I am trying to understand what happens when you shock the pool with chlorine, e.g. during the slam process. Where do the chloramines go? My understanding is that adding chlorine converts the NH3 to mono, di, and then trichloramine. What then? Does the trichloramine simply evaporate away?
Where do chloramines go during superchlorination?
- Thread starter tomfrh
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,703
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
- May 23, 2015
- 24,485
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Only nitrogen trichloride is the most volatile of the three. It will offgas and give water that terrible “chlorinated pool” smell. Monochloramine and dichloramine are fairly soluble in water. There are very many different possible reaction pathways for the breakdown of CCs that you can read about here -
Thread 'Chloramines and FC/CYA'
Chloramines and FC/CYA
But, at the end of the day, simple CC’s will eventually be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, and either nitrate or nitrogen gas. Some more complicated chlorinated organic compounds cannot be further oxidized by chlorine and those become persistent CCs that will not go away without the use of a secondary oxidation source such as UV light. Pools typically have low CCs because they are exposed to UV throughout the day but hot tubs often have higher CC levels because of the intense bather load and the lack of secondary oxidation.
Thread 'Chloramines and FC/CYA'
Chloramines and FC/CYA
But, at the end of the day, simple CC’s will eventually be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, and either nitrate or nitrogen gas. Some more complicated chlorinated organic compounds cannot be further oxidized by chlorine and those become persistent CCs that will not go away without the use of a secondary oxidation source such as UV light. Pools typically have low CCs because they are exposed to UV throughout the day but hot tubs often have higher CC levels because of the intense bather load and the lack of secondary oxidation.
