What Are The Chlorine Levels Of Backyard Swimming Pools Supposed To Stay At?
To get the most out of your backyard swimming pool, it is essential to keep it as healthy as possible by maintaining proper chlorine levels. Chlorine will ensure that your pool is sanitized. Ensure that you check your chlorine levels on a daily basis when the pool is in use. This is especially true if you have a lot of guests.
Failing to regularly test the chlorine levels can potentially result in a number of recreational water illnesses, from Hepatitis A to E.Coli to swimmer’s ear and skin rashes, to name only a few. Moreover, improperly maintained pools, wherein the level of chlorine has not been properly controlled, can lead to exposure to HAAs. This is a byproduct of chlorine that occurs when chlorine interacts with various elements in the water. HAAs, however, have been linked to potential adverse outcomes on health, including cancer. A properly maintained pool is essential.
What Are the Chlorine Levels Supposed to Stay At?
There are different compounds or types of chlorine to measure. Different factors can play a part in altering the levels of chlorine in your pool, including the temperature of the water, access to and amount of sunlight as well as the size of your pool.
- Free Chlorine (FC): 0.5-1.5 ppm (mg/l).
This type of chlorine specifically measures the amount of hypochlorite ion and hypochlorous acid. That is, it measures the chlorine that has not interacted with any bacteria or other contaminants in the water. Ultimately, it indicates how well your pool is at providing disinfecting power. Keep in mind that most test kits only measure free chlorine.
- Combined Chlorine (CC): 0-0.5 ppm (mg/l).
Combined chlorine measures chloramines, which form when chlorine interacts with urine and sweat (ammonia and nitrogen). Combined chlorine does not have an active role when it comes to killing bacteria. It also irritates the skin. To reduce a high level of combined chlorine, it is necessary to shock the pool with calcium hypochlorite. Although the process of shocking naturally causes a high level of chlorine to then be present in the pool, it reduces quickly in outdoor pools.
- Total Chlorine (TC): 0.5-1.5 ppm (mg/l).
As the name suggests, this is the total sum of two types of chlorine: free chlorine and combined chlorine. As a rule of thumb, the total chlorine level should not be less than the level of free chlorine in your pool.
- Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer): 0-20 ppm (mg/l).
Cyanuric acid is essential to ensuring that the sunlight does not get rid of the levels of chlorine in your pool and render it ineffective at disinfecting it. Keep in mind, however, that when cyanuric acid rises beyond a level of 100 ppm, it can cause chlorine blocking, which makes the chlorine also ineffective.
The point is to properly maintain your pool to ensure that your pool is as clean and healthy as possible. Consider having a professional come in or take your pool water to a professional.
If you are concerned about the health of your pool, Ferrari Pools offers weekly maintenance services and pool inspections by the professionals. We are New England’s #1 choice. Contact us for more.