Chloramine vs Chlorine: What’s Really in Your Tap Water?

Many Australian cities — including Sydney — disinfect their water with chloramine (chlorine combined with ammonia) rather than plain chlorine. Both keep water safe, but chloramine lasts longer in the pipes and is harder to filter out, so the type your utility uses affects taste and the kind of filter you need.

Why is anything added to tap water?

Water authorities add a disinfectant to kill bacteria and keep water safe all the way from the treatment plant to your tap. Without it, water could pick up harmful microbes in the distribution network. The two most common disinfectants in Australia are free chlorine and chloramine.

Chlorine vs chloramine: what’s the difference?

• Chlorine is a fast, effective disinfectant but dissipates relatively quickly and can produce a stronger “pool” taste and smell.
• Chloramine is longer-lasting, so it protects water across large distribution networks, and produces fewer disinfection by-products.

State health information, such as SA Health, notes both are used safely across Australia. Chloramine has been the main disinfectant for much of Sydney’s network for years, at typical levels of around 0.5–2.5 mg/L.

Does the type matter for you?

For safety, no — both meet the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. For taste and filtering, yes:

• Chloramine is harder to remove than free chlorine, so a basic jug may not fully clear it.
• Removing chloramine effectively needs a quality activated-carbon (catalytic carbon) filter.

How to get rid of the taste

Whether your water is chlorinated or chloraminated, a good activated-carbon tap filter is the practical fix — reducing the disinfectant taste and odour as the water flows. See more on removing chlorine taste.

Where a tap filter fits in

Filtering is optional rather than essential for safety on Australian mains water. If you do want to cut chlorine taste, sediment and microplastics, a point-of-use activated-carbon filter is one simple, low-cost option. PureFlow is one such tap-mounted filter, but the right choice depends on your water and your household — it is worth comparing the options and deciding what suits you.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my water has chlorine or chloramine?
Check your local water authority’s website or annual water-quality report — most list the disinfectant used in your area.

Does boiling remove chloramine?
Not effectively — chloramine is more stable than chlorine and boiling barely shifts it. See does boiling help.

Is chloramine in water safe to drink?
Yes — at the levels used by Australian utilities it’s considered safe; it’s mainly a taste and odour issue.