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.
