Since the first decade of the 1900s, national water authorities have used chlorine to clean public water supplies of bacteria. Some chlorine detractors claim the chemical causes several issues. The reality is that no formal study has proved a link between chlorinated water and these problems but further research is ongoing.
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You can dechlorinate water in several ways, including
- Using a dichlorination filter.
- Using a reverse osmosis system.
- Using an activated carbon filter.
- Boiling the water.
- Letting the sun’s UV rays evaporate the water
- Putting Vitamin C tablets in the chlorinated water
There are several ways to dechlorinate water, and the natural use of boiling and evaporation are just as effective as commercial systems. Before committing to a lifetime of dechlorinating your family’s water supply, make sure that it is a worthwhile objective and that its reasons are scientifically valid.
The Best Ways To Dechlorinate Water for plants
There are several ways to dechlorinate water.
Use A Mechanical Device In Your Home
There are various products sold that you can use to filter drinking water. These include.
Water Chlorination Filters
Various filters can be attached to different devices which filter the water before consumption.
- Filters that attach to water bottles.
- Filters that attach to water faucets.
All these devices use filters that need to be regularly changed.
Reverse Osmosis Filtration Systems
Reverse Osmosis removes chlorine and other contaminants from water by forcing water molecules through a semipermeable membrane.
Reverse Osmosis systems are bigger than simple filters and are generally plumbed into the home’s water supply and disposal pipes.
Carbon Activated Water Filtration Systems
When carbon is activated, tiny, low-volume pores are created on the surface, increasing the area available for absorption. It can be used in a whole house water filter. There are several types of carbon and some work faster than others. The best option depends on your location (see the last video on this page).
Carbon is activated by
- Placing it in an oxygen tank and subjecting it to temperatures of 600-900C.
- The carbon is then exposed to argon and nitrogen.
- The carbon is placed in a tank and superheated to between 600-1200c.
Activated carbon filters efficiently remove chlorine and other contaminants.
You Can Dechlorinate Water By Boiling It
In gaseous form, chlorine is less dense than steam (boiling water).
When water is boiled, the chlorine turns into a gas and is removed from the water because it is less dense.
Boiling water for 15 minutes is an effective way of removing chlorine from water.
Chlorine In Water Evaporates When Put Out In The Sun
A very effective way to dechlorinate water is to fill a bucket and place it outside in direct sunlight.
When mixed with water, chlorine forms hypochlorite ions. When exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, the hypochlorite ions break apart and are released as a gas that evaporates into the atmosphere.
With more extensive bodies of water, such as a swimming pool, 90% of the free chlorine is evaporated on a hot day in just two hours.
Vitamin C Tablets Can Dechlorinate Water
Two forms of Vitamin C, namely ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate, are effective dechlorination agents.
Although effective, this is a costly method to achieve chlorine-free water.
Fill a bucket with tap water. Simply follow the instructions and add the tablets to the water. You will have to wait a few minutes.
You can use a tester to confirm that the water has been dechlorinated. This is as simple as submersing the tester in the water. After a few minutes, you will get a confirmation if the water has been dechlorinated.
If this is not the case, you might have to add more Vitamin C tablets to the water to remove the cholorine.
Overall, this process should take less than 15 minutes. Tests are quite cheap to get and can be a great tool to confirm that the water is usable.
Why Is Chlorine Used In Public Water and pools?
In 1894 an academic paper discussed the possibility of using chlorine to control harmful elements in the water. Chorine was actively adopted to remove bacteria from public water systems.
Chlorine has prevented many more severe issues impacting the global population.
There are only a few elements that chlorine cannot control though but a lot of harmful things can get removed from the water.
Why Would You Dechlorinate Water?
Various reasons cause some people to choose to dechlorinate water.
Chlorine Damages Aquatic Life
Chlorine is harmful to fish, and while many people don’t dechlorinate the water in their fish tanks, many believe it is essential.
Excessive chlorine can burn a fish, and the most affected areas are under the gills.
A swimming fish causes water to flow over its mouth and the gills, where it is expelled from the body. The gills have small holes which extract tiny oxygen molecules from the water into the fish’s body. If the chlorine damages these, the fish’s survival is at risk.
The burns can become so severe that they are responsible for killing the fish.
Chlorine Is Not Good For Hydroponic Farms
If water containing chlorine is used in hydroponic farms, it will damage the plants and cause the leaves to become yellow, brown, and eventually, the plant will die.
It is referred to as chlorine toxicity.
The fungi designed to promote healthy plants will not survive if chlorine is in the water because the chlorine will be doing what it is intended to do.
Some Claim There Are Dangers In Consuming Chlorinated Water
Some people argue that they don’t like to use water that is chlorinated and wonder if it is dangerous.
The quality of drinking water in America is controlled at a federal level. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that most people don’t need to treat their drinking water to make it safe. Check with your local city to see what they recommend for your area.
Even though filtered faucets and showerheads are actively marketed, there is no need for these to be used. Plumbers generally don’t recommend these systems but some people swear by them. They claim that it makes them more comfortable and look better. Adding a showerhead that helps to remove chlorine is quite straightforward and some plumbers do this if you ask for it.
Conclusion
Dechlorinating water is the current buzzword amongst many healthy living professionals. They claim that chlorine mixed with public water supplies is the cause of many health conditions ranging from lung disease to bladder cancer.
The reality is that these claims have been peer-reviewed research, and there is no evidence that chlorine makes public water supplies unsafe. Hydroponic farms, owners of aquariums, and other chlorine-sensitive products dechlorinate water before exposing their systems to it.
References
https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/dechlorination.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/dechlorination
