Tied up Too Much?

Have you ever been told that your chlorine is “tied up”? Well, let me explain to you what that means. Tied up chlorine refers to chlorine that is locked up by nitrogen in the water. Nitrogen comes from natural oils, sweat, makeup, urine, and fecal matter (yuck). So basically everything that we carry on our bodies into the water is binding up our chlorine. The rainwater also contains nitrogen and can worsen the tie. The only way to get rid of the tie is to add the recommended amount of shock to oxidize or break away the nitrogen from the free chlorine. A way to prevent chlorine tie is to shower before you get in the water. Generally, pools with a tied up chlorine will be clear but just look dull, not sparkling and shiny, You will also have a total chlorine reading on your test strips but no free chlorine. If you suspect you might have tied up chlorine, please bring a water sample into Pisces Pools and Spas and we will fix you up!