Pool Water Testing Blog

One of the most annoying pool vermin ever: ALGAE.

Whether it greets you when you take the winter or solar cover off of the pool, sneaks up on you because the automatic chlorinator ran out of chlorine two days ago, or invades your pool because the pump and filter died at some point during your 7-day vacation to see the in-laws in Missouri… finding algae in your swimming pool ALWAYS sucks.

Luckily for you, though, other people have already gone through the process of getting rid of algae and put together chemical packages that you can use to clean up your green, slimy, gross looking pool water.

Below you will find ‘algae attack packs’ from In the Swim for green algae, yellow/mustard algae and black algae:

Some people have all the luck and remove their pool cover each and every year without ever finding so much as a single leaf in the pool… while other, less fortunate folks find what looks like entire forests under their pool cover — along with a plethora of stains.

Getting all the leaves out? Back breaking work, but definitely something most people can manage wit the right leaf rake. Removing the stains, though, can sometimes require a lot more than manual labor.

Before you can remove a stain that elbow grease doesn’t take care of, you must first figure out what caused it so you can choose the correct stain removal chemical for the job.

Jack’s Magic Stain ID makes identifying mysterious stains a simple process.

After making sure your pool water has the correct chemical balance, simply apply one of the included compounds to the stained area for 30 to 45 seconds and remove. If the area lightens or comes up altogether, that’s the compound you will need to use on the stain. Simple as that.

Below you will find a list of Jack’s Magic products that will help you correctly identify and remove stains from pool liners, pool steps, and other pool surfaces.

In recent years the popularity of ‘salt water pools’ has increased dramatically. Consumers love the convenience offered by chlorine generators that use ordinary table salt to continuously generate chlorine in their swimming pools.

Chlorine generators break down NaCl (salt) molecules using a process called electrolysis which eventually produces hypochlorous acid(HOCl) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), the sanitizing agents already commonly used in swimming pools traditionally added as harsh chlorine liquids, chlorine tablets or chlorine granules/powders.

Pool professionals suggest maintaining a salt level between 1,800 and 6,000 parts per million (ppm), with most pools hovering around 3,500 to 5,000 ppm.

Testing for Salt:       Pool Check Salt    |    Lamotte Waterproof Salt Meter

Some people believe that salt pools contain no chlorine, but in fact they really do. Salt pools do not, however, usually contain chloramines, often referred to as combined chlorine, which can irritate the eyes of swimmers and result in pools having a strong and unpleasant ‘chlorine smell’. The process by which chlorine generators produce chlorine also destroys chloramines.

Many pool professionals claim that properly installed and monitored chlorine generators make swimming pool ownership about as easy as it will ever get — short of hiring someone else to take care of the pool, of course!

Proper Monitoring/Maintenance of a Salt Pool

Will I Ever Need to Add More Salt?

While salt systems more or less recycle chlorine and in a perfect world would never need anything added to them to maintain a desired salt/chlorine concentration, water splashing out of the pool results in chlorine generators needing to slowly draw off of salt reserves which need replenishing every once in a while.

Will I Ever Need to Shock My Salt Pool?

Yes. Pool professionals suggest adding a non-chlorine shock treatment once a week to oxidize any accumulated bacteria or other contaminants not affected by normal chlorine residual levels.

Please note that merely cranking up a chlorine generator and running the system for a long time (24 or more hours in a row) will result in super-chlorination but it will not adequately oxidize contaminants in the water.

Will I Need to Use Stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid)?

Most experts agree that a salt pool should have a chlorine stabilizer residual to keep the sun’s UV rays from depleting the pool’s free chlorine levels. A chlorine stabilizer concentration of 50 to 75 ppm will usually suffice, though pools in areas that get a lot of sun may require higher concentrations.

Seasonal Maintenance on a Chlorine Generator?

A definite YES. Each year, and possibly several times a year, pool experts recommend removing and cleaning the ‘salt cell’ in a mild acid in an effort to keep it free of calcium build-up and scale.

To help reduce and/or prevent calcium build-up on the cell you can use a product such as the Aquapill Salt Cell Guard.

Is There a Downside to Salt Water Pools?

Nothing great comes without a price of some sort, so yes, salt water pools do have a few negatives associated with them.

For starters, the initial cost of a decent chlorine generator can deter people from converting their pool over to a salt system. The cost of replacement cells, which most people WILL need at some point, may also make some people think twice about installing a salt system on their pool.

A second negative side to salt water pools deals with the fact that salt water tends to corrode many types of metal, including stainless steel, faster that standard chlorinated water. For that reason pretty much all above ground pool manufacturers will tell you that they will NOT honor any warranty claims for salt water pools.

Where Can I Get a Chlorine Generator for My Pool?

So glad you asked… An online pool products by the name of Amerimerc has a decent selection of chlorine generators and really great (inexpensive) shipping & handling policies.

As the 2010 Swimming Season approaches many of you have opened the shed, peered into the garage, begun rummaging through the pool house, etc. in the hopes of finding all the gadgets and gizmos you used last year to keep your pool sparkling clean.

Among those gadgets and gizmos you most likely had some sort of test kit for pool water… which may have magically disappeared over the Winter months.

It happens. Don’t ask us HOW or WHY those test kits and bottles of test strips disappear, but just believe us when we say it happens each and every year — to LOTS of people.

Below you will find links to Pool Check brand pool and spa test strips… in case your test kit vanished, too.

Although private pool owners do not have to abide by any laws when it comes to the frequency of testing and type of test they carry out when testing their pool water, operators of public swimming facilities must often follow strict guidelines and use specific equipment.

As an example, pretty much every state requires that they test for free chlorine and total chlorine levels using an EPA Compliant test method… and that means their testing method must use DPD reagents. This applies to visual chlorine test kits that use liquids, powders and tablets… and to chlorine testing meters as well.

Recently, though, a new method of DPD delivery has come into existence: the DPD ReagentStrip. It works as well as powders, drops and tablets but offers a lot more convenience. You can find more information about the DPD ReagentStrip on www.sensafe.com.

Commonly Used DPD-Based Test Strips for Chlorine Testing?

When most people think about using DPD reagents to test for free and total chlorine concentrations in swimming pool water, two test kits typically come to mind:

• Taylor Deluxe Test Kit — Tests for chlorine and bromine levels using DPD and also tests for pH, acid & base demand, total alkalinity, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid. Optional reagents allow the kit to test for other parameters such as water metals (i.e. copper and iron).

• Tyalor Complete FAS-DPD Test Kit — This pool water test kit tests for chlorine and bromine levels using DPD and also tests for pH, acid & base demand, total alkalinity, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid, just like the Taylor Deluxe Kit, but it makes use of the 9058 Comparator. With this test kit the sanitizer tests use titration methods which help eliminate color-matching problems and work particularly well for determining high levels of chlorine/bromine.

Over the years we have dealt with WAY too many people who had trouble getting their pool ‘right’ after opening it — because they DIDN’T add the necessary pool water balancing chemicals at the beginning of the season.

Please don’t let yourself fall in that desperate, sad category! Test your water if ya’ know what to test for… free chlorine, total chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, iron, copper, tds and cyanuric acid.

The above parameters assume, of course, that you have a chlorine pool.

Below you will find links to some useful web pages with VERY useful pool water balancing chemicals, pool water test kits, etc.

Last year we published a blog entry called Peeing in the Swimming Pool… Americans Admit Doing It and many of you thought we made the whole thing up… but we didn’t. Take a look at the following article, published 5/20/2010, and you will understand why we urged, and continue to urge, people to take the matter of public pool testing into their own hands.

For those who opted not to check the link we just posted about how 1 in 5 Americans admit urinating in swimming pools, we ask you to think about the number of times you have waded through a pool and discovered a ‘warm spot’.

Granted that warmth may have come from the sun, sure, it could happen, but realistically, you may have just wandered through a patch of human urine before its warmth had a chance to dissipate into the rest of the pool. Gross.

Makes you think, right? It ought to… and it ought to make you think about testing the pool to make sure it has an acceptable pH and free chlorine level before you get in the water!

ARLINGTON, Va., May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Unhealthy pools are more common than you may think. Newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) underscores the importance of protecting yourself and your family at the pool this summer. The CDC reports a disturbing statistic: About 1 out of 8 public pool inspections conducted in 13 states in 2008 resulted in pools being closed immediately due to serious code violations. The venues that had the most disinfection violations were kiddie/wading pools and water play areas.

Improperly chlorinated water puts swimmers at risk for recreational water illnesses like diarrhea and ear and skin infections. This summer the CDC is encouraging all swimmers to be activists – check your pool water and immediately report any problems to pool staff. Test strips are a quick and easy way to measure if there is adequate chlorine to kill germs and if pH is in the proper range. Swimmers can take action to protect themselves with free pool test kits offered by the Water Quality & Health Council on its website.

“You can’t always trust your fellow swimmer to practice healthy swimming habits,” said Chris Wiant, Chair of the Water Quality and Health Council. “But, what you can do is test the chlorine level and pH of the water to make sure your pool is properly treated – and immediately approach pool staff if it is not.”

Test strips are an easy way to check the water and maintain a healthy pool. When testing pool water, swimmers should be sure that the free chlorine level is between 1.0 and 4.0 parts per million (ppm) and the pH registers between 7.2 and 7.8.

Last year’s survey by the Water Quality and Health Council found that one in five Americans pee in the pool. Urine, as well as sweat and even sunscreen, contains nitrogen that eats up some of a pool’s free chlorine, making it less effective in fighting off waterborne germs. To ensure on-the-spot protection, it is important to regularly adjust a pool’s chlorine levels. ( source )

Scary, right? Can’t even take the kiddies, or your own hot self, to the local water spot to take a dip w/o worrying that someone has tainted the water — on purpose ‘cuz they’re lazy and don’t feel like walking alllllll the way to the bathroom OR because someone failed to heed the warning of ‘do not go swimming if you have, or have recently gotten over, diarrhea or some other gastrointestinal disorder’.

In the (un?)likely event that one or both of the types of people swim where you swim, don’t you want to know if the water has enough chlorine to kill the bacteria, germs, and other nasties? Don’t you want to know that the pool water has a pH level that will allow the chlorine to work properly?

Simple Pool Testing Options?

The Water Quality & Health Council has an offer of free test strips out there, so naturally we suggest jumping on THAT opportunity.

Free test strips always sounds better than having to shell out a few bucks. But let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that you DID have to pay for free chlorine and pH test strips… what would they cost?

Not a whole lot, actually. Right now a company called National Safety Products has Pool Check 3-Way Test Strips on sale for roughly $5 for a pack of 50 test strips that test for free chlorine, pH and Alkalinity.

For those who don’t trust test strips and would prefer to re-live old chemistry class moments and prefer to use ‘wet kits’ that use drops of reagents, don’t worry, they still make basic 4-Way Liquid Reagent Test Kits that test for free chlorine, total chlorine, pH, and alkalinity.

Regardless of how you look at it, in the end the safety of you and your children at the pool will ultimately come down to the quality of the water and in out opinion, if nationally recognized agencies suggest testing, well, we will heed their suggestions dutifully.

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Testing for bacteria in pool water? Yep. You can do that, too: WaterSafe Pool/Spa Bacteria Test Kit ought to do the trick.

Now that you have removed the cover, dredged out the leaves, unclogged the skimmers and drains, and gotten the filter up and running… you really need to think about getting some chemicals in that water, and STAT!

Get all the powerful, effective pool opening chemicals you should need at one time, and in one convenient pool opening kit. Oh, and in case you waited ’til last minute, In the Swim offers excellent shipping rates and delivers FAST… as in you might even have it the next day!

Don’t take our word for it, though. Read what other people think about In the Swim Pool Opening Kits:

“I used another system last year , pool kept getting green after rainfall. Switched to this all in one system, and have loved using it, Keeps pool really clean and clear, easy to use. I would highly recommend this system. Delivered right to my door, always has sales, competively priced.” — Buffalo, NY

“The start up kit was worth the price, and the products were good.” — Rison, NY

“Quick and easy to use, my pool was dark green when I took off the cover, but I used the product as directed and just cleaned my filter daily for 5 days, used clarifier and the pool was ready to swim in by the next weekend.” — NY

Treat yourself to a straightforward, trouble-free pool opening this year with a swimming pool start up chemical kit from In the Swim. Their easy-to-follow directions take the guesswork out of using a powerful chlorine shock, a stain prevention product, a non-metallic algaecide, a water clarifier, and Sun Sorb product.

What Size Kits Do They Make?

• Basic kits treat up to 7500 gallons.
• Deluxe kits treat up to 15,000 gallons.
• Super kits treat up to 30,000 gallons.

How Do We Use the Opening Kit?

Each kit comes with a set of simple pool opening instructions assembled by a skilled team of pool professionals with years of combined experience opening pools all over the country.

What Does Each Component Do?

• Chlorine-based Shock — Eliminate the dangerous bacteria and contaminants that build up over the winter months and establishes a free chlorine residual.

• Stain, Rust & Scale Preventer — Prevents minerals from forming ugly stains, scaling and brown water. A definite must for pool owners using well water or fill water that may contain dissolved iron, copper, etc.

• Non-Metallic Algaecide — Serves as a backup to your free chlorine residual and kicks in to fight off algae if that level drops too low or temporarily disappears altogether. A bonus of non-metallic alagaecides: they don’t contain copper which can, in some cases, drop out of solution and cause staining.

• Clarifier — Makes dirt, small particulates and other pool water contaminants such as suntan oils stick to each other so that your filter can collect them easier.

• Sun Sorb — Attracts body and suntan oils along with other lotions off a pool’s surface so that they do not wind up getting sucked into your filter system where they could clog filters and reduce the amount of time you go before needing to backwash, remove and clean filters off, etc.

Learn More About In the Swim Pool Opening Chemical Kits

For all those who have not opened a swimming pool before, and also those who just want a nice, convenient way to add all the basic chemicals w/o having to think too much, Spring Opening Kits make starting up a swimming pool a whole lot easier.

Will a Spring Opening Kit guarantee crystal clear, safe swimming pool water in 24 hours or less? In some cases, yes, but always get your water tested by a local pool store, or for those with a few chemistry skills, always perform the necessary checks on all the critical water parameters.

What Next?

Test your water regularly with test strips, a liquid test kit, or a pool testing meter and add the appropriate pool water balancing chemicals as needed.

So you got the pool cover off, dredged out the debris, skimmed off the bugs (and other dead things), and got all the plumbing checked out and ready to go… but when ya’ fire up the filter system ya’ get a terrible squealing sound.

Hmmm… Either the spirit of Deliverance invaded your pool, or the bearings in your pump have decided to give you their 2 week notice. WD40 won’t make them any better, either, so don’t even think about it. Either replace them, get them replaced, or replace the pump altogether.

If you opt for the latter of those three options, then the following links will definitely come in handy — and save you a trip to the pool store.

Testing for Dead Bearings in a Pool Pump?

Turn the thing on and it starts wailing like a grade school kid getting a Super Wedgie… then wait for the pump to start smoking and seize up. Yep. Dead bearings.