Testing your pool water is a must for perfect pool chemistry. Use test strips, liquid kits, or digital testers to monitor your water’s balance, including the pH, alkalinity, chlorine level, and calcium hardness. Knowing your pool’s chemical levels through regular testing allows you to execute proper maintenance and keep a healthy pool.
If you would like more detailed information about testing, check out our Testing Buyer’s Guide and FAQ.
Pool Testing involves testing the water in your pool for various chemicals. It lets you know whether there are any problems that you need to treat to keep the water clean and enhance the pool experience. Pool testing not only helps keep you healthy, but it also prevents damage to your pool and your equipment.
To ensure optimal conditions, it is recommended to test your pool water for chlorine, pH, and total alkalinity levels two to three times a week. After heavy rainfall, it is important to check the chemical levels, as rain can affect pool balance. Testing for calcium hardness should be done monthly, while testing for metals should be conducted every three to four months, or more frequently if previous metal-related issues have occurred. Additionally, testing the water after making any adjustments is advisable to assess their effectiveness. For instance, if you added a pH-increasing chemical, you should check whether it raised the pH to the desired level. Allow a few hours for the chemicals to circulate and take effect before conducting the test.
Regardless of the method you use, it is essential to follow the instructions provided for water collection and color matching. Test kit strips and digital readers require simple dipping into the water and reading the results. With test kits, you must collect water and add dye before obtaining a reading.
Follow this table to see what levels you are looking for in your pool:
|
TEST
|
RANGE
|
|
pH
|
7.2 - 7.6
|
|
Total Alkalinity
|
120 - 150 ppm
|
|
Calcium Hardness
(vinyl pools) |
175 - 225 ppm
|
|
Calcium Hardness
(concrete pools) |
200 - 250 ppm
|
|
Free Chlorine
|
1 - 3 ppm
|
|
Free Bromine
|
3 - 5 ppm
|
|
Stabilizer / Cyanuric Acid
|
20 - 50 ppm
|
|
Metals
(Iron, Copper, etc.) |
0 ppm
|
