Pool Water Testing Blog

As the beginning of Summer 2010 approaches and more people flock to local swimming pools in an effort to cool off, the risk of waterborne illness from parasites increases. Recreational Water Illnesses (RWI’s) typically occur when people do not practice simple hygiene before and during their pool visits.

In the event of a recreational water illness most people immediately blame pool operators for allowing sanitizer levels to fall. Many of those same people, however, forget that germs and bacteria enter the pool on people and that if people stopped introducing harmful germs and bacteria to pool water, sanitizer levels would probably not drop to dangerously low levels and allow germs to wreak havoc.

Another thing to remember about chlorine, bromine and other sanitizers: They will not work as effectively if other critical water parameters such as pH and total alkalinity levels have drifted out of acceptable ranges. So even if sanitizer levels test correctly and in the right ranges, high/low values for other water parameters may render those sanitizers partially or totally ineffective at killing germs and bacteria.

What sort of ‘nasties’ can a person expect to find in swimming pools as a result of poor swimmer hygiene habits?

The most common are caused by the germs Cryptosporidium (crypto), Giardia, E. coli and Shigella. Once these parasites gain entry to the pool they can cause swimmers to experience a variety of infections ranging from skin, ear and eye to gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses that can quickly put a damper on summer fun.

How widespread are these pesky pool parasites? Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found nearly one in ten public swimming pools in a major metropolitan city tested positive for Crypto and Giardia, the parasites responsible for causing most of the outbreaks of diarrhea among swimmers in the United States. Diarrhea is one of the most common illnesses related to swimming and is spread when disease carrying germs from human or animal feces get into the water and are accidentally swallowed by unsuspecting swimmers. ( source )

So as you can clearly see, harmful bacteria and germs in pool water should concern EVERY swimmer and EVERY swimmer should do their part to reduce the number of germs and bacteria they could potentially bring to a pool party.

For a list of things you, your family, and hopefully all other pool patrons can do to reduce the risk RWI’s in your favorite pools, check out a recent article on The Water Testing Blog entitled Myth: Chlorine Kills All Germs and Bacteria in Water.

What about testing? Can the average person test for the presence of harmful bacteria before entering the pool? Yes, WaterSafe manufactures a bacteria test kit specifically designed for use in pool & spa water to detect harmful bacteria species such as Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, E.coli, species of Salmonella, Shigella, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and many other Coliform and non-Coliform bacteria.

While the kit will not distinguish between bacteria types or give quantitative results, it will let you know if water tested contains more than 1,000 cfu/mL. People should avoid swimming in pool water containing levels greater than 1,000 cfu/mL.

We all LOVE to get outside and bask in the sun by the pool… and we all want to remain healthy so we can do it again tomorrow, next week and again next swimming season, right?

Of course we do… so please let’s all read through this list of skin care facts and sun safety guidelines and try to have a fun, safe and sunny time this year by the water!

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers.

More than one million cases of skin cancer (basal cell or squamous cell cancers) occur annually.

Nearly all skin cancers can be prevented by limiting unprotected exposure to the sun and can be cured if detected early.

To prevent skin cancer, the American Cancer Society recommends the following ways to protect your skin:

Follow the Slip! Slop! Slap!® guidelines for protecting yourself while outdoors. Slip! on a shirt, Slop! on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, and Slap! on a hat. Also, wrap on sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays.

Limit or avoid exposure to UV rays during the midday hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Check your own skin, preferably once a month. Be familiar with your pattern of moles, blemishes, freckles, and other marks on your skin so you will notice any changes.

Have a doctor look at any moles or spots on the skin that are changing in size, shape, or color. ( source )

One of the safest ways to keep the sun from baking your skin involves the ancient technique of avoidance. In order to practice avoidance one should have the right equipment. We suggest an umbrella of some sort and the larger the umbrella, well, you know the rest…

OK, so you COULD go and eat a value meal at some fast or semi-fast food restaurant for five dollars (plus tax)… or you could take advantage of a great price on Pool Check 3 Way Test Strips that you know you will need this pool season.

What do they test for? So glad you asked! Pool Check 3 in 1 Test Strips test for Free Chlorine (0-20ppm), Bromine (0-40ppm), Total Alkalinity (0-360ppm), and pH (6.0-9.0).

Right now on the National Safety Products web site you can get a bottle of 50 strips for just five bucks… which works out to just 10 cents a test.

You KNOW you will need these things at some point this pool season so why not pick up a few bottles right now and not have to worry about running out later this Summer and having to pay MORE for the same product; simply because retailers know you’ll have to pay whatever they ask at that point.

Order some Pool Check 3 in 1 Test Strips today… or for those of you who don’t like using test strips and prefer to use a more traditional test kit, you will find those on Taylor-Test-Kits.Com.

On another note…

Happy Friday, everyone! Weekend’s almost here!

The presence of dissolved copper in tap, well and drinking water can cause problems, including health problems, and it can also cause problems in pool water. Most pools use some form of strong oxidizer (i.e. chlorine, bromine, etc.) and with the right pH those oxidizers can cause the dissolved copper to drop out of solution and stain pool surfaces.

In the event of copper staining, pool owners must usually resort to spending money on stain removal chemicals from companies such as Jack’s Magic. While these chemicals work very well, most people would prefer not to have needed them in the first place.

When it comes to metals like copper in pool water, an ounce of prevention in the form of testing can prevent (literally) quarts and gallons of aggravation in the form of stain removal chemicals… which typically cost more than $20 per quart!

Methods of Testing Copper in Pool Water

Traditional methods for testing copper in pool water required the use of liquid, tablet and/or powdered reagents (see Taylor Copper Test Kit) while newer methods include the use of ion-specific tests strips (see AquaChek Copper and Pool Check Copper).

Electronic meters exist for testing copper in pool water as well, but we will go into detail about those in an upcoming post. For now we will concentrate just on popular visual testing methods for copper in pool water.

• First, you have the AquaChek Copper Test Strips which come packages in bottles of 25 and have detection levels of 0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, and 3 ppm. Approximate cost: $12.

• Next you have the Pool Check Copper 3 in 1 Test Strips which come packaged in bottles of 50 and test for copper, pH and alkalinity all at the same time. This product has copper detection levels of 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.7, 1, 2 ppm. Approximate cost: $15.

• And last but not necessarily least, you have the Taylor Copper Test Kit which uses a pair of liquid reagents and detects between 0 and 3 ppm copper. Approximate cost: $44.

With regard to which of the three aforementioned methods works best, well, each has its place at the copper testing table… though we do favor the Pool Check Copper 3 in 1 Test Strips because of their color chart has the most useful level designations for copper testing while also testing for pH and alkalinity at the same time.

Voted one of the “Most Valuable Products for 2008!” by Aquatics International Magazine, the Lamotte Color Q Pro 7 tests for seven critical pool and spa water parameters: Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Bromine, pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, and Cyanuric Acid.

It comes with either TesTabs or liquid reagents and has a 6-month manufacturer’s warranty.

Below you will find a table which lists each water quality parameter the meter can test along with the meter’s associated detection limits.

The Lamotte Color Q Pro 7 offers convenient pool or spa-side water testing without the need for color matching or look up charts and conversion tables. It provides direct readings for Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Bromine, pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, and Cyanuric Acid and by doing so eliminates all guesswork.

We recently got asked, “Will leaving bugs, leaves, grass clippings and other types of yard debris harm my pool?”

Answer… Yes, but when harm will occur depends on water conditions and the exact nature of the pool water contaminants.

Starting with bugs…

As a general rule most bugs have a pretty good resistance to water for a while and can hang out in pool water for at least a day or three before becoming overly gross and mushy… but do you REALLY want dead things in your pool for that long?

Eventually the bugs will start to break down due to the presence of chlorine/bromine and as they do, their dissolved parts add to the total number of dissolved solids in the water. In theory, over time the TDS level could rise high enough one day that the pool water becomes cloudy.

Our advice? Scoop out the dead things!

Leaves and other contaminants…

Leaves will break down in the same manner as bugs, but when they do they can affect the pH level of pool through the release of organic acids AND may stain pool surfaces — especially vinyl liners.

If you have ever had the misfortune of getting stains in your pool from leaves (or other contaminants) you have also probably had the pleasure of using a product from the Jack’s Magic line of pool cleaning chemicals.

• Jack’s Magic Blue Stuff — “Specifically formulated to prevent stains and scale in your vinyl liner pool. Also works great on fiberglass pools!”

• Jack’s Magic Sapphire Stuff — “Combines a clarifier, metal sequestering agent, chelater and flocculant for powerful 4 in 1 action. Removes oils, soaps, metals, cosmetics and other particulate matter from swimming pool water.”

• Jack’s Magic Purple Stuff — “Powerful stain preventing formula, perfect for pools with a high TDS (total dissolved solids) level. Helps prevent scaling of chlorine generator electrodes.”

Does skimming the pool surface HAVE to hurt my back?

Until recently, yes it did. Using fixed position leaf skimmers and leaf nets required people to twist and strain their backs as they moved their nets back and forth over the water’s surface.

New products such as SwivelSkim Pro and SwivelSkim Elite makes skimming a pool’s surface a much less painful process. Their unique designs allow pool owners to effortlessly skim a pool surface with a simple down and back motion instead of a potentially back-breaking side to side sweeping motion.

We still get people asking us if solar covers really do ‘work’… so we figured we’d take a few minutes to list a few of the benefits we have seen people reap by using solar covers on their swimming pools.

‘Rapid’ warming of pool water

Most people begin the swimming season with a pool full of ‘ice water’. Not literally, but the phrase, “Wow! That pool’s as cold as ice!” does get used quite frequently at the beginning of most swimming seasons.

Solar covers work at night to keep heat gained by the water from the sun’s rays in the daytime in the pool until the next day. On average, solar covers can raise the temperature of pool water by 10 to 15 degrees, a temperature gain that uncovered pools reach much later in the swimming season.

Saves money in more than one way

Properly used solar covers reduce evaporation and that means more water stays in the pool (less fill water required over the season), more of the chemicals remain in the pool (less chlorine/bromine used over the season), and folks with pool heaters do not need to use them as often to maintain ‘pleasant’ pool water temperatures.

Reduction in maintenance time

Solar covers act as a barrier for blowing leaves, lawn clippings, dirt, and most importantly insects that typically fond their way into pools. A solar cover will not stop ALL contaminants from getting into a pool, but it does reduce the number that people have to vacuum out and/or scoop up off the top.

Proper use of solar covers

Before you get the idea that solar covers will do all of the aforementioned things without ANY work on your part, please notice that we used the phrase ‘properly used solar cover’ several times.

Proper use of solar covers includes:

1. Covering all surfaces of the pool including side step areas. They make small pieces of solar cover for step areas.

2. Maintaining a rip and tear-free solar cover. Solar blankets with gaping holes in them work as well to keep pools warm as a comforters with giant holes in them keep us warm in the winter.

3. Keeping the solar cover out of direct sunlight when not in use. They make solar cover covers for this purpose.

4. Putting the solar cover back on the pool at night regularly. Solar cover reels (Above Ground Reels and In Ground Reels) make this task a lot easier.

5. NOT leaving the cover on the pool for days on end. As chlorine/bromine oxidizes organic contaminants gases evolve and if not allowed to leave the water, those gases can result in annoying water chemistry problems. As an example, algae likes to show up in pools that remain covered for too long.

6. Speaking of water chemistry, test critical pool water parameters on a regular basis and keep your pool water balanced. Poorly balanced pool water makes a nice home for algae and bacteria… and can drastically shorten the lifespan of a solar cover!

Need a reliable test kit for your swimming pool? Take a look at the eXact Micro 7+ Pool/Spa Testing Meter and/or Taylor Test Kits for Pools and Spas.

Ready to purchase a solar cover?

• 12′ ROUND SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 15′ ROUND SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 18′ ROUND SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 21′ ROUND SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 24′ ROUND SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 28′ ROUND SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 30′ ROUND SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 33′ ROUND SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 12′ X 18′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 12′ X 24′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 15′ X 30′ OVAL
• 16′ X 24′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 16′ X 32′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 18′ X 33′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 18′ X 40′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 18′ X 44′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 21′ X 41′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 8 MIL 3 YR WARRANTY
• 12′ X 20′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY – BLUE
• 12′ X 24′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 14′ X 28′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 16′ X 24′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 16′ X 32′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 18′ X 36′ RECTANGLE BLUE SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
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• 24′ X 40′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 30′ X 50′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 15′ ROUND MAGNI-CLEAR SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
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• 12′ X 24′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 15′ X 30′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 16′ X 32′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 18′ X 33′ OVAL SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 12′ X 24′ RECT SOLAR BLANKET 14 MIL 6 YR WARRANTY
• 16′ X 32′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 14 MIL 6 YR WARRANTY
• 18′ X 36′ RECTANGLE CLEAR SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
• 20′ X 40′ RECTANGLE CLEAR SOLAR BLANKET 12 MIL 5 YR WARRANTY
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• 30′ X 50′ RECT. SOLAR BLANKET 14 MIL 6 YR WARRANTY

Have you ever walked out to your pool, smelled the thick odor of chlorine in the air, and had to ask yourself WHY the water still had a green tint to it? If so, the answer may lie not in the amount of chlorine in your water, but rather with the TYPE of chlorine you have in your water.

By type we don’t mean granular/powder chlorine, chlorine sticks, 3″ chlorine tablets, 1″ fast-dissolving chlorine tablets, or liquid chlorine, either… We mean that the pool may have too much ‘combined chlorine’, also referred to as chloramines, and not enough free chlorine in the water.

Granted combined chlorine CAN prevent and kill algae, but it does not perform NEARLY as well as free chlorine, it gives off the nasty ‘chlorine smell’ that most people don’t care for, and in great enough quantities it can cause eye irritation.

Want to prove the existence of too much combined chlorine? No problem. Simply test for free chlorine and total chlorine using your favorite testing method and then subtract the free chlorine value from the total chlorine value. If you get a result greater than 0.2ppm then you should probably use a non-chlorine shock treatment to oxidize both the combined chlorine AND the algae at the same time.

Need a test kit for free and total chlorine?

If you find yourself in need of a test kit for free and total chlorine, you can go with one of three options: Test strips, liquid test kits or meters which use reagents.

• Least Expensive Methods — 6 Way Test Strips from Pool Check, AquaChek or Lamotte

• Traditional Liquid Kit Methods — Taylor Deluxe DPD, Taylor FAS DPD Complete or Basic 4-Way Test Kit.

• Most Accurate, Reliable… and Expensive Methods — eXact Micro 7+ Pool Testing Meter, Lamotte Color Q Pool Testing Meter or Scuba/Scuba Digital Pool testing Meter.

If you already have a testing system, please remember that all reagents have a shelf-life and most reagents should get replaced with the arrival of each swimming season.

While we would LOVE to tell you that all public and semi-public beaches and pools get tested regularly for bacteria and/or will have safe water to swim in, we cannot, in good conscience, do that.

Below you will find just a few good reasons to consider testing your favorite local swimming spot for critical water parameters yourself before diving in.

• “June 02, 2010 – Much like last year, the county’s 2010 beach monitoring program is reeling from budget cuts. The number of public beaches monitored for bacteria through the Oakland County Health Division dwindled from 120 beaches in 2007 to a mere 30 in 2009. Oakland County has 279 active beaches that are public or semi-public facilities. Of the county’s public beaches, 54 are typically sampled on an annual schedule. For 2010, 45 public beaches will be sampled this summer for bacteria.” ( source )

• “An advisory against swimming was posted today at a sound-side site in New Hanover County, where state environmental health officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.

  The advisory affects an area in Wrightsville Beach and is located at an access off Waynick Boulevard between Snyder and Seashore Streets in Banks Channel. Test results taken on June 1 indicate levels that exceed the state and federal action levels of 104 enterococci per 100 milliliters for Tier 1 high usage sites.” ( source )

• “MEMPHIS, TN – Keeping public swimming pools clean can be dirty work. Problems such as dirty water led to the closing of one in eight pools across the country two years ago, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report says public pools are blamed for 15 to 20 stomach bug outbreaks every year across the nation.” ( source )

Pool/Spa Water Testing

So what water parameters can you measure easily and quickly before getting in the water? So glad you asked!

For most swimming pools you will want to test the sanitizer level first and that will most often take the form of chlorine or bromine. Next you will want to test the pH (acid/base level) of the water. Simple 3-Way Test Strips work well for this type of testing and do not cost a lot.

Beyond those two critical parameters, you will also want to test the water’s bacteria level. A company by the name of WaterSafe manufactures a Pool/Spa Bacteria Test Kit

Usually we talk about pool water testing and other matters pertaining to the overall operation of swimming pools, but today we want all pool owners to take a good look at safety issues. Thousands of people have gotten seriously injured and hundreds have died in pool & spa related incidents — many of which did not have to occur.

Below you will find some statistics about pool and spa related injuries and deaths that may shock you… and we hope they will make you perform a routine check of the safety measures and equipment in place in and around your own pool or spa.

From 2005 through 2007, an average of 385 children younger than age 15 drowned every year in pools or spas. More than 75 percent of those children were under five years old.

Serious injuries in pools also occur, but don’t always get as much attention. From 2007 through 2009, 4,200 children younger than 15 were treated each year in hospital emergency rooms from water-related pool injuries. Almost half of those injuries were to children between the ages of 1 and 2. Half of the injuries and about three-fourths of the deaths in these pool or spas happen at homes.

This loss of life and high numbers of injuries are tragic and preventable. That’s a key word – preventable. ( source )

For dramatic purposes we will again say what we believe needs saying over and over again until people pay attention and take action:

Millions of people enjoy a cool, refreshing dip in the pool each year without incident, but for others the lack of a few simple pieces of safety equipment meant injury and sometimes death — and many of those injuries and deaths did NOT have to happen.

With that said, below you will find a list of suggestions and tips that can help improve pool and spa safety. If you think of any we missed, please feel free to comment and we will share them with other readers.

• Anti-Entrapment Drain & Suction Covers — As a result of the tragic death of a young girl in a hot tub several years ago, all commercial and semi-commercial pools must now have anti-entrapment devices over main drains and wall suction openings. ( source )

  So… Does that mean residential pool and spa owners don’t need to action? Legally, no, they do not… but having anti-entrapment covers over their own main drains could very easily prevent the death of a small child, and perhaps even an adult depending upon the strength of the pool’s circulation pump.

• Floating Rope Divider Marking Deeper Water — Sounds silly, but just imagine a non-swimmer walking around in the shallow end of a crowded pool getting accidentally bumped over the drop-off towards the deep end… and because of all the other swimmers no one notices him or her sliding down to the bottom of the pool.

  The presence of a floating safety rope serves two purposes: First, it alerts non-swimmers that they have ventured close to deeper water and lets them know they need to reverse course; and secondly, any non-swimmers who might accidentally have gotten beyond it might have a chance to grab hold of the rope and pull themselves to safety.

• Pool Fencing — No one can drown in your pool if they can’t get to it. While law requires owners of inground pools to have their pool areas completely fenced in,

• Pool Alarms — Whether you want to keep unwanted late night pool jumpers from invading your swimming space or you want to know right away when an unexpected pool guest falls into your pool so you can quickly scoop him or her out, no device works better for that than a pool alarm.

• Yard/Gate Alarms — What better way to keep people from getting IN your pool than to keep them OUT of the yard that leads to your pool, right?

• In case the unfortunate does happen, having someone with current CPR training can make the difference between life and death.

• Although we don’t really think we should need to say this, statistics suggest otherwise. PAY ATTENTION TO THE WHEREABOUTS OF SMALL CHILDREN AROUND THE POOL OR SPA!

  Also, keep non-swimmers within reach of strong/good swimmers. A simple slip in a few feet of water can push a non-swimmer into panic mode and yes, they can drown in the shallow end as a result of freaking out and not knowing what to do.

We all love the way cool, refreshing pool water feels on our skin so let’s try to make it so we can all enjoy that same feeling next year, too.