It is difficult to discuss swimming pool chemicals for very long, without venturing onto the topic of pool chlorine. You might already know that chlorine plays a fundamental role in making sure any given pool water is pleasant and safe to swim in.
However, do you know what constitutes an appropriate level of chlorine in a pool, or the indicators that the chlorine in your pool water is at a dangerous level?
If you have any doubts about these matters, below, we will set out the key aspects to know.
Firstly – yes, there is definitely such a thing as ‘too much chlorine’
You should always maintain the chlorine concentration level in your swimming pool at 1 to 3 parts per million (ppm). When this level begins to exceed 5 ppm, discomfort and dangers to human health can arise, encompassing such potential effects as skin dryness, eye irritation, and/or respiratory problems.
Of course, it is important to emphasise that a too-low concentration of chlorine in your pool water is hardly desirable, either.
If your pool chlorine does slip below the aforementioned optimal level, there could be a higher risk of bacteria and algae growing. This, in turn, could leave you with green and murky pool water, and those who swim in it could suffer from skin infections.
So, how can you tell whether there’s too much chlorine in your pool water?
As this particular blog post is focused on the topic of excessive chlorine in swimming pools, we’ll put to one side the subject of pools not having enough of it.
You’ll want a more “scientific” and reliable means of telling whether your pool has too much chlorine in it, than waiting for the aforementioned health issues to happen. And no, contrary to widespread belief, a strong chlorine smell doesn’t necessarily indicate pool water has an overconcentration of chlorine.
To properly understand the subject of chlorine levels in a swimming pool, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the distinctions between two types of chlorine compounds:
- Free chlorine, sometimes referred to as the “good” type of chlorine. This is the active form of chlorine that sanitises your pool water.
- Combined chlorine, sometimes referred to as “chloramines”. This is a byproduct of chlorine reacting with such contaminants as sweat, sunscreen, and urine.
If the levels of combined chlorine in a pool get too high, irritation and unpleasant odours can occur. It is combined chlorine that produces the distinctive smell most of us tend to associate with chlorine. However, as we referenced above, you can’t use the smell or its intensity as a gauge of whether your pool chlorine levels are too high.
There are proven products for detecting and tackling overly high pool chlorine levels
Thankfully, there are convenient and safe ways to determine whether the chlorine levels in a pool have become too high. These include using the DPD/PH test kits and test strips that we have on offer in our own online store.
The regular use of such products to test your pool water will enable you to take informed remedial action, whenever needed, to bring the chlorine concentration back to a healthy and safe level.
Methods for reducing the chlorine concentration in pools include simply ceasing to add more chlorine for a little while – possibly as long as a few days – if the chlorine level is only slightly elevated, or using chlorine reducer if the chlorine level is excessively high. That is, of course, another product you can find in Pool Warehouse’s online shop.
Are you on the lookout for these or any other swimming pool chemicals that will assist you in getting the most out of your pool ownership experience? If so, you will be pleased to know that we really do stock all the essentials and so much more, often at heavily discounted prices.