I have a chlorinator attached to my well water system.  The
chlorinator consists of a 35 gallon water tank and a small pump on top
that feeds the chlorinated water into the main household water holding tank.  

The system calls for liquid bleach (i.e. Chlorox) to be added to the water
in the 35 gallon holding tank as the source of the chlorine.

I have two questions.  

First, what is the correct amount of Chlorox to add to the 35 gallons
of water in the chlorinator tank?

Second, is any routine maintenance required such as cleaning the chlorinator tank?

Please cite your reference sources.

Thanks for the help.

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Request for Question Clarification by redhoss-ga on 04 Mar 2005 16:05 PST

You must know what the "small pump" delivers in ml per minute or some
other units. Your system is similar to the system used on the well in
my community. Are you sure that you really need to chlorinate your
water. I wouldn't unless I absolutely had to. You will be able to tell
when the mixing tank needs to be cleaned from the visible buildup.

Chlorine is used to sterilize water which has too much bacteria. The
amount you need depends on the kind of bacteria and the count as well
as the amount of water and how long it sits.

Even if you have the operating manual for the chlorinator you need to
test occasionally to see if the water is safe.

There are various test kits available, probably even locally, but a
swimming pool test kit will assure you if it is safe and it is an
easy/cheap test to do at home. Having enough for pool water is
normally far more than you need for your holding tank.

Liquid Chlorine also deteriorates with time and exposure to air so
that will also have to be taken into consideration.