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Chloramines
When any
type of chlorine is added to water, it
usually forms hypochlorous acid (HOCl -
the most powerful killing form of
chlorine in water) and hypochlorite ion
(OCl-), a relatively weak
form of chlorine in water. The
percentage of HOCl and OCl- is
determined by the
pH of the water. As
the pH goes up, less of the chlorine is
in the killing form and more of the
chlorine is in the weaker form. The
total of HOCl and OCl- is the
free available chlorine.
Chlorine can combine with ammonia and nitrogen
compounds in the water to form
chloramines, sometimes called combined
chlorine. By combining with ammonia and nitrogen, free chlorine in the water
is disabled. Chloramines are 60 to 80 times less effective than free
chlorine. Chloramines are formed any time ammonia and nitrogen are in the
water. Some of the ammonia and nitrogen compounds are introduced into the
water by swimmers and bathers in the form of perspiration, urine, saliva,
sputum and fecal matter. An active swimmer sweats one pint per hour, while the
average person sweats three pints per hour in a heated spa. Ammonia and
nitrogen compounds are also introduced into the water by rain. Each drop of
rain has some dissolved nitrogen from our atmosphere and from automobile
emissions.
Chloramines smell bad. This is the smell most
often associated with pools and spas in health clubs and YMCAs. Chloramines
are eye and skin irritants, and they cloud the water.
Chloramines can be removed from the water by the
following three methods:
-
By adding a mega-dose of
chlorine.
Usually 3 to 6 times more chlorine
than a normal dose is added to the
water, or the level of chlorine is
raised to 5 to 10 ppm and held there
for 4 hours. This is called
super-chlorination. To remove
chloramines, the ratio of chlorine
to ammonia must be at least 7.6 to
1. If this ratio is not obtained,
then more chloramines will be
produced. Swimmers and bathers
should not enter the water until the
level of chlorine has dropped to 3
ppm or less.
-
By adding a
non-chlorine shock to
the water. The most common chemical
used for this is potassium peroxymonosulfate. This
"shocking"
requires the addition of one pound
of shock for each 10,000 gallons of
pool water.
-
By adding ozone to the water. If an
ozone generator is installed on a
pool or spa, then oxidation of the
ammonia and nitrogen compounds will
take place whenever the ozone system
is operating. The longer the system
operates, the more the ozone can
destroy the ammonia and nitrogen.
Although most ozone systems operate
only when the pool or spa pump is
operating, there are 24 -hour systems
available which will continuously
oxidize ammonia and nitrogen as they
enter the water.
Ozone
oxidizes soap, deodorant, hair spray,
cologne, makeup, perfume, body lotion,
hand cream, sun tan lotion, saliva and
urine. In addition, ozone kills all
pathogenic bacteria, germs and viruses.
Ozone frees up the
combined chlorine, thus leaving the
chlorine free to provide a residue.
It ultimately enhances the
performance of chlorine and bromine.
Less chlorine or bromine will be needed to
maintain a residual. Commonly, ozone reduces chlorine or bromine use by
60 - 90 percent. The quality of water will be dramatically better with the
combination of ozone and chlorine or the combination of ozone and bromine
than with chlorine and bromine alone.
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