Confused by water company...

[harris611]

Okay--

Spent about 20 min on the phone with the water co. According to the rep, my water company does not add chloramines. They add chlorine. However, she also said that they "add ammonia to help stabilize the chlorine." I asked about 10 different ways if the two combined to form chloramine, but she did not think so. Rep's thought process was that if they wanted to add chlormaine, they would add it as one substance, not add them separately to the water and have the reaction happen in the water supply. I had her look and look, but she could not find a mention of chloramines in her materials.

Does anyone have thoughts about what the right answer is here. She did not exactly inspire me with confidence...:mad:

[RockHound]

Chloramine is chlorine combined with ammonia.

Combining the 2, makes it easier & cheaper for water companies to attain/maintain the legal level 0.02ppm of chlorine required by most municipal drinking water laws in U.S.

Chloramine chemistry.
Chloramines are composed of three chemicals formed when chlorine and ammonia-nitrogen are combined in water:
monochloramine (NH2Cl), dichloramine (NHCl2), and trichloramine, or nitrogen trichloride (NCl3).

Monochloramine is preferred because of its biocidal properties and minimal taste and odor.
Monochloramine is created by controlling the chlorine-to-ammonia ratio to a value generally less than 5:1 by weight or 1:1 on a molar basis.

If I were you.
I would want to talk with a technician, rather than a receptionist.

Federal & State law require municipal water companies to disclose what they put in water & it’s concentration.

[harris611]

I think I was as high up the food chain as I'm going to get without putting something in writing -- the woman I spoke to was a supervisor that I had to pitch a fit to get to.

I'll try again later in the week when I have a spare three hours for the phone. In the meantime, it sounds like I am indeed dealing with chloramines if they are putting ammonia in the water with the chlorine. Unless I miss read you...

[RockHound]

In the meantime, it sounds like I am indeed dealing with chloramines if they are putting ammonia in the water with the chlorine. Unless I miss read you...

You read it RIGHT.

You are dealing with chloramines , if your water company is adding ammonia to chlorine. Because that is what forms monochloramine (NH2Cl).

[harris611]

Thanks...

BTW, that is a hell of a nugget in your profile. How big was it?

[RockHound]

It's 3 separate nuggets.
39 oz total.
That was a good day.
After a LOT of mediocre weeks.

They were found on the Yankee Fork, of the Salmon River, in Idaho.
At “Bonanza”, just above where the Simplot gold dredge stopped.
Because it could not get over a high bedrock dike, in the channel.

The ground had been worked, many times over.
First in the gold rush era, again about 1900, & again in the 40’s to 50’s.

We were able to get deeper.
After stripping with a drag-line first, then a D8 cat, and finally using a 235 Cat excavator, to reach bedrock.

Since AU has reached $1000 per oz this week.
Many of my old placer mining buddies are urging me to have another go at it.
On some of the placer gold claims, I still own.

[harris611]

Very cool...

[RockHound]

Check out Amquel Plus.
It will do the job on chloramines in 5 minutes.
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/amquel+/index.htm