How to Dechlorinate Tap Water? 6 Effective Methods

How To Dechlorinate Tap Water? 

Every day, millions of people in the United States use chlorinated water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. It’s natural to desire to get rid of chlorine because of concerns about how much of it you’re ingesting.

Chlorine’s primary usage is in disinfection, namely against bacteria and viruses. The chlorine is no longer needed by the time the water reaches our faucets. Water can’t get reinfected with bacteria and other pathogens if the disinfection chemicals are removed before consumption or storage.

While studies have shown that low concentrations of chlorine are safe for human consumption, many individuals still prefer to avoid consuming any chemicals in their water. So, let us discuss: How to dechlorinate tap water?

Chlorination vs Dechlorination

Chlorination

One of the many methods available for purifying water is chlorination. This method has been around for quite some time, and it is still widely used today. To oxidize and sterilize the water before it is fit for human consumption, a chemical disinfection method uses various forms of chlorine or chlorine-containing compounds. 

Chlorination refers to the method of cleaning water with the addition of chlorine, which kills off disease-causing bacteria, parasites, and other microbes. It is feasible to acquire sufficient quantities of chlorine in drinking water by utilizing several cycles. 

Health hazards of chlorine

There are no major health hazards associated with using or eating water with low amounts of chlorine, and it gives a piece of mind in the event of an epidemic of waterborne illness.

Dechlorination

Dechlorination refers to the process of removing chlorine from water (such as disinfected wastewater) before releasing it into the environment. In addition, it is done since chlorine can create health issues (such as choking) and erosion while also shaping shops on the inner edges of current hardware. 

The chlorination of water serves the function of sterilization, making it suitable for consumption and contemporary applications. However, chlorine is toxic to many marine organisms. Therefore, before delivery or removal, the water should be dechlorinated.

How To Dechlorinate Tap Water? 6 Effective Methods

It’s good to know how to dechlorinate water in case you ever need it.  This article details the most popular and inexpensive strategies for removing chlorine from municipal water supplies.

Boiling water

Dechlorinating the water using a cost-effective method comes up first. To put it plainly, all you have to do is put your water on the hob or in the oven for around twenty (20) minutes to get it hot enough to drink. If you boil your water, the chlorine will evaporate because the chlorine solution will turn into a gas at a higher temperature than it would otherwise. You should wait for the water to cool to room temperature or chill it in the fridge before drinking it or putting it in the fish tank.

Keep in mind that the underlying chlorine content of the water and the amount of sunshine exposure will affect the precise measure of time necessary if you want to naturally disperse or evaporate the chlorine. It will take longer to dechlorinate if the holder is deep and has limited access. In an ideal situation, you could test the water for chlorine levels regularly.

Chloramine, which is often used as an alternative sanitizer to chlorine, should be avoided since evaporation (whether natural or by boiling) isn’t guaranteed to eradicate all chloramine. This is because, unlike chlorine, chloramine does not easily break down into a gas. However, before relying on tap water for sanitation, you should find out what kind of disinfectant is used in your region.

Dechlorination Filters

A chlorine-free water filter is your best choice if you value efficiency. A water filter eliminates the need for manual dechlorination by treating water as it travels through the plumbing system in your house.

Water filters are available that efficiently purify municipal water supplies by removing chlorine and other pollutants. 

Carbon-Activated Filters

When it comes to getting chlorine out of municipal water supplies, an activated carbon filter is one of the more effective solutions. The wide surface area of this filter is effective at removing chlorine and other pollutants that alter flavor and aroma. Premium air conditioning filter media can trap and remove up to 95% of chlorine gas.

To purify municipal water, most people use activated carbon filters. Most water pitcher filters use activated carbon material to purify the water. Activated carbon is also widely found in filters for the whole home, the shower, the fridge, and the sink. 

Reverse Osmosis Systems

For chloramine-treated water, a reverse osmosis system is an excellent choice since it can eliminate both chlorine and chloramine. In addition, RO filters can get rid of harmful disinfection byproducts prevalent in Western nations’ public water systems. With RO, pollutants may be eliminated to the point that the water is as pure as that found in a bottle.

Again, if you want to know for sure that a reverse osmosis filter gets rid of chlorine, you should opt for one that is certified to NSF Standard 42.

Vitamin C Treatment

It is common practice to add vitamin C to large quantities of water, such as pools and hot tubs or baths, to minimize or remove chlorine levels.

This necessitates, of course, the purchase of vitamin C in powder or tablet form. The price of dechlorinating water can rise quickly if large quantities of it are required regularly.

While the sun and boiling water are ineffective against chloramine, Vitamin C is a viable alternative. To remove the chlorine or chloramine from 4 liters (just over a gallon) of water, you would need around 45 milligrams of vitamin C.

UV Treatment

In addition to its primary role in killing germs like bacteria and viruses, ultraviolet light may also counteract the effects of chlorine.

Installing a UV purification system that treatments your water as it passes through the pipes is the simplest approach to eliminate chlorine with UV light. It is common practice to install a UV system for the entire house right after the point where the municipal water supply enters the building.

If you need a source of UV light but are on a limited budget, the sun is a free and effective option. In just two hours, chlorine exposed to sunshine may decompose by up to 90 percent. You may use the sun’s UV rays to sterilize water by placing a tub of it in direct sunlight.

Gassing off the chlorine

If you know for sure that chlorine is the sole chemical in your tap water, you can use the tried-and-true method of gassing out the hazardous ingredient.

The addition of chlorine gas to water results in a liquid state of chlorine. To convert the chlorine in water from a liquid to a gas, you can leave a bucket of water out in the open air for at least 24 hours while shaking it occasionally. Unfortunately, in recent years, chloramine has replaced chlorine as the chemical of choice for most water treatment facilities. 

Essentially, chloramine is just chlorine and ammonia chemically linked. Chloramine, in contrast to chlorine, does not become a gas. Therefore, gassing off the water will eliminate the chlorine component of the chemical. 

Chemical Dechlorination

One more effective strategy for lowering chlorine fixations in drinking water is the use of chemical dechlorination agents. Their use in fish tanks and for dechlorinating water before reintroducing it to a natural environment like a stream or lake has made them particularly well-known. Water conditioners, or tap water conditioners, are another name for these products.

When it comes to chemical dechlorination, there are primarily two options. Using sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) or growing sulfite compounds in liquid forms, such as sodium bisulfite or sodium metabisulphite (SMB), are two common methods

Frequently Asked Questions

To remove chlorine from municipal water, what is the best method?

An activated carbon water filter or a reverse osmosis water filter are the most efficient methods for dechlorinating municipal tap water. There are a variety of filtering techniques that can eliminate chlorine at near-complete levels. In Dechlorinate water, certain filters are multipurpose and can eliminate both chlorine and chloramine, while others are not.

What are the Inexpensive strategies to detox water from chloramines? 

Leaving water for 24 hours is the most cost-effective method for removing chlorine. Some of the chlorine in the water may evaporate into the air, but it may not be dechlorinated with this procedure. This is the only cost-free means of chloramine elimination (even heating water requires electricity).

Dechlorinating municipal water: how long does it take?

Depending on the process, dechlorinating water might take anywhere from seconds to hours. Dechlorination pills, which remove chlorine from water quickly, are the most convenient method. Water filters that remove chlorine can often do it in under a minute. 

Final Words

If you want to remove chlorine from the water in your home, you should know that you have several possibilities. The optimal choice is situational; what are you hoping to achieve by dechlorinating? The amount and frequency of dechlorination is up to you. To what extent are you willing to devote your resources?

Whatever the case may be, you may rest assured that at least one dechlorination method exists that will work with your setup. I hope that now you know: How to dechlorinate tap water?