Total Chlorine High Range
Test Strips

If you have a need to test for total chlorine levels (free chlorine + combined chlorine) in the range of 0 to 80 ppm then the Total Chlorine HR (High Range) water quality test strips will definitely come in handy. Sold in bottles of 50 tests, this product makes total chlorine testing in the field, in the lab, and just about anywhere a fast, easy process.

• Detection Range: 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80 ppm (mg/L)
• Total Test Time of Less Than 40 Seconds
• Manufacturer Part Number: 480033
• Made in the United States by Industrial Test Systems, Inc.
• Total Chlorine HR Test Strips require no powders to mix, tablets to crush, drops to add/count, or glass ampuoles to break.

What is the MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) for Chlorine?

In municipal water systems the US Environmental Protection Agency has stated that a water treatment facility must take immediate action to reduce free and/or total chlorine levels in excess of 4 ppm (mg/L).

How Does the Total Chlorine HR Compare to DPD Test Methods?

Unlike DPD test methods for higher (than 10ppm) concentrations of total chlorine which require test personnel to perform dilutions before testing samples, the High Range Total Chlorine Test Strips allow for immediate, on-the-spot testing of water samples.

Why Do DPD Test Methods Require Dilution(s) of Samples?

When testing water samples containing more than 8 to 10 ppm of total chlorine either as free chlorine or combined chlorine the chemical indicator DPD ‘bleaches out’ and becomes clear. Therefore a sample must get diluted prior to testing to make certain the total chlorine concentration does not approach 8 parts per million.

The Total Chlorine High Range test procedure does not require dilution for samples containing more than 8 or 10 ppm chlorine since its chemical indicator can endure and continue to function properly in the presence of elevated chlorine levels.

Moral of the Story?

If you need to test for higher levels of total chlorine than traditional DPD methods allow, and you want to do it quickly and accurately, the WaterWorks Total Chlorine High Range test strip product will most certainly come in handy.

Quote for Chlorine test strips required

K/Attn: The Manager (International Sales)

Dear Ms/Sir,

We have the following requirement for Chlorine Test Strips having the following specifications:

   1. Range: 0, 1, 3, 5, 10 ppm
   2. Total qty: 1000 sticks
   3. Packing required: Bottles of 25 or 50 sticks each.

Important: Before choosing a test strip (stick) for chlorine, make sure you know whether you need to test for free chlorine or test for total chlorine, as different products exist for each!

To answer this person’s inquiry directly, though, the following links will take you to places where you can purchase test strips for both free and total chlorine concentration testing in water.

Free Chlorine + Combined Chlorine = Total Chlorine

If a person wants to learn the combined chlorine content of water they must first measure the free chlorine total chlorine content and then subtract the free chlorine value from the toal chlorine.

Total Chlorine – Free Chlorine = Combined Chlorine

In the past a person had to measure free chlorine and total chlorine separately. Not a real chore, but still an extra step. Now, however, the WaterWorks^tm 2 Free & Total Chlorine Test Strip allows its users to measure free and total chlorine values at the same time, and with the same test strip.

Accurate Testing:

The free chlorine test area on the WaterWorks^tm 2 Free & Total Chlorine Strip uses the same chemistry found on the patented, USEPA Approved SenSafe Free Chlorine Water Check and the test area for total chlorine uses the patented SenSafe Aperture Technology.

Detection Ranges:

Accurately measures free and total chlorine levels from 0.1ppm up to 5.0ppm.

Testing Time:

Less than a minute.

Whether first starting out w/ a new aquarium or adding water to an existing aquarium, you must add water that contains as close to 0% total chlorine as possible — or your fish will die. For an explanation of the difference between free and total chlorine, please refer to an earlier blog entry entitled “Free, Combined and Total Chlorine Re-Visited“.

It goes without saying that you will want to your the source water for TOTAL chlorine, and not just free chlorine because ALL forms of chlorine can prove fatal to aquatic life even in small amounts.

You may use test strips, liquid test kits and/or a water testing meter. The exact testing method does not matter in so long as you trust the results you get from your testing. Keep in mind that your fishes’ lives depend upon that reading so choose your testing method carefully!

(Free Chlorine) + (Combined Chlorine) = (Total Chlorine)

Free Chlorine: Typically your main sanitizing/disinfecting agent and sometimes referred to as ‘available chlorine’. In most cases people try to keep a free chlorine residual in their water to act as a buffer against biological contaminants. Chemically speaking this is the amount of hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ion in solution. find free chlorine test strips

Combined Chlorine: The resulting compound when free chlorine molecules interact with biological contaminants containing Nitrogen which most people refer to as ‘chloramines’. You could also refer to combined chlorine as ‘used free chlorine’, but keep in mind that it still does have the abiity to act as a sanitizer/disinfectant… just not nearly as effectively.  find total chlorine test strips

Total Chlorine: The sum of all free, ‘available’, combined, and ‘used’ chlorine in solution.  find total chlorine test strips

Testing for Free & Total Chlorine at the Same Time?

The traditional testing method for chlorine residuals in water involves the use of a reagent system known as DPD that involves two separate chemical mixing procedures.

The WaterWorks 2 Free & Total Chlorine Test Strips have a total test time of around 30 seconds and detect both free and total concentrations in water in the following range: 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 ppm.

If you need to test chlorine levels in your water, then we definitely suggest checking out the chlorine testing convenience and affordability of WaterWorks 2 Free & Total Chlorine Test Strips.

DPD ReagentStrips: Look like test strips, but function like a totally convenient way to precisely administer measured amounts of DPD into a 10 mL water sample. All the reagents, buffers and indicators come neatly impregnated on the pads at the end of an ergonomic PVC strip.

Simply swish the pads around in your sample for 20 seconds, remove the strip, throw it away, and read your sample in your preferred colorimeter. DPD ReagentStrips fall under the guidelines of EPA Compliance and may, in most cases, be used in place of all other DPD methods. . . and they don’t require MSDS.

Previously, DPD came in one of three forms: powder pillow, tablet or liquid. Each has its benefits. . . and each has its downfalls.

Powder Pillow: The most popular form of DPD. Precise amounts of the reagent come in single-dose foil ‘pouches’ that the user tears open and pours into their sample. Sounds like a great idea, yes, but try using these things in a ‘wet’ or windy environment. Anyone who works in the field will know what that means. MSDS required.

Liquid DPD: Cheap as can be, but with that inexpensive price comes an incredibly short shelf-life compared to other DPD delivery systems. MSDS required.

DPD Tablets: Very inexpensive, very stable. Great way to deliver exact amounts of DPD into samples, except for one small problem: DPD tablets do not dissolve smoothly or easily in cold or hard water. In either type of water, DPD tablets typically leave undissolved solids floating in the sample and when analyzing water samples using colorimeters the suspended solids can cause erroneous readings.

Fast Dissolving DPD Tablets: Same reagent dispensing mechanism as regular DPD tablets, but they dissolve faster. These, too, may leave undissolved materials in samples such as elements of the binding agent(s) which held the tablets together prior to immersion in the sample.

UPDATE: For certain free chlorine testing applications, states now have the ability to approve the use of EPA Approved SenSafe(tm) Free Chlorine Check test strips. Please consult with your State and/or Local Health Departments to see if your State has approved their use. Benefits include faster test times and no monochloramine interference.