Is it ok to test pool chemical levels when someone is in the pool swimming. I took a sample of the water to my spa dealer and their test indicated I should add 1 tbsp + 1 tsp of ph decreaser and one tbsp of stain and scale control. If you've got an idea for an article, feel free to send an email to. Finally, be sure to turn off the pump once you notice that the water level is too low to be drained. Cyanuric Acid is sold as either a pool stabilizer or pool conditioner. I have no idea what to do but my above ground pool showed a reading (on a test strip) of FCI 10, BROMINE 20, ALK 40 and PH is yellow on the strip. Using the pH scale, which ranges from 1.0 – 14.0, we will want to get our water in the ideal range of 7.4 – 7.6. Well when it comes to digital water testers, accuracy and promptness is what these amazing testers offer. Biguanide water treatment systems, found on some swimming pools, require biguanide test strips to check the sanitizer levels, pool pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness levels. However, I am still struggling to understand the test strips and what chemicals I should be adding. Please help! Then, call your city water department and ask them for an estimate. Users should test chlorine levels once a week, and perform regular shock treatments. The main difference between them is the number of tests they perform. Hi Shannon, the chlorine demand for the pool will increase with more sun, swimming and sunblock! Robotic Pool Cleaners are one of the most popular items we sell here at PoolSupplyWorld. Turn on the filter. Turn the pool pump on. To achieve an ideal amount of Cyanuric Acid in your pool you will need to be within the 30 – 50 ppm range. All rights reserved. Wherever you suspect a leak, place a few drops of food coloring. Take time to check the bottom of the vinyl for water pools and streams. The pool also has a yellowish film on the top. My test strips using a digital reader give different readings evry time. By testing at least three times per week you will begin to understand how bather load, weather (rain and sun) and chemical application affect your pool water. Hi Michelle, yes no problem to test the water with swimmers in the pool! Before adding chemicals, it’s important to turn your pump ON so the chemicals will be circulated through the pool. Salt level in pool water is less than 2,000 ppm: Check the salt level, and adjust as needed. Heat pumps come in a variety of sizes, but the general rule of thumb is, the more BTUs the faster the heating. Then turn off the pool pump and let the water get completely still. Learn how to balance pool water with these simple steps! Free Chlorine = the amount of chlorine that is free and available to kill, not combined with another molecule, which drastically reduces efficacy or killing ability. The ideal range for total alkalinity is 80-120 ppm. If you are having trouble keeping chlorine in mid-day, you can add some Cyanuric Acid aka Stabilizer, to protect Cl from the sun. I saw something called intellichlor by pentair that turns salt into chlorine. Remember to do an inspection of your pool equipment. Can’t wait to start taking care of the pool! Test strips are the least accurate, a liquid test kit has better results and a digital reader is most exact and also rules out [most] human error! Calcium hardness refers to the amount of minerals, in this case calcium, which is present in the water. The first factor we want to address is the Total Alkalinity, or TA. Hi Mary, I would guess that chlorine is zero and pH may be ok, but hard to say about the others, not having the color matching chart that the strip is compared to – which is usually printed on the bottle label, or on a separate piece of laminated paper, or also likely found on the manuf’s website. Place a bucket filled with pool water on a pool step (weight it with a rock or brick). If you have a pool that suddenly … Hi. We’re almost ready to start testing, but first we’ll have to get an approximate volume of our pool. Money saving tip: Call your water company and tell them you are planning to fill a pool. How to Build a Pool: Installing Main Drains, Skimmer & Returns, LaMotte ColorQ Pro 7 Water Chemistry Liquid Test Kit, Energy Awareness Month – 7 Ways to Save Around the Pool, Has Fall Landed in your Pool? If any of your results are out of range them some small alterations will be needed. Your very high alkalinity level is making it hard to lower the pH, so you will have to add acid very regular, almost daily, to try to get it down by half, to 120 ppm. Easy Guide to Testing and Balancing Your Swimming Pool Water, Dolphin E10 – The Ultimate Above Ground Robotic Pool Cleaner. To have a balanced pool, the Free Available Chlorine must be within the 2.0 – 4.0 range. A close cousin of pH, it keeps pH stable. Colin, yes that would certainly be the problem. Ensure the pool is full (so the leak's not above the water level). Other reasons why a pool gets uneven is because water can wash out the soil. They may give you a discount on the sewage or not charge for it at all. Besides simply adding cold water to your pool, one of they best ways to help cool down your water is to get a fountain. For some quick tips on balancing pool water before, during and after a pool party, make sure to check out this helpful article! The figures are greatly different and taken straight after each test. The best pool test kits will have the ability to test all five water balance levels – pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, Cyanuric and Chlorine. Test Strips, Test Kits or Digital? I have trouble interpreting the results. Once the site is level, spread out the ground cloth. Regular pool testing is an important foundation to prevent other pool problems. I guess I mean what would be the steps to take? Hi Cynthia Is there a system that analyses pool water and then adds the chemicals to the pool. Need help with the pink strip? If it is greater that indicates the presence of combined chlorine, which indicates a need to shock the pool, at levels higher than 0.3 ppm of combined chlorine. And when pH is 8.4, only about half of the chlorine is working, and slowly, very lazy. Alkalinity is Low at 40 ppm, proper range is 80-120 ppm. Hi, my mom and I are considering moving to Arizona, and all of the apartments have pools. Excessive sun exposure has evaporated chlorine: Use a pool cover when the pool is not in use. Start at roughly half or 50% the highest chlorine products and wait 24 hours. It can come in a gas, liquid, granular, or tablet form. PH = I’m new to these test strips, my strips are showing Chlorine to be white, ph is peach color, total alkalinity is yellow, total hardness is purple, and cyanuric acid is a light yellow. Free Chlorine = the water’s fine…” . BTUs are the unit of measurement used to measure power output. To raise the Calcium Hardness you will want to use Calcium Chloride. Includes flat comparator, log book and treatment guide. Place the outlet hose of the pump somewhere your property away from the swimming pool. You have to do more than touch the water to test anything more than the temperature. The installation of an above-ground water pool has been underestimated by many, leading to improper installation, causing leaks, loosed or wrinkled liners, and even uneven ground. 15 x10 = 150. Who wouldn’t want a machine-powered robot to take care... PoolSupplyWorld occasionally accepts guest posts from pool owners and fellow pool professionals. Total Chlorine = Extreme Leaf Removal. Adjusting the Alkalinity and pH Ensure the alkalinity is between 80 and 120 ppm. There are slightly different formulas for calculation pool water volume depending upon the shape of the pool: After distributing the salt evenly around the your saltwater above ground pool, use a pool brush to sweep any piles of salt that may have built up. Solar heating, in most cases, involves a similar setup to the swimming pool heat pump above. 5. Test your water regularly for two key factors: pH and sanitizers. You can also add pool floaties to lounge on in the water. This should be done as soon as the pool is filled with water. Check the perimeter of the pool– the areas of consideration include the mulch and the walls at the bottom of the pool. Cyanuric Acid helps protect chlorine from being destroyed by the sun’s ultra violet rays, so it’s an essential ingredient. pH and alkalinity are closely related, so you may find that once you raise the alkalinity, that your pH level will also rise, perhaps into the normal range. Hello, lower the pH to 7.2 using a pH Decreaser (acid) chemical. Once your salt level is in the ideal range for your chlorinator and the rest of your chemicals are balanced, you can then turn your salt chlorinator on! My pool is a 18×48 above ground easy set pool. I suppose the best test kit is the one that you will use! Step 3: Buy an Above Ground Pool Heater. City/municipal water is excellent for filling swimming pools, because the water is already treated and balanced. Hi Colin, well right here at InTheSwim.com of course! Just add it to the pool, in an estimated amount, and test again later. Hi Lola, I would get a pack of pool test strips, the 4-way Yellow and then go to the pool, get comfy on the lounge chairs with your Mom, and then surreptitiously pull out a test strip, saunter over to the edge of the pool and have a seat on the water’s edge, dangling your feet in the water. I have a Taylor DPD kit, but if I’m in a hurry, sometimes I’ll just use a test strip for a quick chlorine and pH test. We’ll be sure to buy our chemicals from you. Another factor we want to balance is Cyanuric Acid, aka CYA. Drop the intake hose of the pump into the water as close to the pool’s center as possible. Low pH (7.0-7.4) and high chlorine (2-4 ppm) is a good goal. The best pool test kits will have the ability to test all five water balance levels – pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, Cyanuric and Chlorine. Hi, I have very recently moved into a home with a swimming pool. Digital pool testers have electrodes that measure chemical levels in the water with results that have more accuracy and dependability. Hi Tom, test strips are hard to interpret sometimes. We do this first because alkalinity acts as a buffer for the pH. Solar Heating. If you are experiencing high Calcium Hardness levels you will have to either drain the pool completely, or partially, and refill with fresh water. Hi Richard, a salt system like IntelliChlor will create the chlorine automatically, from pool salt added to the pool, but will not affect pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness or cyanuric acid levels, and won’t monitor those levels, so you will still need to test and adjust occassionally. Well water directly from your well. With a couple of tools, knowledge and patience, anyone can do it. Please help. Liquid test kits are an excellent way to determine chemical levels in your pool and maintain crystal clear water at all times. © 2020 PoolSupplyWorld®. Total Alkalinity = FC should be 1.0-2.0 ppm. There are several types of testing supplies available on the market varying in price and accuracy. My question is, how would we go about testing the pool water when we don’t own the apartments? Start with your pump OFF. Depending on your readings, you will want to add either a Alkalinity Increaser to increase the Alkalinity or a Sodium Bisulfate to decrease Alkalinity. I just tested it and the free chlorine is 0, the pH is 8.4, alkalinity is 240. The whole process of balancing your pool water can be done on your own. You’ll need to be able to see the bottom of the pool as clearly as possible while you are standing outside of the pool. However, instead of relying on electricity, the water flows through what is essentially a greenhouse, using sunlight to heat the water. Depending on your readings, you will want to add either a pH increaser (Sodium Carbonate) or a pH decreaser (Sodium Bisulfate). I just put a half a bag of shock in it last night and the night before i put in muriatic acid. Thanks Davy. Add an acid to lower the alkalinity to around 100 ppm, after which you may need to raise the pH level. If you need to add more than the maximum amount (per 10,000 gallons), then you will need to add it in increments. Hi Helene; I took it out when I shocked it. Below are 4 test kits and 4 test strips, in order of Fair, Good, Better and Best. Continue placing food coloring around your pool until you find the leak. While the entire process may take several hours to complete, it’s highly recommended to check on it from time to time. Would you be able to explain what each means and the more common name for the products: Total Hardness = Turn on the pump till you have approximately a 5-gallon bucket of water. Usually the test strips are color coded and come with an easy-to-read chart that lets you easily determine which chemicals you need to add to your pool. If your fill water (well water) is the same, as I think it is, you could consider draining and filling or mostly filling, by truck ($150-$250 in most areas). Keeping your water's pH at suggested levels will help the chemicals do a good job of disinfecting your pool, and will also keep ugly and unhealthy scale from forming on the sides of your pool. The pH value of my pool is 8.4 & the colour if waterblooks green. I have well water and it has a lot of iron in it. Total Chlorine = the sum of free chlorine and combined chlorine (aka chloramines), FC+CC=TC. Pools should run slightly basic, or 7.2-7.6, which is best for pool surfaces, chlorine potency and swimmer comfort. Essentially, you screw the pressure stick into the skimmer, with Teflon tape. Finishing Up. It is recommended to test your pool water at least weekly and add chemicals if you see an increase/decrease in ideal chemical levels. The two pool water test kits I use and recommend are the Taylor K-2006 and TF-100. City or municipal water bills can be quite high and the bigger your pool, the higher the cost. If you are wondering where to drain pool water, make sure to choose a level ground; otherwise, flooding may occur. After you have balanced your pool, you should shock it one last time. Water testing strips like the AquaChek Test Strips can be used to test for individual chemicals or you can buy something like AquaChek Select 7 Way Test Strips or Yellow 4 Way chlorine test strips to make multiple tests at the same time. Too much is a bad thing though, as it makes your chlorine sluggish, best range is 30-50 ppm. The pool can be in-ground or the above-ground style in a frame. Start low and build your salt level. The temp is 43 to 45°. Bottom Line. Even if you use an automatic above ground pool cleaner, brushing once a week is a must. Then lots of filtering, and maintain the good pH and chlorine levels. Total Alkalinity = the buffering capacity of the water in regards to pH. Thanks, Mary. You’ll be achieving perfect water quality in no time! Total Alkalinity refers to the quantity of alkaline material in the water. Then connect a garden hose to it, also with Teflon tape on the male threads. I struggled to maintain the pool but after changing pool retailer to another more reliable and helpful retailer. If you are a test strip user, here’s a Tip: use the cheaper 4-way strips for your daily/weekly checks, and save your more expensive 7-way strips for a monthly test of everything. (I love to swim; you don’t even know!) The next step in balancing our water deals with the water hardness. In conclusion, you should now know how to get above ground pool ready for summer. Then shock the pool with granular chlorine, 2 or 3 lbs per 10000 gallons, or until the water turns a blue/grey color. Could this be my problem? Cyanuric Acid =. At minimum, you should get a test kit that can test for Free Available Chlorine, Cyanuric Acid, pH, Total Alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness. Excellent advise and great site. Now that all the pool chemicals have been added, it is ideal to let your pump run to circulate the chemicals in your pool. If total chlorine is 0.3 ppm higher than free chlorine, shock the pool. You can use the waste outlet on your pool pump by switching the multiport valve to the “WASTE” position. Robotic Pool Cleaner Comparison: Our Top 20. The most amazing feature of test strips other than their low price is that they are very simple to use; just dip them in water, swirl and read the results within seconds. The “multiplier” differs from pool to pool. These water testing solutions mentioned above are perfect to keep water balance easy and make your overall pool maintenance a little lighter. Cyanuric Acid = stabilizer or ‘sunscreen’ for your chlorine. That said, above ground pool heat pumps are specifically designed for smaller pools, … Then you can say, “See, mama? High Chlorine Level - If your chlorine level is too high (above 5ppm) then make sure you take the dispenser out of the water … While you are standing outside the pool, place the food coloring, and wait to see it. This process is used to find surface leaks when the pool's drain, skimmer and fittings pass inspection. Most pools do well with alkalinity of 80-120 ppm. To raise the Calcium Hardness you will want to use Calcium Chloride. The crack or fissure may be felt rather than seen by an experienced leak detection technician who knows what to look for in the water. It’s smart, simple, and gives you results in seconds. Fountains help circulate the pool water, the 3-tier fountain is an excellent one to use. Simply collect the water sample from the pool or spa using the onboard cup and press the Start button to take your measurement. Ever so cool, lean forward and palming the test strip so it’s not visible, move your hand (and strip) back and forth in the water for 10 seconds (or whatever time the test strips suggest), and then get up and return to your chair, and compare the results. Continue to run the filter for 24-48 hours or until all of the added salt is dissolved. The Taylor Troubleshooter is a good value for $20. Hello I am having trouble with my pool. Expired tests cannot be expected to give valid results. Again, liquid test kits are more accurate than test strips, but if you want to use test strips – go ahead. Hot Tub Covers & Year-Round Outdoor Spas – Cover Smart! Once you've got all the items on the safety checklist marked off, it's time to get … If you need something fast, check a local pool store, or in-season, at home stores like HD/Lowes. My mother is worried about Legionnaire’s disease, so I think it would be a good idea to test the water, or at least ask the owner about the level of chemicals needed. The table above indicates the required levels for an above ground pool. Anything with a pH level below 7.0 represents an acidic condition (low pH), while a pH level above 7.0 represents an alkaline condition (high pH). Welcome to the New and Improved PoolSupplyWorld.com! Does that mean I need to decrease or increase total alkalinity? To properly treat your pool water you will need the right levels of chlorine, calcium hardness, alkalinity, and PH. Whenever you are using chemicals always make sure to wear safety gear. Hi Crystal, to raise pH, use Soda Ash, otherwise known as pH Increaser. Keeping your pH properly balanced is important because an imbalance can cause structural and equipment damage. Are these readings ok? I was sold strips that are beyond the expiry date. Water Hardness: The next step in balancing our water deals with the water hardness. How to reduce the pH value & hiw to make water Cristal clear,please reply. There are a couple different options of Chlorine. To do this, we use a simple formula: Length x Width x Average Depth x Multiplier = Volume in Gallons. A swimming pool is just a hole in the ground without water, and swimming is no fun if not experienced in clean, clear and healthy water. The question then becomes, how do I cool the water in my above ground swimming pool? Excessive wetness could be a sign of leak, but be careful do not confuse leaks with natural ground moisture. And speaking of accuracy, drop style pool test kits are always more accurate than test strips, which can be off by as much as 20% in either direction. For quick and easy pool water testing, you can use use a basic 4-way kit that includes phenol red and orthotolidine (OTO) to test pH and chlorine. Typically, the … Any wrinkles here will transfer to the … Proper maintenance requires consistency and vigilance. I use your test strips on my spa. The pH refers to the relative acidity of the water. Test kits, strips and readers are used to check pool water balance levels. Chlorine is used as a sanitizer or disinfectant to kill any bacteria, living organisms, ammonia and other contaminants in the pool. Remember to check your pool’s chemicals, and to clean the pool if needed. Mark the water level on both the inside and the outside of the bucket. 7.0 is neutral, below is acidic, above is basic. Best range is about 200 ppm. Best Pool Test Kit? Is that on the ph high side or low side? I change my filter everyday. Pool Controllers, such as the CAT 2000, or the Rola-Chem pH/Orp system, used with vats of liquid chlorine and pH chemicals, can maintain proper sanitation levels and pH control – but still not complete control, as it won’t affect calcium or cyanuric acid levels – but those two levels are slow to change and can be tested monthly. Liquid testing kits like the 4-Way Test Kit Liquid Solution are economical and easy to use, and some like the Taylor Basic Residential DPD Test Kit take maintenance a step further and include a dosage chart for translating test results into treatment. Your pressure testing stick should be made with a 1.5 inch threaded male fitting on the end. The ideal range for Calcium Hardness is 200 – 400 ppm. You can easily do so by following these tips as outlined. Shock the Pool. Once you have everything set up, it’s time to start testing. Also, when working with chemicals, you can only add a certain amount per 10,000 gallons of water at one time. Test for salt on saltwater pools using a salt test strip. I usually have chlorine floating in a floater. How do you maintain an above-ground pool? How to Drain your Pool with a Hose Siphon Testing and balancing swimming pool water can be a daunting task for any pool owner, so today we’re going to guide you through the process. In fact, learning how to level above ground pool already up just takes a total of 8 steps to do – and all of them are pretty simple.