Free Chlorine Vs Total Chlorine Pool. Total chlorine is a measurement of all the chlorine that are present in your pool. You need to know the safe level of chlorine in pool water to avoid the health risk.
Free chlorine, combined chlorine, and total chlorine can be easily understood with the following equation: The optimum level of free chlorine in your pool water is between 2 to 4 parts per million. Total chlorine is the sum of the free chlorine and combined chlorine in your pool water.
With regular use it will control algae, kill bacteria, and produce crystal clear swimming pool water.
Just remember, it is not the same thing as combined chlorine. Free chlorine is the type that we commonly test for to determine the proper chlorine levels in pool water. Total chlorine refers to the total concentration of used (combined) chlorine and free (effective) chlorine. It often creates a gas that most people think is the smell of a chlorinated pool but is actually a sign that water quality is low.