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**Amish Country** · April 22, 2015, 10:34 PM

Chlorine Test Strips

Liquid bleach, to be used for the purposes of sanitizing surfaces, degrades quickly after purchase. It does not mater if the seal on the container is broken or not. With in a few months it can loose its ability to sanitize at the recommended dilution of water to bleach. To solve this problem I have purchased chlorine test strips that are used here in the US in food processing facilities. The ones I purchased come one hundred strips, in a small clear plastic cylinder. The strips turn different shades of purple when dipped in chlorinated water. The darker the strip the higher the concentration of chlorine. There is such a thing as too much chlorine. If the strip is too dark there is too much chlorine in the water bleach solution. If it is too light there is not enough.

One thing I have noted is the range in prices for test strips. I have seen them range in price from about $5 USD to $18 USD or more. I purchased the $5 dollar strips and they seemed to work just fine. In a food processing facility (I know the owner) I mentioned the price difference. They had been paying for the more expensive strips. He is now planning on getting them from another source.The inexpensive strips I purchased seem to work just as well as the expensive ones.

**Sally Furniss** · April 23, 2015, 03:40 PM

I use chorine to prevent algae growing in stored drinking water. Is there a recommended quantity of bleach that should/shouldn't be added to drinking water? What amount of time is needed before the water can be drunk?

**Amish Country** · June 25, 2015, 08:24 AM

Originally posted by Sally Furniss View Post

I use chorine to prevent algae growing in stored drinking water. Is there a recommended quantity of bleach that should/shouldn't be added to drinking water? What amount of time is needed before the water can be drunk?

I apologize Sally that I did not see this sooner.

The problem is not only the amount of bleach to use but the strength of the bleach being used. Hence the post above on the need for chlorine test strips to test bleach more than 5 months from date of manufacture or when the date of manufacture is not known or the concentration of chlorine is unknown. All bleach is not created equal, even if it from the same manufactureer. I have seen levels of the concentration of sodium hypochlorite (active ingredient) on Clorox regular bleach labels that range from 6% to 8.25%. It takes relatively little bleach at full strength to sanitize water. Sources state that only plain chlorine bleach with no scents or other additives should be used for sanitation purposes.

If the bleach in the water can still be smelled with someone with a decent nose then you might want to wait a bit longer before drinking. Tossing the water from one container to another to aerate it may help to evaporate the choline faster. I would not drink anything that smells like chlorinated pool water. I hope this is helpful.

http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/...sinfection.cfm Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water

In an emergency situation where regular water service has been interrupted ? like a hurricane, flood, or water pipe breakage ? local authorities may recommend using only bottled water, boiled water, or disinfected water until regular water service is restored. The instructions below show you how to boil and disinfect water to kill most disease-causing microorganisms that may be present in the water. However, boiling or disinfection will not destroy other contaminants, such as heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals.
Print Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water (PDF) (2 pp, 217K, About PDF)
Only Use water that has been properly disinfected for drinking, cooking, making any prepared drink, washing dishes and for brushing teeth.

Use bottled water or water you have properly prepared and stored as an emergency water supply.
Boil water, if you do not have bottled water. Boiling is sufficient to kill pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa (WHO, 2015).
- If water is cloudy, let it settle and filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter.
- Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute. At altitudes above 5,000 feet (1,000 meters), boil water for three minutes.
- Let water cool naturally and store it in clean containers with covers.
- To improve the flat taste of boiled water, add one pinch of salt to each quart or liter of water, or pour the water from one clean container to another several times.

Disinfect water using household bleach,if you can?t boil water. Only use regular, unscented chlorine bleach products that are suitable for disinfection and sanitation as indicated on the label. Do not use scented, color safe, or bleaches with added cleaners.
- If water is cloudy, let it settle and filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter.
- Locate a clean dropper from your medicine cabinet or emergency supply kit.
- Locate a fresh liquid chlorine bleach or liquid chlorine bleach that is stored at room temperatures for less than one year. The label should say that it contains 8.25% of sodium hypochlorite.
- Use the table below as a guide to decide how much bleach you should add to the water, for example, add 6 drops of bleach to each gallon of water. Double the amount of bleach if the water is cloudy, colored, or very cold.
- Stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight chlorine odor. If it doesn?t, repeat the dosage and let stand for another 15 minutes before use.
- If the chlorine taste is too strong, pour the water from one clean container to another and let it stand for a few hours before use.

Volume of Water	Amount of Bleach to Add*
1 quart/liter	2 drops
1 gallon	6 drops
2 gallons	12 drops (1/8 teaspoon)
4 gallons	1/4 teaspoon
8 gallons	1/2 teaspoon

*Bleach contains 8.25% sodium hypochlorite.

Prepare and store an emergency water supply. Visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website http://www.ready.gov/managing-water for additional guidance on preparing and storing an emergency water supply.
Look for other sources of water in and around your home. Although bottled water is your best choice, you may be able to find other sources of water by melting ice cubes or draining your hot water tank or pipes. You should not use water from toilet flush tanks or bowls, radiators, waterbeds, swimming pools, or spas.
You can also use river or lake water. It is generally better to use flowing water than still, stagnant water. However, do not use water with floating material in it or water that has a dark color or questionable odor.
Regardless of the source, treat the water by following the instructions on the main page above.
If you have a well on your property that has been flooded, make sure to disinfect and test the well water after the flood. Contact your state or local health department for advice or go to http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/well/whatdo.cfm.
Consider how the water looks and how to filter it if needed. Disinfection does not work as well when water is cloudy or colored. If water is cloudy, let it settle. Then filter the water through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter. Store the settled and filtered water in clean containers with covers.

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