Chlorine and chloramine test strips (combo strips that test for both and a couple other substances are available at pet stores)
Tap water
Swimming pool water
Distilled water (available at grocery stores)
Clean non-metal containers for holding water samples
Stove
3 very clean pots
Chemical dechlorinator (also available at pet stores, often called “water conditioner”)
Carbon over-the-tap or carafe-type water filter
Procedure
Follow the instructions for your chlorine/chloramine test strips to record the amount of chlorine/chloramine in each of your water samples. Make sure all your samples are the same temperature. Make a data table like this one:
Sample
Initial Amount of Chlorine
Initial Amount of Chloramine
Tap water
Distilled water
Pool water
Now that you have some idea of how much disinfectant are in different sources of water, you can try different ways of removing the disinfectants from the tap water.
Pour a sample of tap water into an open container and let it sit for 24 hours.
Test the water for disinfectants, record in a second data table.
Tap Water Treatment
Final Chlorine Amount
Final Chloramine Amount
Sitting
Boiling
Chemical Removal
Carbon filter
Boil a pot of tap water for fifteen minutes. Let cool.
Test the boiled water for disinfectants, record data.
Treat a third sample of tap water with the chemical dechlorinator.
Test treated water sample for chlorine and chloramine, record data.
Use the carbon filter to treat a fourth sample of tap water.
Test the carbon treated sample for chlorine and chloramine, record data.