Breakpoint Chlorination

[waterbear]

[EDIT] Here's an interesting link that summarizes both existing literature on breakpoint chlorination and gives some real-world measurements, albeit with no CYA (since it's for sewage treatment). I'll see if I can work with the rate and equilibrium constants to come up with some meaningful conclusions. [END-EDIT]

Richard

Richard, Funny you should post that link. That is one of the sources that I was looking over before posting my comments! I am continuing to research this also. There really does not seem to be any definative answers from what I have been able to find and there are a lot of 'real world' variables that need to be taken into consideration. My main interstest would be if a slow rise in chlorine over a, say 24 hour period, would be as effective as a fast addtion of chlorine all at once to reach breakpoint since this the main difference between shocking with a SWG and shocking with the manual addition of chlorine. It might be interesting to also try and determine what difference shocking at night vs. shocking during the day might produce since from what I have been able to research does indicate that sunlight is effective in breaking down the chlorine-ammonia bond (at least for the lower, non-organic chloramines). It does seem that most of the research on the subject is from the field of sewage treatment and not specifially pools.

Edit: I was able to find some info that indicates that incomplete oxidation of organic ammonia compounds by chlorine will lead to the formation of trihalomethanes (chloroform seems to be the most commen one formed in pools) which are very difficult to break down by normal means. Not sure what effect sunlight would have on them.