shower filtration - chlorine

Edit: I just found out that I have CHLORAMIDE not Chlorine in my water system.

I dont know if I am at the correct place to ask this, but you all have helped me before. My 5 year old daughter has an allergy to chlorine and bleach. I have city water and water company claims the Total Chlorine Residual is 1.8ppm and is at the Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (4) allowed by law. I called the EPA and they had 7 suggestions for shower filters. They told me there is no such thing as a bath faucet filter. Is this true? Is there a way I can filter the bath water. If not, my solution would be to run the shower water to make a bath for her.
http://www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/Listings.asp?ProductFunction=177|Free+Av

My questions are:
1. What shower filter do you recommend to convert or reduce the chlorine?
2. Is there such a thing as a bath faucet chlorine filter?
3. What shower/filter do you recommend to convert or reduce the Chloramide.

thanks

Several companies make the chlorine filter which goes on the shower arm. I have not seen one which fits a tub spout. You may not want to do this, but my daughter has now got her 5 year old little girl taking showers. It is more sanitary. But you could fill the tub through the shower head.....slowly!

Sodium Thiosulfate

Sodium thiosulfate will instantly neutralize (eliminate) the chlorine in the water. I have not had occasion to buy any so don't know the best place to get it.

You can get an inexpensive pool test kit to determine how much you need to add to get rid of the chlorine. Then double the dose.

It should be available as a salt and a fraction of a teaspoon in a bath should do the job. I just don't have my table of atomic weights to do a calculation right now.

You would add a little to the water as the bath is being drawn. It won't work as a filter because it is soluble in water and would all be dissolved in the first moments of operation.

People sell activated carbon filters for removing chlorine but they are an expensive proposition.

Here is a link and clip from Dept of Energy:

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00387.htm

Sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) is a reducing agent that reacts with
oxidizing agents, specifically, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) which is the active
ingredient in household bleach, according the reaction:
HOCl + 2(S2O3)^-2 -----------> Cl^-1 + (S4O6)^-2 + OH^-1


Here is a link and a clip from an aquarium site.
http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-tapwater.html

Chlorine at high concentrations is toxic to fish; at lower concentrations, it stresses fish by damaging their gills. Concentrations of as little as 0.2-0.3 ppm kill most fish fairly rapidly. To prevent stress, concentrations as low as 0.003 ppm may be required. Fortunately, chlorine can easily be removed from water by the chemical sodium thiosulfate, readily available at fish stores under various brands. Sodium thiosulfate neutralizes chlorine instantly. Note that there are many ``water treatment'' products that are advertised as ``making tap water safe''. Read labels carefully. Inevitably, the ones that neutralize chlorine all contain sodium thiosulfate, plus other substances that may or may not be useful. If your water only contains chlorine (as opposed to chloramine), sodium thiosulfate is all you need. The most cost-effective treatments use only 1 drop per gallon of water. Most other water treatments are much more expensive in the long-term; they may require a teaspoon of treatment (or more) per gallon!

Here's a link where you can get a tub spout filter and bath crystals to eliminate chlorine:

http://www.inspiredliving.com/shower-filters/

Bob NH said:

Sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) is a reducing agent that reacts with
oxidizing agents, specifically, hypochlorous acid (HOCl) which is the active
ingredient in household bleach, according the reaction:
HOCl + 2(S2O3)^-2 -----------> Cl^-1 + (S4O6)^-2 + OH^-1
[/I]

Click to expand...

Bob NH, I thought bleach, Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), had a PH of around 12 making it alkaline not acidic. Even diluted with water the water would have to be way below PH7 B4 it would become acidic. I have heard of adding vinegar to bring down the PH.

Please correct me if I am missing something.

Chloramine vs chlorine filtration?

How do you remove the Chloramine? I called the water co. first thing this morning and was told that it recently switched from Chlorine to Chloramine for the dissinfecting. The EPA said that only carbon filters remove Chloramine from water and that there are no shower filters on the market that work. Water Co said go to my local store and I should be able to find a filter that filters out Chloramine.

Is there anything I can do to eliminate or neutralize the Chloramine in her
shower/bath water?

Thanks again. The posts are very helpful.

Chloramine is a combination of chlorine and ammonia; the sodium thiosulfate will neutralize the chlorine, but you're left with the ammonia, which probably won't help much. There is a product designed to neutralize Chloramine - AmQuel:

http://www.pondpetsusa.com/water_treatments/amQuel.html

that's sold mostly to aquarium and fish-pond owners, I guess. If you're in a city with a major aquarium nearby, those folks would be able to give you lots of help.

There's an interesting discussion of how to treat tap water for aquariums at:

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-tapwater.html

All in all, the best way to treat large quantities (e.g., a shower or bath) would be via a carbon filter, but this could be a major plumbing and maintenance exercise depending on the situation. They're not uncommon as part of a whole-house water conditioning system (I've got one), so a local water quality expert could probably fix you up.

Are you saying Am Quel can be used in bath water also?

The info I gave you for Chlorine is the same for chloramine.

Features of the Crystal Ball Bath Water Filter

When water comes in contact with the media filaments inside the fabric pouch, the chlorine ions in the water are converted into harmless zinc chloride. The toxic effects of chlorine, chloramine, and chlorine gas are eliminated with the aid of KDF Formula 73. More chlorine is removed faster if there is adequate circulation of the Crystal Ball in the water. The quartz crystals mixed with the media reduce the molecular structure of water into smaller clusters, thereby allowing enhanced sudsing and lathering of soap, and, the internal filter is replaceable! This is also a quick and easy way to get some chlorine-free water for any usage.

Chloramines

http://www.lenntech.com/water-disinfection/disinfectants-chloramines.htm

Chloramines are produced by adding ammonia to water containing free chlorine, but chloramines are not a mixture of the two. The chlorine ceases to exist as a separate entity susceptible to being neutralized by sodium thiosulfate.

Sodium hypochlorite has a high pH but it disassociates in dilute solution, producing hypochlorous acid which provides free chlorine that acts as a disinfectant.

http://jshep.users.ftech.net/tech.htm
HYPOCHLOROUS ACID - HOCl Also known as free chlorine. It is formed when calcium hypochlorite, dichlor, trichlor or chlorine gas are mixed with water and dissociate. This is the main pool water disinfectant.
Hypochlorous acid acts (a) as a sanitiser killing potentially harmful bacteria and micro-organisms (it can enter a cell's wall and upset its protein and enzyme function), (b) as an oxidising agent eliminating organic and inorganic impurities by a process similar to combustion e g it burns out pollution introduced by bathers such as sweat and urine (yes, I'm afraid people do).
Useful amounts of hypochlorous acid can only be obtained if the pH is within certain limits [see pH], or if the stabiliser level is not too high.

Water suppliers are putting chloramines in the water distributed to customers to reduce the disinfectant byproducts produced by chlorine reactions. Those disinfectant byproducts are slightly carcinogenic and there are limits on the amount permitted in public drinking water supplies.

Can it be used in bath water?

I'm not a chemist or public-health expert, but if it doesn't bother tropical fish, it wouldn't bother me, I don't think. If you'd be more comfortable with a product specifically intended for human bathing, then you should look at things like the Crystal Ball, etc., mentioned above.