How to Lower Chlorine Levels in Pools? 7 Cheap and Effective Ways

Chlorine is an essential part of maintaining the hygiene of your swimming pool. It purifies the water and makes it suitable for swimming. However, too much chlorine can do the opposite and make it an uncomfortable experience.

Hence, it is crucial to know how to lower chlorine in the pool. Before bringing down the chlorine level on your pool, we should also consider the factors, why, and how this chlorine level goes up?

Does too much chlorine in swimming pools harmful?

Chlorine is the most common and useful option for disinfecting swimming pool water. A small increase in the chlorine level won’t impact your health. But, an over-chlorinated pool can do some significant damage to the pool users and could create some health issues. However, water chlorine can cause eye irritation and other problems. Respiratory problems are often seen in people who swim in excessively chlorinated pools. 

As we mentioned earlier, the chlorine level above 2-3 ppm in your pool can cause some eye irritations. However, if it gets beyond 5-6 ppm, then it can cause some severe problems for your respiratory system.

Severe cases are very minor. Below are the most common problems:

  • It can damage the pool finishes
  • Damage the pool equipment
  • Irritate the swimmers
  • Bad for the skin and hairs of swimmers
  • Itching eyes
  • sore throat and shallow breathing (Rare)

What is a safe chlorine level for a swimming pool

To maintain a healthy pool, you should maintain a chlorine level of 1 to 3 PPM (Parts Per Million). Make sure that on a peak level (3 PPM), there should be a very slight smell of chlorine. If you are getting a strong smell, then, you need to consider a pool shock. Otherwise, you will start to observe the harmful effect of too much chlorine.

What chlorine level is too high to swim

How do I know if your pool water has a dangerous amount of chloramine? There is a difference in chlorine levels in residential and commercial pools.

safe chlorine level

You can understand the safe chlorine levels by looking at the above chart. A chlorine test strip can be used to determine the chlorine levels.

Why pool chlorine level rises

  • The most common causes for increasing chlorine levels are:
  • Too much Chlorine shock.
  • Adding too many chlorine tablets.
  • high level of chlorine stabilizer.
  • Adding liquid chlorine bleach without proper measurement, sometimes, running the liquid pump for too long.
  • An improper balance of free chlorine (FC), combined chlorine (CC), and total chlorine(TC).

How to reduce Chlorine level in the Pool

There are many proven strategies to eliminate too much chlorine in the pool; we have listed the easiest ways to do it. This way, you can ensure a balance between the chlorine level of your swimming pool.

So, let’s start and discuss the easiest ways to lower chlorine in pool water.

1. Stop Adding Further Chlorine To Your Pool

The first step to control the chlorine level in your swimming pool is by stop adding all kinds of chlorine such as liquid chlorine bleach or chlorine tablets or any additional chlorine shock

This way, it will start reducing the chlorine level every time you take a bath in it. However, it is crucial to know whether the chlorine level is beyond the danger line or not.

Switch off your chlorine release and start swimming in your pool. This way, you can increase the diluting speed of your pool water without wasting it.

Stopping adding chlorine for 5-7 days can automatically lower the chlorine. So, if you have patience and time to wait, then, this will be the best option for you.

2. Sodium Thiosulfate (Chlorine Neutralizer)

chlorine neutralizer

This is the quickest solution. There are many products that can be added to your water to balance its chlorine level. It is a good solution when you have excessive chlorine, but you can not afford to drain the water. In this way, you can use it to maintain the chlorine level without losing other essential things from your pool water. Sodium thiosulfate and sodium sulfite are commonly used as chlorine neutralizers and you can find many brands in the market.

Tip: You can add up to 6oz. Of chlorine neutralizer for 10,000 gallons of water. It will reduce it by 5 ppm.

Dosing level of Sodium Thiosulfate

Gallons of Water

If Chlorine Level 8-10 PPMIf Chlorine Level 13-15 PPM
10001.2 Ounces2.5 Ounces
5000 6.0 Ounces 12 Ounces
1000010.0 Ounces23 Ounces

This method’s use depends on the chlorine level in the pool and its effect on your health. Hence, it is better to know the exact chlorine level before using any of these methods. The recommended chlorine value is 1ppm for regular pools. However, a spa can use up to 3ppm chlorine levels for disinfection purposes. 

3. Ascorbic Acid

Ascorbic Acid (usually used as vitamin C) is another solution and can decrease the chlorine level significantly. Adding 20oz Ascorbic Acid in 10000 gallons of water can reduce at least 4-5 ppm chlorine level.

4. Hydrogen Peroxide

Adding Hydrogen Peroxide is another inexpensive way to reduce chlorine on your pool, this works as a pool chemical oxidizer, which breakdown chlorine. Use 35% Hydrogen Peroxide solution, which is food grade.
Just make sure that your pool water PH is over 7.0, otherwise, this will be less effective

Hydrogen Peroxide

5. Put Your Water Heater On Work

Do you know that heating water can reduce the chlorine level in the water? Well, it is true. All you need to do is start your water heater, eliminating the chlorine from your water. However, it is a slow process, and you may need to have several rounds of heating to remove chlorine from the water altogether.

Its use is not limited to the chlorine balance as it will also kill the water bacteria. This way, you won’t need to add chlorine to your pool even after diluting it for some time.

6. Changing or Refill Pool Water

Another great solution to deal with excessive chlorine water is by draining it and refilling your swimming pool. This solution is helpful when the chlorine level is too high and diluting; it sounds like a lot of work. At that time, you can simply drain all the water and replace it with fresh water.

However, there are some disadvantages, as well. Draining the water means you drain everything that you have added to the water. You must consider whether you should change the water or not.

7. Use the Sunshine

Sunshine is the most natural way to neutralize the chlorine in your pool water. Just leave your pool to the sunshine for 6 to 8 hours for 2-3 days. It will balance all the essentials of your pool and kill the bacteria at the same time.

You can do it by stopping adding chlorine to your water for a few days. However, you need to regularly check its level to ensure it is not too low for the pool. Once it reaches the ideal level, you can start adding it again. Additionally, you can use an Accurate Pool Thermometer to check its temperature as well.

Will baking soda lower the chlorine level in a pool?

Baking soda can help to lower chlorine levels, but not directly. Sodium Bicarbonate aka Baking Soda is a high alkaline chemical, which raises water’s pH and alkalinity. Hydrogen Peroxide won’t work properly if your pool water’s pH is low. So, adding a little bit of baking soda can make a difference by increasing the pH level of your pool water and helping Hydrogen Peroxide to work effectively to reduce the chlorine levels. So, baking soda can influence the chlorine neutralization process.

Just keep in mind, a higher pH speed up the chlorine evaporation and will produce chlorine gas. Thus, the chlorine evaporation will help to lower your pool chlorine, but, this will create too much chlorine smell around the pool, and people will get confused and start to think that, the pool has too much chlorine.

How much hydrogen peroxide to lower chlorine in the pool

Hydrogen Peroxide can be used to dechlorinate free chlorine from the pool. Free chlorine may be in the form of dissolved gas (Cl2), hypochlorous acid (HOCl), or hypochlorite ion (OCl–). You need to determine the amount of free chlorine and PH level (Which should be over 7.0) before using Hydrogen Peroxide in your pool water.

Typically, 0.47 pounds of Hydrogen Peroxide can destroy 1 pound of free chlorine. This will produce some amount of dissolved oxygen, which is tolerable if the presence of free chlorine is not significant. 

Final Words

High chlorine in pools is not something a pool lover loves. However, they need a proper supply of chlorine in their water to kill bacteria. Hence, you must know how to create a balance by reducing chlorine in pool water.

We can assume that from now on, dealing with too much chlorine in the pool will not be so difficult for you.

If you want to deal with a small amount of chlorine, heating water or sunlight is excellent. However, if you have excessive chlorine in pool water, changing the water is the best option.

Some people prefer to neutralize it by using chlorine neutralizers like hydrogen peroxide. Because this is most inexpensive.

This way, you have multiple options to reduce chlorine in the pool.

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