If you are a swimming pool owner, it is very important that you take the necessary steps to ensure that your pool water is tested regularly to make sure that it is balanced and safe to use. Testing the water of your pool is generally the first step one takes on the whole process of maintaining the swimming pool. Testing the water of your pool helps you assess the needs of your pool and take the required steps to ensure that your pool is healthy, and the water is not flooded with unnecessary chemicals that can be harmful to your skin.
How can you test the water in your swimming pool?
There are multiple methods out there which you can use to test the water in your swimming pool, but the most reliable and common ones which you can easily get your hands on are the swimming pool test strips, and also the swimming pool testing kits. Ideally, you must test the water of your pool every week or every other week so that you can constantly maintain the good balance of your pool. For this reason, it is a good idea to do a lot of research and invest in good quality testing strips and kits so that you will always get an accurate result. Whatever method of testing you choose, please do make sure that the test gives you a result for chlorine and pH levels. While there are other factors that play an important role as well like water hardness and alkalinity, chlorine and pH levels are the most important ones that determine the overall swimming pool health, and all the people who regularly use the swimming pool. In the long run for the better health of your swimming pool, we suggest that you get a test strip that lets you check all four aspects of your pool water – pH balance, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, and chlorine level. Once you assess these levels, you can take the necessary steps to balance the chemical levels of your pool water. It is recommended that you make journal entries to record the chemical levels of your pool.
Why is it important to test and balance the water in your swimming pool?
It is extremely important to test and balance your swimming pool water as it helps you maintain healthy chemical levels. Once tested, you can use different measures to balance the water out, so it is safe for your friends and family to use.
Additional Read: 4 Effective checklists for maintaining pool – A complete guide
How to balance the water in your swimming pool?
In this article, we will break down the process of testing and balancing the water in your swimming pool in simple steps.
Step 1 – make sure you have all the supplies you need
This includes the pool test kits or strips, pH balancer, alkalinity balancer, calcium hardness balancer, a water conditioner or a water stabilizer.
Step 2 – Calculate the volume of water in your swimming pool.
This is an important step as it lets you treat the pool correctly and use accurate measures of the balancers. Calculating the volume of the swimming pool is quite simple – multiply the length of the pool with the width and depth and the multiplier. The multiplier varies from pool to pool, so the best idea is to contact your local pool expert.
Step 3 – Performing the test
Use the test kit and it will give you the different levels of the chemicals in the water
Step 4 – Balance the pool water
The test will show you if you are lacking or have an excess of any chemical. You can balance these by adding or treating the water. Make sure that you wait for about 6 hours after each treatment. Keep in mind that adding extra chemicals is never a good idea and this can also be extremely harmful to your health as well.
Step 5 – pH balance –
You need to ensure that the pH of your pool is between 7.4 to 7.6. This means that your pool must be just a little alkaline in nature. If the water has a pH lower than 7, that means your pool is acidic in nature. Adding sodium bicarbonate increases the pH of your water and sodium bisulfate decreases the pH of the water.
Step 6 – Alkalinity –
The reading for alkalinity should fall between 80 to 120 ppm (parts per million). In case it is lower, add sodium bicarbonate. If it is higher, add sodium bisulfate.
Step 7 – Calcium hardness –
Your test for water hardness should give you a reading which falls between 200 to 400 ppm. In case the reading is below this, then you need to add calcium chloride. If it is higher, then you will have to drain the pool partially or fully.
Step 8 – Chlorine –
Chlorine plays a very important role of a disinfectant in your swimming pool. But too much of it can be quite harmful as well, so checking for chlorine levels is a must. You need to make sure that the chlorine levels in your pool are maintained within the range of 2 to 4.
In conclusion, testing and balancing the water of your pool is a routinely function that every single pool owner must partake in on a regular basis. This ensures the long life of your pool and makes sure that the people using the pool are not exposed to too many harmful chemicals while maintaining the hygiene of the pool.