What should chlorine level be in pool?

Asked by: Joe Borseth

If used properly, free chlorine* can kill most germs within a few minutes. CDC recommends pH 7.2–7.8 and a free chlorine concentration of at least 1 ppm in pools and at least 3 ppm in hot tubs/spas.

Is a chlorine level of 5 OK?

The ideal level of free chlorine in the swimming pool is 2 to 4 ppm. 1 to 5 ppm is acceptable and 9 ppm is on the high side. 9 ppm would likely be safe to swim, but could be more of an irritant. Ideally, the level would be alllowed to come down to 5 ppm before swimmers are allowed to swim.

What chlorine level is too high to swim in?

10 ppm

At chlorine levels over 10 ppm, swimsuits can begin to fade. Pool covers become damaged, and the water is generally uncomfortable and unsafe for swimmers. Close the pool and keep covers off until chlorine levels fall back below 5.0 ppm.

At what chlorine level should you not swim?

What chlorine level is too high to swim? It depends on who you ask, but the acceptable range is between 1 to 5 ppm, per the Water Quality & Health Council. (So, for example, 10 ppm chlorine is not safe to swim in — that’s too high, so it can be dangerous.)

What should the chlorine and pH level be in a pool?

A good chlorine level is between 1.0 and 4.0 parts per million (ppm), while the pH should be between 7.2 and 7.8.

Can you swim in pool with high chlorine?

Having too much chlorine in your pool water can be dangerous. Exposure to high levels of chlorine can cause lung irritation, skin and eye damage, and provoke asthma. Not only is it bad for your health, but it can be bad for your pool due to the increase in chlorine.

How do you tell if a pool is properly chlorinated?

Strong Smell of Chlorine
A healthy, safe pool will have little to no odor. That smell comes when your pool is out of balance. The smell of chlorine arises when the chemicals are dealing with a lot organic material like sweat, urine, and bacteria in your pool.

How do you get chlorine levels down?

The simplest step to bring down chlorine levels is to stop adding chlorine into the pool. Whether you have a chlorinator, chlorine feeder, or salt water chlorine generator, turn them off. If you put chlorine sticks in your skimmer, remove the sticks or reduce the amount of sticks you’re using.

How long does it take chlorine levels to go down?

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 that’s all it takes to do the trick.

How long should you wait to swim after shocking a pool?

And how long do you have to wait before you can swim? You should wait one hour per pound of shock product added, and then test the water to confirm the pH and chlorine are in the proper range before letting anyone enter the pool.

Can you swim in pool with low chlorine?

As mentioned above, you could probably swim in a pool without chlorine without any major health issues. However, long-term use of a pool lacking chlorinated H2O could make you sick or, at the very least, contribute to rashes and other types of skin irritation.

Does adding chlorine to pool increase pH?

Using liquid chlorine raises the pH of the water.
Liquid chlorine does not raise pH. When added to water, liquid chlorine (which has a pH of 13) makes HOCl (hypochlorous acid – the killing form of chlorine) and NaOH (sodium hydroxide), which raises pH.

Will chlorine work if pH is high?

Water with a high pH level reduces chlorine’s effectiveness. This can lead to other problems like cloudy water and algae buildup.

Is 7.8 pH too high for pool?

Proper pool pH is right in the middle — pool pros recommend that pH be between 7.3 and 7.6 for optimum performance and cleanest water. If the pH gets higher than 7.8, the water is becoming too alkaline. When water is too alkaline, it reduces the effectiveness of the chlorine — the pool chemical that kills pathogens.

How do I raise the free chlorine in my pool?

Raising pool chlorine can be much easier than trying to lower chlorine levels. Simply adding chlorine in the form of chlorine tablets, granular chlorine, liquid shock or powder shock will increase the total amount of chlorine within the pool.