A private pool brings a significant upgrade of the home garden as a local recreation area. Not only during summer heat waves does it invite you to cool down, exercise and simply relax. Similar to public swimming pools, chlorine ensures consistently good water quality. We will tell you here how much chlorine belongs in the pool water and how the perfect first filling works.
How much chlorine goes in the pool?
How exactly the right amount of chlorine in the pool should look like is difficult to specify with a single value. There are two reasons:
Different manufacturer specifications
Every manufacturer of pools or pool accessories specifies their own value for the ideal chlorine content in the pool for their products. Although the values are all in a similar range, they are rarely completely identical. If you bring common information into line, the result is a value of around 0.6 to 1.0 mg chlorine per liter of pool water, in short 0.6 - 1.0 mg/l.
The variance
The chlorine level in a pool is never constant, but steadily decreases over time. This means that you start with a slightly higher value and end with a value below the ideal value before you start chlorinating again. For this reason, there are often indications for the initial chlorination that are up to 3 mg/l above the average ideal value of around 1 mg/l.
Another reason for an initial overdose of chlorine can be the intention to carry out a so-called shock chlorination or shock disinfection. More information can be found in the step-by-step instructions.
When filling the pool for the first time, you can either use the ideal chlorine content in the water as a guide, or consciously follow the slightly higher value for the first filling. Depending on the decision, the first post-chlorination may be necessary a little earlier, or the initially higher chlorine value for particularly sensitive people may appear through a somewhat more intensive perception in the water.
notice: Even if one opts for a higher initial chlorination, the higher value does not result in any concerns regarding the water tolerance for the bathers. This fixed upper limit does not result from an incipient danger from the chlorine content, but rather from the amount of chlorine required for the desired disinfection.
Chlorine content and pH
The pH value of the pool water is always directly related to the chlorine content of the pool. The desired amount of chlorine can be adjusted independently of the pH value. The desired disinfecting effect, on the other hand, can only be achieved within a very narrow pH range. Ideally, this is between 7.0 and 7.4. If the pH test strip shows deviating values, preparations should be used to increase or decrease the value before adding the chlorine according to the manufacturer's instructions.
notice: If you notice a clear smell of chlorine in the pool, it is rarely caused by too much of the substance. Far more often, an incorrect pH value causes a proportion of the chlorine to flocculate. Exactly this unusual part is then, which is then clearly perceptible in terms of smell.
chlorine preparation
The private pool market is constantly growing. The range of necessary auxiliary materials is also growing, which definitely includes chlorine. Chlorine tablets or pellets are the most common today, with fine granules or powder being less common. All of these products can be stored and used in a similar manner without any risk if they are handled correctly. At this point, liquid solutions or gaseous use are clearly discouraged. Both are almost unavailable on the free market for private use, since the dangers of incorrect use can be enormous.
Pool initial fill
Now that it is known how much chlorine is required per liter of pool water, the implementation of the initial chlorination begins. This is usually done as a shock chlorination, i.e. as a one-off dose of the entire amount in the pool. Subsequent post-chlorination, on the other hand, usually takes place via permanent long-term administration, for example via long-term granules with slow dissolution.
Step by step, this procedure leads to the correct chlorine content:
- Fill the pool completely before carrying out the initial chlorination
- Determine the amount of water in liters - calculable from the length, width and depth of the pool
- Testing and, if necessary, adjustment of the pH value for optimal effectiveness of the chlorine with pH raising or lowering agents
- Calculation of the required amount of chlorine (amount of chlorine in mg = pool volume in liters x chlorine content per liter of water)
- Determination of the absolutely required amount of chlorine by scales or by counting the chlorine tablets
- Variant 1: Dissolve the tablets in a separate bucket and pour the solution at different points in the pool
- Variant 2: direct administration of the pellets into the pool, distributing the administration over the entire pool
- After waiting until it is completely dissolved and distributed in the pool water, check the chlorine content using test strips or a measuring device
notice: Many modern day chlorine granules are suitable for being added directly to the pool. According to the manufacturer, other products should be dissolved in the bucket beforehand to avoid discolouration on the pool floor. Before using the chlorine, it is therefore essential to consult the instructions for use of the selected product.
shock chlorination
Again and again one reads in connection with the initial filling of pools of a shock chlorination or shock chlorination. On the one hand, this often refers to the one-off and simultaneous administration of the entire amount of chlorine into the pool water. Actually, a different goal is pursued with shock chlorination:
Not only is the entire amount of chlorine added to the pool at once, but it is also deliberately overdosed and thus a significantly increased chlorine content of up to 50 mg/l (!!!) is achieved. The aim of this procedure is to prevent so-called chloramines. Chloramines, or combined chlorine, are compounds of chlorine and nitrogenous substances such as protein or urea. Before disinfection with chlorine, the water usually contains significantly higher proportions of these substances, as is the case in water with active chlorination. With the first administration of chlorine, the resulting chloramines must therefore be expected to be higher. The result is the typical swimming pool smell, as well as cloudiness of the water and the formation of white flakes.
danger: After performing a shock chlorination, do not use the pool until the chlorine level has returned to normal! Otherwise, eye and skin irritation as well as problems with the respiratory tract can result.