Optimal water maintenance is crucial for pool owners. These often rely on a chlorine-based cleaning solution to ensure hygiene in the water. Is there a maximum chlorine content to be observed?
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Important information about chlorine levels in the pool
Maximum chlorine content, disinfecting the pool, setting the pH value and Co. are keywords for many pool owners. Consequently, there are six tips on how to ensure that a maximum chlorine content is not exceeded and that the water is properly disinfected.
1. Determine the pH value
If you want to adjust the chlorine content in the water correctly, you first have to ensure the right pH value. After all, the disinfectant can only work if the pH is optimal. You can take the measurement quickly with tablets and small sticks.
2. Determine chlorine value
You can then determine the chlorine content in the pool water. Pool owners can do this quickly with analogue or digital test methods. Basically, you should determine three different chlorine values in order to initiate the correct subsequent measures:
- combined chlorine
- Free chlorine
- total chlorine
Free chlorine describes the disinfectant that is still available to fight bacteria in the water. In contrast, the combined chlorine has already flocculated and is no longer suitable for disinfection. This also causes the typical smell of chlorine. A maximum chlorine content results from both values.
- Free chlorine: 0.3 to 2 milligrams per liter (mg/l)
- Combined chlorine: 0.5 to 1 mg/l (better less)
- Maximum chlorine content: up to 3 mg / l
3. Do not exceed maximum total content
The maximum chlorine level should never be exceeded. Then there are health hazards and especially skin irritations. In addition, the respiratory system is also very susceptible to an overdose of chlorine.
4. Find the cause of the dose being too high
If the maximum chlorine content is exceeded, you should think about the cause. Otherwise, reducing the chlorine content can be of little use. In particular, the following causes are possible:
- pH value does not match
- Dosing systems do not work
- manual dosing performed incorrectly
5. Stop chlorine flow
If the maximum chlorine level is exceeded, the flow of fresh chlorine into the pool should be stopped first. After all, this would further increase the chlorine value and would therefore be extremely counterproductive.
6. Neutralize excessive chlorine content
The neutralization of the chlorine in the water is always necessary when the maximum chlorine content is significantly exceeded. The procedure differs depending on how severe the overdose is.
For small exceedances, the following measures work:
- Wait and allow the sun to shine
- Swimming and pool use (really only with slightly elevated chlorine levels!)
- partial exchange of water
If it is clear that the target value has been exceeded, chemical methods must provide a remedy. The chlorine content can be reduced with powder or pellets. You can simply add this neutralizer to the pool water to lower the chlorine dosage. The chlorine content must then be measured again in order to add additional chlorine to the water if necessary.
