Will Baking Soda Lower Chlorine Level In Pool
Baking soda can help to lower chlorine levels, but not directly. Sodium Bicarbonate aka Baking Soda is a high alkaline chemical, which raises waters pH and alkalinity. Hydrogen Peroxide wont work properly if your pool waters pH is low. So, adding a little bit of baking soda can make the difference by increasing the pH level of your pool water and help Hydrogen Peroxide to work effectively to reduce the chlorine levels. So, baking soda can influence the chlorine neutralization process.
Just keep in mind, higher pH speed up the chlorine evaporation and will produce chlorine gas. Thus, the chlorine evaporation will help to lower your pool chlorine, but, this will create too much chlorine smell around the pool, and people will get confused and start to think that, the pool has too much chlorine.
Signs Of High Chlorine Levels
Your pool contains 2 major types of chlorine compounds combined chlorine and free chlorine. Free chlorine is good. It is the compound still available to eliminate bacteria and other microorganisms. Combined chlorine is a combination of chlorine and organic matter in the pool water like bacteria. It is the one behind the popular chlorinated pool smell.
Fun fact: You cannot smell chlorine levels in a pool.
If you swim in an over-chlorinated pool, the moment you step out, you will notice your hair is dry, irritated eyes and skin. This is not the safest way of checking chlorine levels in your pool though. You can use a DPD testing kit to get the free and combined chlorine levels or an OTO kit to get the free chlorine count only. Youd be better off buying an all-inclusive testing kit like the BOSIKE Pool and Hot Tub Test Strips. It is highly recommended by expert reviewers as fast and accurate testing kit that can be used for various applications including spa, hot tub, bath and swimming pool. The kit is 3-in-1 and you can use it to test chlorine, Bromine, total alkalinity and pH. Plus, you dont have to break the bank for it.
Three Ways To Lower Your Pools Chlorine Levels
Ready to lower those chlorine levels and get back on track? Well, first things first: stop adding chlorine. If you have a saltwater chlorine generator or chlorine feeder, turn it off. If you have a floating chlorinator, take it out of the pool. If youve left tablets in your skimmer, take the remains out.
Beyond that, youve got options. Choose the one that works best for you.
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Testing Pool Water For Chlorine
Before testing pool water for chlorine always add the reagent to the bucket first and then add pool water. The results of this test tell you what is in your pool right now and can help you determine if there’s too much or too little of it.
The Cl2 test measures free available chlorine Clorox, calcium hypochlorite, or any granular product that releases chlorine into the water when dissolved. The result should be between 1 and 3 ppm .
Anything higher than 3 ppm indicates excessive levels of chlorine in your pool – not unusual after rainstorms but normally undesirable for proper sanitizing purposes.
Any chlorinator system such as a salt system, mineral purifier, or ionizer will produce oxidation as a by-product as will the sunlight as it strikes organic substances in the water.
What Does Chlorine In A Pool Do
If you didnt know, chlorine is a chemical that goes into your pool to make the water safer. Its main function is to kill germs like E. coli and salmonella.
That means that you can enjoy swimming in your pool without being exposed to bacteria.
Chlorine also kills bodily fluids and sweat that make their way into the pool. Part of that means neutralizing odors that might otherwise linger in the water.
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Reducing High Chlorine In Hot Tubs
In The Swim Chlorine Neutralizer will remove chlorine and bromine from spa water, but in many cases, just leaving a hot tub uncovered, and running the jet pump on high with the air blower running can bring down high levels in a few hours. If not, look at our small bottle of chlorine neutralizer, which is also a very effective bromine reducer or bromine neutralizer.
Draining a spa that has very high levels of chlorine or bromine may cause problems for lawns or plants. Pumping it into a swimming pool, or directly to a storm drain are two other options, or perhaps a partial draining and refill can reduce sanitizer levels enough.
Spas that use bromine can run higher levels of bromine with less side effects. Bromine is 2.5x heavier than chlorine, so that a reading of 2.5 ppm bromine is the same as 1.0 ppm of chlorine. Most hot tubs using bromine should maintain a 3-5 ppm residual, or 1-3 ppm if mineral sanitizers or ozone is being used.
How high is too high, for hot tub bromine? Sensitivity differs by person, but most folks can manage short duration soaks in hot tubs with bromine levels of up to 10 ppm , without significant skin irritation.
High chlorine and bromine levels also leave a strong odor on the skin and hair of pool and spa users however. This alone may be enough to prompt you to take action to lower the chlorine or bromine levels in your pool or spa.
It happens even I am guilty of miscalculating or forgetting that I turned the feeder on high .
Symptoms Of Too Much Chlorine
If you go swimming in a pool with too much chlorine, it can affect your body in different ways. The higher the concentration of chlorine, the more severe your reaction may be.
Here are some symptoms to look out for:
- Itchy, irritated eyes
- Irritation to the respiratory tract
Chlorine poisoning
In rare instances, an extremely over-chlorinated pool may cause chlorine poisoning. Some signs to watch out for include:
- Watery eyes and blurry vision
- Coughing, wheezing, or difficulty breathing
- Tightness or dull pain in the chest
- Pain or burning in the eyes, nose, or throat
- Nausea or vomiting
Most reactions to chlorine are mild and will disappear within a day. If you are in pain or discomfort, it may smart to get checked out by a healthcare professional.
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How Long Does It Take For Chlorine Levels To Go Down
This depends entirely on which method you use.
Sodium thiosulfate is probably the quickest fix, with other chlorine reducers right behind it.
A more natural method could take a little longer.
Sunlight might take at least 24 hours to decrease the chlorine levels, depending on how high they were to start with.
But if you drain some of your pool water, you can check it as soon as it’s refilled. Sometimes thats all it takes to do the trick.
Why Is Chlorine So Important For A Pool
Chlorine is the most used sanitizer for pools and spas. When added to pool or spa water, it forms hypochlorous acid , which kills bacteria present in the water. Chlorine also acts as a disinfectant that breaks down organic material into compounds that are less harmful to humans.
The free available chlorine in the pool, the higher the quality of water and service you will get. You can add chlorine manually or with a chemical feeder to keep your pools FAC between 1-3 ppm.
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Add A Chlorine Neutralizer Like Sodium Thiosulfate
This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to lower your chlorine levels. But its easy to overdo it and it will significantly lower your pH.
Start by adding smaller amounts to your pool and testing your chlorine levels as you go. And be sure to test the pH levels after youre done. You dont want your pool to become too acidic. Youll also want to test your cyanuric acid levels.
Tips For Keeping Ph Levels Balanced
Although pH is a pretty unstable factor in your pool chemistry, it’s possible to keep it balanced most of the time. You just have to stay on top of a few pool maintenance tasks.
> > Read: How to balance your pool water
- Test your pool chemistry twice a week. Or if you’ve had issues with pH balance, test it every day until you get it under control. This may seem like a giant pain the in you-know-what, but it only takes a few minutes of your time, versus the hours you could have to spend correcting problems.
- Keep your pool clean. Since even things like dirty leaves can affect your pools pH balance, keep it as clear from debris as you can. Use a pool skimmer to clear out the junk every day. Its a great way to make the kiddos earn their allowance!
- Check your filtration system regularly. If your pool filter is doing its job, it will take a lot less elbow grease to keep the water clean and balanced.
- Shock your pool regularly. Most experts recommend once a month, but you should do it more often if during times of high usage or weather changes. Shocking the pool helps restore all the chemistry levels to normal.
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Switch To A Salt Water System
You can stop buying chlorine altogether by making it yourself with salt. Thats right: saltwater pools are actually chlorine pools.
The salt added to your pool water passes through a saltwater generator built into your filter system. That salt gets converted to chlorine. Saltwater systems also automatically monitor and keep your chlorine levels at 3 parts per million.
So while technically you have a chlorine pool, youre adding salt to your system instead. If you want to learn how to convert your pool to a saltwater system, go check out our guide.
And grab your FREE Pool Care Cheat Sheet. If you found this post helpful, subscribe for more pool maintenance tutorials throughout the season.
Happy swimming!
United Chemical No Mor Problems
No Mor Problems is designed to work synergistically with the chlorine in your pool. The special formulation breaks up chloramines and reduces the need to add extra chlorine back into the pool. It also works to clarify your pool water and unclog filters to speed up filtration times. No Mor Problems is also an algaecide, which means that it eliminates algae and prevents regrowth. Best of all, it is completely biodegradable and non-toxic, so it is safe for your family.
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Test First Then Adjust
Always test your water and do not assume that because your eyes or skin are irritated that your chlorine level is high. Irritation can be caused by chemical imbalance. . Testing your water should always the first step in diagnosing if you need to raise or lower levels of pool chlorine in your swimming pool.
“I continue to add more and more chlorine/shock and the total chlorine remains low or at zero!”
If you are attempting to bring your chlorine level higher by shocking your swimming pool and your test results still read zero total chlorine, you may have something called chlorine lock. Try finding test strips that will test your TDS level and see what the test shows. You can also try an Oxy-Shock or Non-Chlorine shock. This sometimes acts as a reset for your pool water and will allow the water to accept the chlorine shock next time you add it.
Simply collect the water sample from the pool using the onboard cup and press the Start button to take your measurement. Its smart, simple, and gives you results in seconds.
How High Is Too
Every persons sensitivity to chlorine is different, and when free chlorine is over 5 ppm, swimmers may experience itchy skin or irritated eyes, and dry hair.
Pools will naturally gas-off chlorine from the surface, and very high levels can irritate airways and lungs when inhaled for prolonged periods, especially indoor pools.
At chlorine levels over 10 ppm, swimsuits can begin to fade, and pool covers become damaged, and it may be unhealthy for swimmers. Generally speaking, for overall swimmer comfort and safety, close the pool and keep solar covers removed, until chlorine levels are below 5 ppm.
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How To Reduce Pool Or Spa Chlorine Levels
Maintaining the correct chlorine level can be tricky. Different times of year require different levels of chlorine in a pool, as do varied levels of pool use.
And when super-chlorinating or shocking the pool, which is to raise the chlorine level to very high ranges to remove algae, bacteria and chloramines from the pool, its very easy to overshoot the mark, and over-chlorinate the pool.
Normal pool chlorine levels are usually 1.0 ppm to 3.0 ppm, depending on the level of stabilizer in the water . If your pool water is much higher than 2-3 ppm, read on
Natural Chemistry Pool Perfect
Natural Chemistry Pool Perfect is a great way to complement chlorine sanitation by using enzymes to break down organic matter in the pool water, which allows it to dissipate more efficiently. Pool Perfect also contains compounds to reduce the phosphate levels in your pool that can increase the risk of algae growth.
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How To Tell If Your Pool Has Too Much Chlorine
The chlorine in your pool is made up of two types of chlorine compounds. Free chlorine is the âgoodâ type of chlorine that is still available to eliminate bacteria and microorganisms. Combined chlorine, also known as chloramines, is what happens after the chlorine has combined with organic matter and is responsible for the characteristic smell associated with chlorinated pools.
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot smell how much chlorine is in your pool. Dry hair, sensitive skin and irritated eyes are all indicators of an over-chlorinated pool, but there is a less inconvenient and safer way to find out whether your pool has too much chlorine.
A DPD testing kit measures free and combined chlorine levels to give a total chlorine count. You could also use an OTO kit, but this only measures the free chlorine available in your pool. These types of titration tests are the most accurate method for determining the chlorine levels in your pool and help you better assess how to lower the chlorine levels in your pool if necessary.
To use the DPD testing kit, measure out a small amount of pool water and add buffered DPD powder to the water, which turns pink. Next, add a specialized FAS compound one drop at a time until the water transforms from pink to clear. Each drop of FAS compound is equivalent to 0.2 ppm of chlorine.
Use Sodium Thiosulfate To Lower Chlorine
A cheaper alternative to store-bought neutralizer is sodium thiosulfate.
It lowers your chlorine but also reduces pH levels at the same time. So when using it, be sure to test after each dose to adjust chemicals as needed.
We recommend starting with a small, half cup scoop. But if the manufacturer includes instructions, follow them.
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Ways To Reduce Chlorine Levels In Your Swimming Pool
The addition of chlorine is an important maintenance aspect to above ground and in-ground pool ownership alike. Sometimes the chlorine amounts can become higher than the recommended levels, resulting in a less-desirable swimming experience. In the event your pool has a chlorine level that is too high, here are a few guidelines as to how you can reduce the level of chlorine in your pool.
The proper chlorine level can vary depending on a few factors, so its best to consult your local pool expert in order to maintain a healthy pool. They will also be able to dispense advice on the best way to measure chlorine levels in your pool. A few signs of high chlorine can be burning sensation in eyes, nose and throat, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lung irritation, or skin rash. Once youve tested the water and determined that the chlorine is too high, here are some suggestions as to what you can do to bring it back down.
Lets also dispel a couple of myths
MYTH #1 Red eyes are caused by too much chlorine. Not true. Typically red eyes are due to your pH being too high or too low. Test your water and ensure your pH is between 7.2 7.6.
MYTH #2 A strong chlorine smell means you have too much chlorine in your pool water. Not True. A strong chlorine smell is actually from chloramines. That means that your chlorine is working hard to sanitize contaminants in your pool water.
Ok, lets now take a look at 4 different methods you can use to lower your chlorine levels.
Safe Levels Of Chlorine
Chlorine works to disinfect the water in the pool. It keeps us safe by killing many types of germs. But in order to work, the proper amount of chlorine is needed. Use either a liquid test kit or test strips to help determine the amount of chlorine in your pool.
Besides chlorine, test kits and strips will determine other levels in your pool. A pool is balanced when all are within their proper levels.
| Chemical |
| 150-1000 ppm |
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