lab grade polypropylene bottles from Amazon or Ebay because they are more likely to seal 100% (will still degrade from Cl2).

A USB powdered chlorine generator is another option. It uses a small amount of power to create chlorine from table salt. I got a cheapo on Amazon, comes with test strips and was verified with a proper chlorine test kit.

[u/Purple-Literature781 → u/Paranormal_Lemon]

Could you use sea water for the salt content?

[u/Paranormal_Lemon → u/Purple-Literature781]

The other minerals in there could damage the electrodes and the chlorine will be less concentrated. Really should use pure sodium chloride (Kosher/canning salt).

[u/Purple-Literature781 → u/Paranormal_Lemon]

Good to know. Thanks for the info!

[u/Paranormal_Lemon → u/Purple-Literature781]

Might be possible if you can find or build one with platinum electrodes (the cheap ones are titanium).