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Combined chlorine is when the chlorine molecule has attached itself to other molecules in water. In other words it has "combined" with something else in the water. Those could be iron, manganese, ammonia or other things depending on the source water. Free chlorine is the molecules that are "free" in the water to do the disinfection.

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12y ago
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9y ago

Chlorine in water may be present in two forms, free and combined. Free chlorine does the hard work of killing bacteria and oxidizing contaminants. When you add chlorine to water, you are actually adding free chlorine. When the free chlorine combines with contaminants, it becomes combined chlorine, or chloramines. In water, this form of chlorine has very little sanitizing ability, and no oxidizing ability. Total chlorine is just the sum of both combined chlorine and free chlorine.

Which measurement you use, free or total, depends on your testing needs.

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15y ago

Basically total clorine in a pool is the total clorine that is in the pool (even the part that has been used to oxidize various contaminants). Free clorine is the total amount of clorine available to be used as an oxidizing agent. In a clean pool these amounts should be the same but as a pool accumulates contamanents the amount of total clorine will be higher than free clorine. It is best to shock the pool to eliminate all contaminants and get the total and free clorine levels back in balance.

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15y ago

Free or residual chlorine is chlorine that is present in the form of hypochlorous acid, hypochlorite ions or as dissolved elemental chlorine. Bound chlorine is that fraction of the total chlorine that is present in the form of chloramines or organic chloramines. Total chlorine is that chlorine that is present in free or bound form, or in both forms. In water treatment, free/residual chlorine is the amount of chlorine that is still available to do its job of disinfection. Bound chlorine is chlorine that has been used up. It is still in the water, but it is no longer available for disinfection.

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11y ago

chlorine present in free or bound form, or in both forms.

In water treatment, free/residual chlorine is the amount of chlorine that is still available to do its job of disinfection.

Bound chlorine is chlorine that has been used up. It is still in the water, but it is no longer available for disinfection.

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6y ago

Total chlorine contain the element in any form; free chlorine is only the molecule Cl2.

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Q: What is the difference between free chlorine and total chlorine?
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What if your total chlorine is high and your free chlorine is low?

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.


How do you get high free chlorine to match total chlorine?

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.


What do you do when your total chlorine is high and your free chlorine is low?

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.


What is free chlorine in a pool?

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.


How do you get the ideal reading of chlorine in the pool?

When chlorine enters the water, it is in a form that is an active sanitizer and an oxidizer called "free chlorine". It will react with any number of contaminants in the water. When it reacts with ammonia compounds in the water, which come from bathers' perspiration and urine, it becomes "combined chlorine". In this form, chlorine is a much slower sanitizer. This form also causes chlorine odor and eye irritation. When using the 5-way strip, the difference between the free chlorine reading (pad 1) and the total chlorine reading (pad 2) is the combined chlorine reading.


What do you need to do if your free chlorine level is higher than your total chlorine level?

Get a new test kit or new test reagents. Total Chlorine is the measure of free and combined chlorine, therefore the free chlorine cannot be higher than the Total Chlorine. You can't put 10 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket.


What is total residual chlorine?

Total Residual Chlorine (TRC) is the total of free available residual chlorine and combined (bound) residual chlorine. The amount of measurable chlorine remaining after treating water with chlorine i.e. amount of chlorine left in water after the chlorine demand has been satisfied


What to do if total chlorine level is at 3 and free chlorine level is at 10?

my free chlorine level is way to high above ten my pool is 12 by 24 what can i do to fix it


Can you swim in pool hat has a normal chlorine level but the free chlorine level is high?

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.


What is chlorine Analyzer?

A Chlorine Analyzer analyzes free chlorine or total chlorine in water to monitor chlorine dosage. It is frequently used in water and waste water plants to control chlorine dosage.


What does Cl level refer to When testing pool water?

Cl is an abbreviation for "chlorine" you should check free chlorine and total chlorine for comparison.


What is the difference between chlorine radical and chlorine molecule?

A chlorine radical is simply Cl. with no charge but free electrons wanting to bond. A Cl atom basically. A chlorine molecule is Cl2 (two atoms bonded covalently). A chloride ion is Cl-. Many people confuse an ion with a radical. They are not the same.