How to calculate cost per effective pool chlorine liquid vs powder

Susan Chiang · 2012-04-27T01:03:01+00:00

Q: How do 'you' calculate the cost per effective chlorine between liquidversus powder?After googling, I find most answers say it fundamentally doesn't matterwhether you use liquid (6% or 12%) chlorine or powder (56%-62% for dichloror 90%-98% for trichlor, effective 85%). The articles I found warn of other things (e.g., CYA isn't in the liquid &liquid raises the pH); but fundamentally they say the result is the samewhen it comes to ions of chlorination.My problem is trying to compare the cost per effective pound of chlorinebetween liquids & solids.Of course, costs vary greatly, so it's the EQUATION that matters. I caneasily write the equation to compare the powders - but I'm having troublecomparing cost of powders versus liquids.For example, to compare the cost for effective chlorine between twodichlors is easy.Given $3.00 per pound of 56% dichlor versus $3.33 per pound of 62% dichlor:FIRST CALCULATION: 56% dichlor at $3.00/pound x 100/56 = $5.36/poundeffective chlorineSECOND CALCULATION: 62% dichlor at $3.33/pound x 100/62 = $5.37/poundeffective chlorineCOMPARISON: These two are about the same cost per pound of effectivechlorine.Likewise, to compare effective cost between trichlor and dichlor is, Ithink, (almost as) easy.For example, assume $3.00 per pound of 56% dichlor versus $3.33 per poundof 94% trichlor (84% effective chlorine):FIRST CALCULATION: 56% dichlor at $3.00/pound x 100/56 = $5.36/poundeffective chlorineSECOND CALCULATION: 94% trichlor at $3.33/pound x 100/84 = $3.96/poundeffective chlorineCOMPARISON: The trichlor is vastly cheaper than the dichlor in thisexample.Assuming the calculations above are using the correct equations, what I'dlike to compare is the liquid versus the powders. But I can no longersimply compare percentages.Q: What is the equation to compare effective chlorine prices for liquid vspowdered chlorine?