Free Chlorine vs Total Chlorine: What’s the Difference?
Maintaining proper water chemistry with free chlorine vs total chlorine in your pool is essential for a safe swimming environment, so understanding the difference between free chlorine and total chlorine is vital. After all, not all types of chlorine protect your pool from harmful bacteria and microorganisms that can degrade your water quality.
Ready to learn more about optimal chemical levels and the distinctions between free chlorine vs total chlorine? Great! Join us for a guide to these two essential substances.
What is free chlorine?
Free chlorine is the amount of chlorine available to sanitize your pool water and break down any harmful contaminants. You can think of this substance as the active cleaning agent remaining in your water.
What does free chlorine do in a pool?
Free chlorine is the “fresh” chlorine that hasn’t yet attached to impurities in your water. It’s the substance that will sanitize the water, kill bacteria and microorganisms, and help ensure the safety of your pool.
What should the level of free chlorine be?
Most pools should have a free chlorine level between 2 and 4 parts per million (ppm) to effectively kill bacteria and disinfect your H2O.
How do you increase free chlorine in a pool?
When free chlorine levels drop below 1 ppm, you’ll need to increase levels using pool-safe solutions that will break down into hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite ions, the elements that can eliminate contaminants without posing a threat to swimmers.
What is total chlorine?
As free chlorine interacts with contaminants like bacteria and microorganisms, chemical bonds are formed, and the resulting solution is called combined chlorine. Total chlorine is the sum of your pool’s free and combined chlorine levels.
What’s the purpose of total chlorine vs free chlorine?
Without knowing the level of free chlorine in your pool, the total chlorine amount doesn’t do much to help you balance your pool chemistry. However, you can calculate the level of combined chlorine when you know the amount of free vs total chlorine in your pool, which can help you determine how much chlorine you should add.
What is the optimum level of total chlorine to have?
The optimal total chlorine level in a residential pool should be between 3 and 5 ppm.
What does a high level of total chlorine mean?
When total chlorine levels are higher than free chlorine levels, that means your pool is susceptible to harmful bacteria and dangerous pathogens. Remember, the difference between free vs total chlorine is combined chlorine, which can no longer sanitize the water.
Free chlorine vs total chlorine
Now that we’ve covered the basics of free chlorine vs total chlorine, here are a few important distinctions to keep in mind:
How much free chlorine should be in your pool?
Ideally, your free chlorine vs total chlorine measurements should be the same. Once the combined chlorine reaches 0.5 ppm, your pool chemistry should be adjusted.
How do you calculate optimum levels of free chlorine?
You’ll find numerous products to help you care for your pool, test your water chemistry, and maintain optimal chlorine levels. Here are the three most common:
- Chlorine test strips: These analog plastic strips include a chemical tester strip that will change color upon contact with water.
- Chlorine testing kits: Testing kits require the use of a reactive agent, which you add to a specific amount of pool water. Your water sample will change color to indicate the amount of chlorine present.
- Digital monitoring systems: The most accurate option to help you maintain adequate levels of free chlorine vs total chlorine is a digital system that monitors your water chemistry and alerts you to any imbalances. These devices include a sensor that detects the precise levels of various chemicals, taking the guesswork out of calculating your chlorine levels.
What’s the difference between free chlorine vs total chlorine vs combined chlorine?
These three types of chlorine describe the life cycle of chlorine as it goes through the cleaning process in your swimming pool. Here’s a simplified description of each element:
- Free chlorine: Chlorine that has been added to your pool water but has not yet attached to contaminants, such as harmful bacteria. It can effectively neutralize waterborne diseases like E. coli, Giardia, and Hepatitis.
- Combined chlorine: As free chlorine attaches to harmful microorganisms, it becomes combined chlorine. In turn, these compounds appear during the active sanitation process. The amount of combined chlorine in your pool should be lower than 0.5 ppm.
- Total chlorine: The total measurement of free and combined chlorine present in your pool water.
Let the pros at GPS Pools help you get your chlorine levels in check!
At GPS Pools, we can help you monitor your pool chemistry and ensure the ideal levels of free chlorine vs total chlorine! Contact us today to learn more about our services!