Free Chlorine is the Chlorine which is free to do its work in the pool, as opposed to Combined Chlorine which is chlorine that has combined with contaminants and is tied up and ineffective as a sanitizer in the pool.
Sometimes you will see it abbreviated as FAC, which stands for Free Available Chlorine.
There are 3 components to the chlorine level in the pool. Total chlorine, Free chlorine, and Combined chlorine. Free chlorine is the chlorine available for sanitation.
There is 3 measurements of chlorine in a pool or spa. Total chlorine, combined chlorine, and free available chlorine. Free available chlorine is the good chlorine that is active in the pool killings germs and algae. Combined chlorine is chlorine is basically chlorine that was once active but has killed germs or bacteria and is now inactive in the pool. Total chlorine is free available and combined chlorine added together. If your combined chlorine is higher than free available chlorine then the water needs to be shocked to eliminate the combined chlorine. But be careful here. If you don't reach what's called break point you will only add to the combined chlorine. There are products on the market which will only remove combined chlorine without effecting your free available chlorine if you are unsure about reaching breakpoint. Hope this helps.
Total Chlorine = Free Chlorine + Combined Chlorineor, put another wayTotal Chlorine - Free Chlorine = Combined ChlorineFree Chlorine is the chlorine that is doing its job.Combined Chlorine is the chlorine that has combined with contaminants such as nitrogen. It is ineffective as a sanitizer and it is noxious.Total Chlorine is the total of these two levels.To eliminate the Combined Chlorine (making all the chlorine in the pool Free Chlorine) you must shock the pool to remove the contaminants. You must reach "Breakpoint Chlorination", which is the addition of chlorine to your pool equivalent to the Combined Chlorine level times 10.example:Total Chlorine = 1.5ppmFree Chlorine = 1.0ppmSo, the Combined Chlorine (the difference between the two tests) is .5ppmBreakpoint chlorination, in this example would be .5ppm X 10 = 5ppm. So, in this example, you would add enough chlorine to your pool to raise the chlorine level up by 5 parts per million.
Total Chlorine = Free Chlorine + Combined Chlorineor, put another wayTotal Chlorine - Free Chlorine = Combined ChlorineFree Chlorine is the chlorine that is doing its job.Combined Chlorine is the chlorine that has combined with contaminants such as nitrogen. It is ineffective as a sanitizer and it is noxious.Total Chlorine is the total of these two levels.To eliminate the Combined Chlorine (making all the chlorine in the pool Free Chlorine) you must shock the pool to remove the contaminants. You must reach "Breakpoint Chlorination", which is the addition of chlorine to your pool equivalent to the Combined Chlorine level times 10.example:Total Chlorine = 1.5ppmFree Chlorine = 1.0ppmSo, the Combined Chlorine (the difference between the two tests) is .5ppmBreakpoint chlorination, in this example would be .5ppm X 10 = 5ppm. So, in this example, you would add enough chlorine to your pool to raise the chlorine level up by 5 parts per million.
yes, the algae feeds on the chlorine.. must get rid of algae, then bring up chlorine level
Have you actually added liquid chlorine to the pool?
There is 3 measurements of chlorine in a pool or spa. Total chlorine, combined chlorine, and free available chlorine. Free available chlorine is the good chlorine that is active in the pool killings germs and algae. Combined chlorine is chlorine is basically chlorine that was once active but has killed germs or bacteria and is now inactive in the pool. Total chlorine is free available and combined chlorine added together. If your combined chlorine is higher than free available chlorine then the water needs to be shocked to eliminate the combined chlorine. But be careful here. If you don't reach what's called break point you will only add to the combined chlorine. There are products on the market which will only remove combined chlorine without effecting your free available chlorine if you are unsure about reaching breakpoint. Hope this helps.
Yes any sort of life in the pool will effect free chlorine.
Someone/something changed the original question and that is probably why it has not been answered.Safe levels for chlorine are 1.5 ppm to about 5.0 ppm. of free chlorine. You should have a test kit that will give you free chlorine readings as opposed to just a chlorine residual. Free chlorine is what sanitizes the pool water. If you can smell a chlorine odor coming from your pool then you do not have enough chlorine in the water.K
Any one or thing swimming in the pool will reduce the amount of free chlorine available in the swimming pool. Dog hair body fats and other impurity's will take up free chlorine in the pool thereby reducing the amount of effective chlorine available. Dogs bring into the pool more contaminants than do humans for AA lot of various reasons.
my free chlorine level is way to high above ten my pool is 12 by 24 what can i do to fix it
Add chlorine and stabilizer.
Chlorine levels should be between 1-5 ppm
You need to shock the pool. The difference between Total Chlorine and Free Chlorine is tied up and it will be cleared by shocking. Thatis the purpose of shocking.
To give you an accurate answer, it's important to know how many gallons are in the pool, how high is your Free Available Chlorine (FAC), and what is your Combined Chlorine Reading. Is pool enclosed and protected from sun etc? Is your chlorine generator working properly? You could simply shut down the generator and test your pool everyday at the same time. Keep records of pH, Free Chlorine, Combined Chlorine, Alkalinity, etc. It's important that you maintain a proper pH at ALL TIMES.
Total Chlorine = Free Chlorine + Combined Chlorineor, put another wayTotal Chlorine - Free Chlorine = Combined ChlorineFree Chlorine is the chlorine that is doing its job.Combined Chlorine is the chlorine that has combined with contaminants such as nitrogen. It is ineffective as a sanitizer and it is noxious.Total Chlorine is the total of these two levels.To eliminate the Combined Chlorine (making all the chlorine in the pool Free Chlorine) you must shock the pool to remove the contaminants. You must reach "Breakpoint Chlorination", which is the addition of chlorine to your pool equivalent to the Combined Chlorine level times 10.example:Total Chlorine = 1.5ppmFree Chlorine = 1.0ppmSo, the Combined Chlorine (the difference between the two tests) is .5ppmBreakpoint chlorination, in this example would be .5ppm X 10 = 5ppm. So, in this example, you would add enough chlorine to your pool to raise the chlorine level up by 5 parts per million.
Total Chlorine = Free Chlorine + Combined Chlorineor, put another wayTotal Chlorine - Free Chlorine = Combined ChlorineFree Chlorine is the chlorine that is doing its job.Combined Chlorine is the chlorine that has combined with contaminants such as nitrogen. It is ineffective as a sanitizer and it is noxious.Total Chlorine is the total of these two levels.To eliminate the Combined Chlorine (making all the chlorine in the pool Free Chlorine) you must shock the pool to remove the contaminants. You must reach "Breakpoint Chlorination", which is the addition of chlorine to your pool equivalent to the Combined Chlorine level times 10.example:Total Chlorine = 1.5ppmFree Chlorine = 1.0ppmSo, the Combined Chlorine (the difference between the two tests) is .5ppmBreakpoint chlorination, in this example would be .5ppm X 10 = 5ppm. So, in this example, you would add enough chlorine to your pool to raise the chlorine level up by 5 parts per million.
Cl is an abbreviation for "chlorine" you should check free chlorine and total chlorine for comparison.