How To Test Your Pools Water Properly

When you own a swimming pool, there are three essential things that you need to do to ensure it’s clean and well maintained: circulate the water, clean the parts, and test the chemicals. Each and every week you should be analyzing the water chemistry and making sure the chlorine, pH, and alkalinity levels are balanced and correct. If you’re not sure how to test your pool’s water correctly, here we’ll show you the steps to take to ensure that your water is safe for swimming.

Run The Pool First

To get an accurate measurement of the different levels, you should only test your pool after it has been circulating. When the pool is off for a period of time, the water chemistry changes. To get a proper reading, you need the water to flow for at least 15 minutes before sampling.

Sample Away From Chlorine

You should never take a sample near the chlorine float as it will alter the results. Each water sample should be taken at the other end of the pool.

Rinse The Vessel Well

Before you use the sample vessel, you should give it a good cleaning in the pool first. Even if you’ve washed the sample vessel in the dishwasher, make sure to dip it into the pool before proceeding.

Sample Elbow Deep

When you’re ready to take a sample, turn the vessel upside down to allow air to enter. Then, place it elbow deep into the water. Taking water from the surface will not give you an accurate reading of the pool’s chemistry level.

Follow Kit Instructions

Always follow the instructions that are indicated on the test kit. Each brand will have different directions regarding the number of drops to add and how long to keep the vessel in the water.

Fill To The Indicator Lines

With each water chemistry kit, there are indicator lines on the side of the tester. Make sure to fill precisely to that line and to check at eye level.

Add Drops Slowly

If you squeeze out the drops too fast with a test kit, it could affect the reading. Instead, squeeze the bottle gently from directly above. Applying on an angle can result in larger drops and produce inaccurate results.

Use The Caps

Each chemistry kit will come with caps to use after you’ve placed the drops in the vessel. Make sure to use these instead of your fingers, as the acids on your hands could impact the reading.

Never Shake

After adding the drops and closing the caps, you should gently turn the test kit upside down and then back up slowly. Avoid shaking the solution as this can add bubbles to the water and change the results.

Check At Different Angles

As you check the colour of the water in the test kit with the sample colour wheel, you should also look at it from a couple of different angles to get the most accurate analysis.

Store In A Cool Dry Place

It’s best to keep the package stored in a cool, dry place after use. Kits that are exposed to temperature extremes and direct sunlight can easily ruin. With proper storage, you can typically get two seasons out of them.

When it comes to testing your pool’s water correctly, you can get a near perfect reading each and every time by implementing the steps above. Happy testing!