AC Lockyer wrote:

---

Will read that over the holiday.

Thanks Vic.

AC

---

I thank you, and will really appreciate your take on that article, AC.

I am under the impression that dry CH will last a lot longer time.

Only after it is mixed with water does it start degrading in strength?

In any event, people who have liquid bleach set aside as part of their survival supplies may be in for a big surprise when they try to use it to sterilize their water if it has been sitting around for a long time...

vic

Troy Layman wrote:

---

Great information there Vic! Thanks!

Yes, dry CH has a lot longer shelf life than SH, although I can't quote any ratios on just how long CH lasts compared to SH. I'm not able to use CH with my current little set up yet so I've not studied it in depth.

Yes, once the CH is mixed with water it will start degrading in strength per the link - "Be sure to obtain the dry granular calcium hypochlorite since once it is made into a liquid solution it will begin to degrade and eventually become useless as a disinfecting agent."

Where I live now we use well water. The old well worked perfectly for decades until a bad storm several years ago caused the river to flood high enough it caused problems and my parents had to get a new well dug. The new well water was good enough to shower and use for dishes, etc., but wasn't safe for drinking until about a year ago. Keeping some CH around would be a bright idea for sure.

Thanks for sharing this Vic!

---

You are welcome, and thank you for your reply, Troy. That is a great anecdote!

We don't have to have national disasters to cause a need for water sterilizing...

Vandals or terrorists could mess with water supplies, too. Crazy times.

I'm still curious, though. How long CH will be useful in dry form.

vic