Does a Carbon Filter Remove Chlorine and Chloramine?

What is the difference between chlorine and chloramine?

Chloramine is chlorine combined with ammonia, used to keep water disinfected on its way through the pipes; chlorine is the usual fast-acting disinfectant at the treatment plant [1][2]. EPA calls chloramine a secondary disinfectant: its typical purpose is to protect water quality as the water moves through pipes, and utilities that use surface water must keep a detectable disinfectant in their distribution system [2]. Most utilities use chlorine as the primary disinfectant because it kills most harmful organisms quickly [2].

EPA lists chloramine's advantages in that second role: it is more chemically stable than chlorine, it lasts longer in the pipes, and it produces fewer of the regulated disinfection byproducts such as trihalomethanes [2]. EPA's drinking water standard for chloramines is 4 parts per million as an annual average, and EPA says water treated with chloramines that meets its standards is safe for drinking, cooking and bathing [1][2]. More than one in five Americans uses drinking water treated with chloramines [1].

• Chlorine: fast-acting; fades from standing water within a few days [2][3]
• Chloramine: chlorine + ammonia, longer-lasting in the pipes [1][2]
• Chloramine: fewer regulated byproducts than chlorine [2]
• Chloramine: may take weeks to fade from standing water [3]

Is there chloramine in Pinellas County and Tampa tap water?

Yes, if you are on Pinellas County Utilities, Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor or City of Tampa water [3][10]. Pinellas County Utilities switched from chlorine to chloramine in 2002, when its water supplier, Tampa Bay Water, moved from groundwater alone to a blend of groundwater, surface water and desalinated water [4]; the county says chloramine reaches all of its retail water customers and the water customers of Clearwater, Pinellas Park and Safety Harbor [3]. Its maintenance program, which temporarily converts chloramine to chlorine, also covers the Belleair water system [8]. The City of Tampa Water Department says it primarily uses chloramine — ammonia added to chlorine [10].

Other cities run their own treatment. If yours is not named here, your utility's annual water quality report (the Consumer Confidence Report) describes the treatment it uses [5] — that report, not a neighbor's experience, is the answer.

Why does my tap water smell like chlorine some weeks?

Most likely because your utility has temporarily switched from chloramine to plain chlorine as planned maintenance [8][10]. Pinellas County says it does this once or twice a year, depending on water quality monitoring, to reduce the potential for bacteria to form in the pipes; in 2026 the switches ran from May 18 to June 6 and from September 21 to October 10 [8]. Its notice for the September switch warned that the water may smell or taste slightly different, with no effect on pressure or service [7]. The City of Tampa makes the same kind of switch several times a year, three weeks at a time [10].

During a switch, the county's FAQ recommends running the water for 2 to 3 minutes before use and notes that some temporary discoloration or sediment is possible [3]. The City of Tampa also suggests letting a pitcher of water stand for several hours, or a carbon filter on the faucet or shower head [10]. If the pool smell comes and goes with the utility's dates, it is the schedule, not your plumbing; the county lists each year's dates on its maintenance program page [8].

Does activated carbon remove chloramine as well as chlorine?

It can remove both, but not every carbon filter removes chloramine: Pinellas County says most home purifiers are not designed for it, and that high-quality granular activated carbon may remove it provided enough contact time is allowed [3]. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension guide on household carbon filtration says activated carbon can be effective at removing chlorine, chloramines and some disinfection byproducts, along with taste- and odor-causing compounds — and that it does not remove bacteria, hardness minerals, fluoride or nitrate [5].

Activated carbon is a very porous material that holds contaminants on its surface, and the same guide names what decides how well it works [5]. Contact time, set by the flow rate: the longer the water stays in the carbon, the more it can adsorb. The amount of carbon, which also decides how soon the carbon fills up. And the carbon itself: its source and activation method determine which contaminants it removes well. That is why the guide says small pour-through and faucet filters are not as effective as larger units — they hold little carbon, so contact time is short — while calling them adequate for taste and odor [5].

Real tap water adds one more variable. A peer-reviewed laboratory study of five granular activated carbons found that every carbon removed less monochloramine from a natural source water than from organic-free water, and that the size of that loss varied considerably from one carbon to another; the more of a carbon's surface sat in pores wider than 2 nanometers, the more the natural organic matter interfered [6].

Is chloramine water safe for fish tanks, ponds and dialysis?

Not straight from the tap: chloramine must be removed from water for fish tanks and ponds, and from water used in a dialysis machine [3][4]. For people, chloraminated water is used exactly like chlorinated water; the county explains that digestion neutralizes chloramine before it reaches the bloodstream, whereas fish absorb it directly through their gills, which can be fatal [3].

Fish, reptiles, turtles and amphibians: unlike chlorine, chloramine does not simply evaporate if the water is left to stand. The county says to use a water conditioner made to remove chloramines, or a granular activated carbon filter, and warns that removing chloramine releases ammonia, which is also toxic to fish [3][4].

Home dialysis: patients can drink, cook and bathe in the water, but chloramine must be removed from water used in the dialysis machine. The county says home dialysis service companies can usually make the needed changes, and to check with your physician [3][4].

Catalytic or regular carbon: how do I pick a chloramine filter?

Pick by certification, not by the word “carbon”: look for a product certified for chloramine reduction, which NSF lists as a separate claim from chlorine reduction [9]. NSF's public listing names each certified model with its replacement cartridge, its rated capacity in gallons and its flow rate, and the extension guide notes that NSF and the Water Quality Association test and certify products against published standards [5][9].

Retailers often sell “catalytic” or surface-modified carbon for chloramine. The extension guide confirms that carbon can be processed or coated to improve removal of specific contaminants [5], and the study above shows that carbons differ [6] — but none of our sources tests a product by that name, so the evidence to ask for is still the chloramine-reduction claim [9].

Then match the filter to the job. For taste and smell at the kitchen tap, a point-of-use carbon filter is a reasonable tool [5]. For every tap and shower in the house, it is a whole-house (point-of-entry) system, and the guide says such systems should meet guidelines for contact time and for the type and amount of carbon — which means sizing it to the house's real flow [5]. Put a sediment filter ahead of the carbon to keep it from clogging, and replace cartridges regularly: a saturated carbon filter stops adsorbing, and one left idle or saturated is a good place for bacteria to grow [5].

What this means in Tampa Bay

If you are on Pinellas County Utilities, Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor or City of Tampa water, assume chloramine unless your utility tells you otherwise [3][10]. That affects three decisions: which carbon filter you buy, how you prepare water for a fish tank or pond, and what you make of the few weeks a year when the water smells of chlorine.

A softener does not remove chloramine — it exchanges hardness minerals — so a house with hard water and a chloramine complaint usually needs both, with the carbon sized for the flow. We install whole-house filtration and softeners and will tell you from your own water which of the two you actually need.

FAQ

Sources

We review and cite. We do not reproduce a paper or a manual — follow the links for the originals.

1. [1]Chloramines in Drinking Water — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · updated 2026Government or standards body · what chloramines are; longer-lasting in pipes; some utilities switched to meet byproduct rules; more than one in five Americans; safe for drinking, cooking and bathing when standards are met; page updated 2026-03-12; read 2026-10-11
2. [2]Basic Information about Chloramines and Drinking Water Disinfection (questions 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 2009Government or standards body · 4 ppm annual-average standard (Q1 note 3); primary vs secondary disinfection, residual required in surface-water distribution systems (Q3 note 5); chlorine the usual primary disinfectant (Q4); chlorine kills most organisms quickly (Q5); chloramine more stable, longer lasting, fewer regulated byproducts (Q6); read 2026-10-11
3. [3]Frequently Asked Questions About Chloramines — Pinellas County UtilitiesGovernment or standards body · who is served; fish and dialysis precautions; chlorine evaporates in a few days, chloramine may take weeks; most home purifiers not designed for it, GAC may remove it with enough contact time; conversion: run water 2–3 minutes, temporary discoloration or sediment possible; plants unaffected; read 2026-10-11
4. [4]Facts About Chloramines — Pinellas County UtilitiesGovernment or standards body · switch to chloramine in 2002 following Tampa Bay Water's supply change; Tampa and Miami/Dade also use chloramine; fish and dialysis precautions; ammonia released when chloramine is removed; read 2026-10-11
5. [5]Drinking Water Treatment: Activated Carbon Filtration (G1489) — Bruce I. Dvorak, Sharon O. Skipton · University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension · revised 2013University extension · what carbon removes and does not; contact time, amount and type of carbon; processed or coated carbons; POE vs POU; pour-through and faucet filters adequate for taste and odor; sediment prefilter; replacement and bacterial growth; NSF and WQA certification; Consumer Confidence Reports; read in full 2026-10-11
6. [6]Impact of natural organic matter on monochloramine reduction by granular activated carbon: the role of porosity and electrostatic surface properties — Julian L. Fairey, Gerald E. Speitel Jr., Lynn E. Katz · Environmental Science & Technology 40(13):4268–4273 · 2006Peer-reviewed · five GACs: each removed less monochloramine from natural source water than from organic-free water, and the size of that difference varied considerably among the carbons; interference rose with surface area in pores wider than 2 nm; abstract read 2026-10-11 (PubMed 16856745); full text not read (publisher blocks access)
7. [7]Water system maintenance to begin Sept. 21 — Pinellas County Utilities · 2026Government or standards body · notice dated 2026-09-09: semiannual switch to chlorine Sept 21 – Oct 10, 2026; taste/smell may change, no impact on pressure or service; Belleair, Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor; read 2026-10-11
8. [8]Water System Maintenance Program — Pinellas County Utilities · 2026Government or standards body · temporary chloramine-to-chlorine conversion once or twice a year depending on monitoring, to reduce the potential for bacteria; 2026 dates May 18 – June 6 and Sept 21 – Oct 10; covers PCU customers and the Belleair, Clearwater, Safety Harbor and Pinellas Park systems; page modified 2026-01-27; read 2026-10-11
9. [9]NSF Listings: Drinking Water Treatment Units, NSF/ANSI 42 — Chloramine Reduction — NSF · listing current 2026-10-11Government or standards body · official certification database: Chloramine Reduction is listed as its own claim, separate from Chlorine Reduction, per model with replacement element, rated capacity (gallons) and flow rate (gpm); read 2026-10-11
10. [10]Chlorine Disinfection — City of Tampa Water Department · updated 2026Government or standards body · primarily uses chloramine (ammonia added to chlorine); switches to chlorine several times a year, three weeks at a time; suggests running the tap, letting a pitcher stand, or a carbon filter at faucets or shower heads; page updated 2026-05-28; read 2026-10-11