Testing Your Pool Water

To ensure that your pool water is a clean and safe environment you will need to spend a short time testing the water chemistry and, if required, adding the appropriate water treatment products. Even if your pool water is crystal clear, you still need to carry out a couple of simple tests to ensure that it is safe to swim in.

There are several types of Testers available to you.

Test Strips (Litmus paper) are the simplest and quickest means of testing your pool water.

Liquid Reagent Kits are also available, care needs to be taken when adding the liquid solution to ensure that the correct quantity of reagent is added.

Test Tablet Kits are probably the best means of testing your pool water; they offer simple, accurate analysis at an affordable price.

You should check your pool water daily for both sanitiser and pH. Most Above Ground Pool owners restrict the tests that they carry out to chlorine and pH. The more conscientious pool owner will also test the Total Alkalinity of the pool water on a weekly basis. Calcium Hardness and Cyanuric Acid (Chlorine Stabiliser) should also be tested for on a monthly basis. You will need to make the appropriate chemical adjustments if your test indicates that your pool water is outside the parameters outlined in this guide.