A Melbourne mum and daughter made a lucky escape when a chlorine dispenser "exploded like a bomb" in the pool they were swimming.
It was a hot day, above 30C, when the mum and daughter went swimming about a week ago, the mum wrote on Reddit.
Noting a "rotten eggs" smell from the floating device which has pool tablets in it, the woman told her daughter not to touch the dispenser and instead used a stick to push it to the corner.
Moments later it blew up.
"It exploded like a bomb. Literally a bomb. The device shattered into pieces there was a loud bang, gas cloud and my ears are still ringing," the mum recalled.
"If we have been any closer would have been seriously injured."
She said she was posting to warn other parents "pool floaters are dangerous".
The family used Hy-Clor chlorine pool tablets from Bunnings.
It's unclear what products were combined, but comments online suggest the woman may be at fault - she even admitted to using a faulty tablet and potentially mixing brands.
"I had an almost disintegrated tablet in there and put a fresh one on top. Maybe the original one was a different brand... yikes it was scary and really unexpected," the woman replied to a comment.
Hy-Clor told 7NEWS.com.au that pool chemicals should never be mixed.
"We have reiterated this warning on all our packaging to ensure the safety of our customers."
According to Bunnings New Zealand, it's not aware of any previous incidents involving Hy-Clor products similar to this one.
Bunnings also confirmed to Newshub that Hy-Clor has also advised it is not aware of any such incidents involving its chlorine tablet products.
Bunnings sells different types of chlorine-based pool products that all include clear instructions on how to safely use them. It said these products are displayed and separated on shelves in accordance with relevant chemical storage safety standards.
However, without having more information on the situation described in the Reddit post, Bunnings said it was difficult to confirm what caused the incident.
"We take the safety of the products we sell very seriously and we work closely with our suppliers to ensure the products meet relevant safety standards and regulations," Bunnings director of merchandise Jen Tucker told Newshub.
"As with all products we sell, we strongly encourage customers to carefully follow packaging instructions to help prevent any potential risks. This is particularly important with chemical products that may be physically handled by customers, all of which include detailed safety warnings on their labels.
"As always, we encourage customers to reach out to us if they have concerns about an item purchased from Bunnings or any questions about how to safely use a specific product."
According to Bunnings, Hy-Clor does not have a '3 in 1' tablet in its product range. It does, however, have a '3 in 1' granular chlorine concentrate product that is not designed to be used in a floating dispenser.
Nonetheless, Bunnings said the company was attempting to contact the customer to discuss their concerns and was previously unaware the incident occurred.
