A Beginner’s Guide to Pool Water Testing
New inground pool owners face the new responsibility of maintaining the chemistry levels in their water. `It may seem daunting when you start researching how to manage your pool's chemicals. Yet, water testing will become second nature once you begin testing regularly. This beginner's guide to pool water testing will help build your water testing knowledge!
Test Kits and Strips
You will need water test strips or a liquid test kit to get accurate levels of all substances in your water chemistry.
Water test strips are easy to use. You dip them in water, shake them off, and the results are ready to read within seconds. They are color-coded and have a chart on the bottle so you can easily decode results.
Liquid test kits may give you more confidence in accuracy. They are more expensive but are a complete testing system. With a testing kit, you ad reagents to water samples, and results are based on the sample's color. Liquid test kits will give you the most comprehensive test result of all at-home options.
Digital pool testers like the Blueriiot are another way to get a reading on swimming pool water chemistry. With an easy-to-use app on your smartphone, you can access your water chemistry levels 24/7 at the click of a button. Results come up digitally, so you don't have to do color matching, and there's no need to buy things like reagents and test strips. If you're interested in purchasing a Blueriiot, email help@tigerpoolandpatio.com and we'll get you taken care of!
As your local Kansas City pool builder and full-service company, we also offer weekly service visits. We will do all your testing for you! We'll check your water chemistry with weekly service and add any necessary chemicals. You'll get an email with your water chemistry reading and a list of chemicals adjusted. If you're interested in signing up for weekly service, email help@tigerpoolandpatio.com, and we'll get you signed up!
Testing your pool water
Once you find a water testing solution that you are comfortable with, you can begin to test your swimming pool water chemistry. It's good practice to test your water weekly. Testing should include readings on pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, free available chlorine, as well as bromine, cyanuric acid, metals, phosphates, and total dissolved solids for chlorine pools. We recommend checking pH and free available chlorine 2-3 times per week. Suppose your pool is used frequently, or you have water clarity or algae issues. In that case, consider testing more often or having a full-service company run a water diagnostic test.
You don't want to use stagnant water so circulate the water by putting the pump on a high setting for about an hour before testing. You want to obtain water about 12" -18" below the surface. You don't use water near floating chemical dispensers, or the pool returns.
Write down the results to keep track of the water chemistry readings. This can be done using a pool care app, like Pooli, or a dedicated pool planner. Keeping a record of your water chemistry can help you understand how your pool will fluctuate under different conditions.
Analyzing the results
Those new to water testing may wonder what results are good versus bad. Here's a quick list to understand:
Total Alkalinity 80-120 ppm
pH 7.4. to 7.6
Calcium Hardness 200 to 400 ppm
Free Available Chlorine 1.0 to 3.0 ppm
Cyanuric Acid 25 to 50 ppm
Bromine 2.0 to 4.0 ppm (if using a Bromine sanitizer)
Metals 0 to 0.2 ppm
Phosphates 0 ppm
Total Dissolved solids for non-saltwater pools 500 to 5000 ppm
Consistency in your testing and maintenance for swimming pool water chemistry is vital in keeping your pool healthy and clean. That includes removing debris daily when it's uncovered, as debris can cause bacteria.
It also means testing more frequently when the pool is in high use and taking extra precautions when something unusual happens like your dog decides to swim or your sister brings her toddler in diapers over to splash around. Extremely hot weather can cause the balance to be off and bacteria to grow, so that you may need additional chemicals.
Why balanced water chemistry is important
Most warranty policies with your pool equipment, fiberglass pool, vinyl liner, and more require balanced water chemistry for the warranty to remain in effect.
Lack of pool care can void your warranties.
Poor water chemistry can ruin your vinyl liner, fiberglass pool, and even gunite pool by causing stains and discoloration.
Poor water chemistry can lead to dangerous bacteria growth.
Water chemistry is one of the most important aspects to understand as a pool owner. Download our free pool care cheat sheet to help you easily maintain your pool. Or, hire a professional full-service pool company, like Tiger Pool and Patio, to take it off your hands!
