When planning to buy a test kit to
measure the chlorine levels in your
pool, it is important to remember that
there a 3 aspects which can be measured:
-
Free available
chlorine (or residual
chlorine) - is the amount of
chlorine in the pool that can
sanitize or disinfect the water and
is the important measurement for us.
-
Combined chlorine
- consists of undesirable,
bad-smelling, irritating compounds
which form when there isn't enough
free available chlorine.
-
Total chlorine
- is the total amount of chlorine in
the water. It includes both free
available and combined chlorine.
We are interested in how much available
chlorine there is in the water -
chlorine that can act on foreign
substances in the water to keep the pool
clean and safe for the swimmers.
Too little chlorine
results in algal and bacterial growth,
waterborne illnesses, cloudy water and
insufficient sanitation of the water.
Too much chlorine
can result in eye, nose and skin
irritations. Remember, too, that the
chlorine in the pool is carcinogenic and
we should aim to keep its level to the
minimum required for complete
disinfection.
Test kits which use tablets rather than
liquid reagents are preferred. The
tablets are easier to use and provide
more accurate results. Also make sure
that the chlorine measuring tablets are
"DPD" as only these can measure the free
available chlorine.
Take the water sample from at least
20-30 cm below the surface and at least
that far from the wall of the pool. Test
the water according to the test kit's
instructions.
The desirable level of available
chlorine in the pool is 1.0-3.0ppm with
2.0ppm being the recommended ideal.
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