Chlorinators - Operation, Maintenance & Troubleshooting

Course Overview
Chlorinators: Operation, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting is a six-hour operator training course designed for drinking water and wastewater professionals who operate, maintain, inspect, troubleshoot, or support gas chlorination and dechlorination systems. The course combines process fundamentals, equipment operation, preventive maintenance, safety,
calculations, and hands-on equipment work. The instruction begins with the history and role of chlorine gas in water and wastewater
treatment, then compares gas chlorine with sodium hypochlorite from an operational and handling perspective.

Participants review dechlorination principles, chlorinator hydraulics and vacuum operation, switchover systems, cylinder-changing procedures, maintenance practices, troubleshooting techniques, monitoring accessories, feed calculations, disinfection
concepts, and chlorine safety. The final hour is dedicated to guided hands-on work with chlorination equipment, including safety actuator systems, repair kits, chlorinator head disassembly and rebuilding, ejector disassembly and rebuilding, and switchover system review.

Learning Objective

Explain the role of chlorine gas in drinking water and wastewater treatment and identify key operational differences between gas chlorine and sodium hypochlorite. Describe the operating principles of gas chlorination and dechlorination systems, including water pressure, flow, venturi action, vacuum operation, inlet safety valves, and
automatic switchover systems. Apply preventive maintenance practices that support safe, reliable chlorinator operation and reduce avoidable equipment failures. Troubleshoot common gas feed problems, including flooding, venting, hydraulic problems, loss of vacuum, and vacuum leaks.
Recognize the purpose and use of common chlorination accessories and monitoring devices, including vacuum monitors, gas detectors, scales, pressure gauges, and remote alarms. Perform basic chlorination calculations using pounds per day, chemical demand, flow in gallons per minute, and million gallons per day. Differentiate free chlorine, total chlorine, chloramines, and breakpoint chlorination and relate those concepts to disinfection practice. Identify essential chlorine safety practices, including PPE, gas monitoring, leak checks, confined-space considerations, IDLH hazards, leak repair kits, and cylinder storage and handling. Demonstrate basic inspection, disassembly, repair, rebuilding, and review procedures during the hands-on equipment segment

Instructor Biography
Bill Thorson, Northeast Region Sales Manager, Regal Chlorinators Inc.
Bill Thorson is a long-time water and wastewater operator and trainer with experience spanning plant operations, distribution, collection, operator certification instruction, and chlorination equipment training. He has been a South Dakota certified operator since 1997, providing him with nearly three decades of certified operator experience. His certifications include Class II Water Treatment, Class II Wastewater Treatment, Class II Wastewater Collection, and Class III Water Distribution. From February 2020 through March 2025, Thorson served as a trainer for the South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems (SDARWS) operator certification program. Since April 2025, he has provided training for Regal Systems Inc. His instructional background is reinforced by direct operator experience and an OSHA 30-hour certification, supporting his ability to deliver safety-focused, operations-oriented training on gas chlorination
equipment