What is the difference between chlorine and free chlorine?

Total chlorine is the total amount of chlorine in the water. When chlorine binds up with contaminants it forms a compound called “chloramines” that are still part of the total but no longer effective. The chlorine that is still active to remove contaminants is known as free.

What should your free chlorine be?

To properly measure free chlorine in your pool, use a FAS-DPD test kit and make sure that the free chlorine is between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million (ppm). Maintaining these levels will assure your pool water is at an ideal quality.

Is free chlorine bad?

Free chlorine is “good” chlorine: it’s still available to kill germs. Combined chlorine is chlorine that’s “combined” with an oxidised organic matter. When the combined chlorine level gets much above 0.2ppm it’s time to get rid of it.

Is high free chlorine harmful?

Having too much chlorine in your pool water can be dangerous. Exposure to high levels of chlorine can cause lung irritation, skin and eye damage, and provoke asthma. High chlorine levels decrease the pH of your pool’s water, making it more acidic.

What does free chlorine mean on a test strip?

Free chlorine refers to the amount of chlorine that has yet to combine with chlorinated water to effectively sanitize contaminants, which means that this chlorine is free to get rid of harmful microorganisms in the water of your swimming pool.

Does shock raise free chlorine?

Free chlorine is just that, free. Free to interact with other chemicals, algae, bacteria or the like. Shocking then releases the combined chlorine and off-gasses the contaminants, increasing the amount of free chlorine in your pool or spa.

Why is my free chlorine so low?

What causes low free chlorine in pool? Things that cause low free chlorine levels are excessive sunlight, high bather loads, and improper water chemistry. Not having enough chlorine in your swimming pool will also cause the little bit of chlorine that’s in there to be used up faster too.

Will Shock raise free chlorine?

How do I reduce free chlorine in my spa?

We recommend that you allow the sanitizer levels to break down naturally. But if you have to use your hot tub, then you can add sodium thiosulfate to the water. Sodium thiosulfate will break down both chlorine and bromine in your water. This will lower the bromine or chlorine levels fast so you can soak sooner.

What are the harmful effects of chlorine?

Respiratory Tract Irritant. Chlorine gas is very dangerous to the respiratory tract.

What is free and combined chlorine?

The latter performs the job of oxidizing contaminants and killing bacteria. When chlorine is added to water, it is added as free chlorine. Total chlorine is the sum of both free and combined chlorine. When free chlorine comes into contact with various forms of contaminants, the chlorine is transformed to combined chlorine, also known as chloramines.

How much chlorine is safe to drink?

Chlorine levels up to 4 milligrams per liter (mg/L or 4 parts per million (ppm) are considered safe in drinking water.

What are the disadvantages of chlorine?

Major Disadvantages of Using Chlorine/ Chloramines as a Disinfectant . The major disadvantage is the possibility of disinfection by-products. Excess chlorine in water can combine with organic material in the water to form substances such as Trihalomethanes, which can cause liver, kidney, or central nervous system problems,…