Fix It and keep it

At least once a week swimming pool water needs to be tested to ensure certain levels of pool chemicals are present in the water to do the necessary work of keeping the swimming pool water sanitary and clear. This is most conveniently done after backwashing the filter.

A well balanced swimming pool only needs to have the pH and chlorine levels checked and adjusted on a regular basis, the other chemical values being measured less frequently.

A good pool test kit is a must - preferably one that uses tablets rather than liquid drops. Expired tablets/ test liquids (reagents) should be thrown out as they very often give inaccurate readings, resulting in us pouring unnecessary (expensive) chemicals into our swimming pools. Always keep the test kit in a cool dry place out of the sun and out of the reach of children.

When testing the pool water, rinse the cells of your test kit thoroughly before filling them with water from at least 12 to 15 inches below the surface of the swimming pool. When you're finished the tests, pour the test liquid down a drain. Never pour the test liquid back into the swimming pool.

On a weekly basis you need to check the:
pH
Chlorine

If there are no obvious problems in your swimming pool, the following tests need to be performed every month, or at least every three months. These tests can be performed by a professional swimming pool technician, who comes to your pool, or the tests can be done at many swimming pool supply stores. You will only need to take them a pool water sample (in a clean glass jar!).

Monthly pool water testing consists of the following tests:
Total Alkalinity
Calcium Hardness
Total Dissolved Solids
Stabilizer

If the water in your area is free from any metals and your swimming pool shows none of the symptoms of iron or copper presence, the test for these metals is unnecessary. If, however, you notice a brown/gray stain on the walls and floor of the swimming pool, you should have the levels of these metals checked.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Swimming Pool. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.