Will a sealed container of water hold chlorine forever?

[sunofthebeach]

Will a sealed container of water hold chlorine forever?

I need a gallon of unchlorinaded water every month. My plan was to put tap water in a gallon container seal it, put it in a closet and use it in a month. When I opened the contained I smelled the chlorine and it tested at 1ppm.

If the top was not sealed would all of the chlorine leave the water?

[aylad]

If the top is not sealed, the chlorine will leave the water. Several years ago before instant chlorine removers were available for fish tanks, the solution was to fill the tank with water and let it sit for 24 hours. At that point, there was no more chlorine to kill the fish.

The question is what you intend to use the water for--if the top isn't sealed, and there's no chlorine in it, I wouldn't want to consume it, at least without boiling it first...

Janet

[chem geek]

Note that many water districts are switching from using chlorine to using monochloramine (which would show up as Combined Chlorine instead of Free Chlorine on a chlorine test) and this does not evaporate (outgas) very quickly. The only reason the chlorine evaporates quickly in tap water is that there is no CYA in the water -- otherwise, it would take many days to evaporate.

[sunofthebeach]

I am using the water to make water kafir, so I will be drinking it. Maybe I could just rubber band a paper towel around the top so the chlorine can get out but no dust or bugs can get in.

[aylad]

I still think I"d boil it--paper towels are not impermeable to bacteria and dust mites.....or you might consider just buying a gallon of distilled water from WalMart (they sell "nursery water" designed to mix baby formula in for people with questionable tap water sources.)

Janet