The responsibility of routine upkeep might be overwhelming for novice pool owners. You need to have your pool ready to have the luxury of spending long, quiet days poolside with clear water. Maintaining a spotless swimming pool might be challenging, but with the help of pool test kits, you can ensure that the water balance in your pool is always optimal.
Many owners are familiar with checking for pH balance and chlorine levels. What about the alkalinity? What about the phosphates? If you have a saltwater pool, you must test these levels for various pollutants that could find their way into an outdoor pool.
If you don’t consider all of these particulars, your pool and the people that swim in it might find themselves in a dangerous scenario. As a result, we have compiled a list of hints and guidelines to assist you in making the most of your pool water test kits and ensuring that your swimming pool remains happy and healthy.
What Your Pool Test Kit Covers?
The most basic chemical tests, including those for pH, chlorine or bromine, and alkalinity, need to be included in a pool test kit at the very least. A test kit with a more significant number of indications will give you a more precise evaluation of your pool’s overall health and balance. Testing your water with pool test kits and adjusting the chemicals to the recommended levels will keep your pool water healthy to swim in.
It is necessary to get acquainted with these chemical levels to maintain the sanitary conditions of your pool and avoid algae blooms and infestations. When we test your water and adjust its chemicals to balance, it is beneficial and can save you money by avoiding issues created by imbalanced chemicals. Also, your pool test kits are very useful as they can help prevent unforeseen pool water or equipment problems.
Different kinds of pool testing kits
There are three primary classifications for pool testing kits. When you have a greater understanding of what they offer, you will better understand their rates and particular worth. That is why here, you will get to know about the three main classifications of pool testing kits, and they are below:
– THE POOL’S TEST STRIPS
This testing tool is user-friendly, has a widespread reputation, and is used in almost all private swimming pools. To determine the condition of your pool’s water, remove a strip from the package, immerse it in the water for a few seconds, and watch as the chemicals on the strip change color.
After the color has changed, you should compare the strip to the chart provided on the test bottle and modify your chemicals according to the chart. While you wait for the results, it is essential to remember to keep the strip entirely motionless for the whole 15 seconds.
There is very little room for mistakes when using test strips. However, when you open the kit, you must be cautious not to allow any moisture or excessive air to enter it. If this happens, the strips will lose their ability to perform their role.
These strips may often be purchased in packets of either 50 or 100, making it simple to conduct many tests. If you want a reliable pool test strip kit, you should budget anywhere from $35 to $60 for it. This is the usual price range.
The fact that these strips are far less accurate than liquid and digital pool test kits is the only significant drawback associated with these strips. On the other hand, these kits are lovely beginner-level packages for testing the water in your pool.
– LIQUID (REAGENT) TEST KITS
This test kit provides color-coded values comparable to those provided by a strip test kit. The interaction that this reagent causes with the water in your pool is chemical. However, to get the same level of precision, the user will need to put in far more work. To use a liquid pool test kit:
- Gather a sample of the water (in the container provided in the kit).
- The pH testing side of the water should have the correct amount of drops of red phenol added to it.
- Crush and mix the required reagent tablet before adding it to the water on the chlorine testing side of the tray.
- The colors of the water should be compared to the scales printed on the container. Hold the container up to the light.
A higher pH or a high chlorine level are both indicators of redder water.
– CHEMICAL TEST KITS
Since you must add each testing liquid one drop at a time, using a liquid test kit requires far more patience and skill than using a strip test. Those with unsteady hands are more likely to make mistakes due to the procedure overall. In addition, when you run out of reagents and need refills, you should be sure to get the same brand you started with. This is because each liquid test kit comes with its unique formula, and using reagents from a different brand might lead to erroneous results.
– DIGITAL POOL TEST KITS
These are some of the most advanced test kits available, and a pool technician would typically utilize one of them. Perfect for people who manage a public swimming pool or for those who want the most accurate testing possible. The following are some of the things you can conduct with this pool testing kit:
- Take a sample of the water and place it in the test vial.
- Put a test tablet in the test vial, smash it up, and give it a good stir.
- Put the vial in the photometer to start the test.
- To complete the needed exam, press the button.
These kits will offer you readings that are very exact, down to the very last decimal point. In addition, some of them include LSI readings, which eliminate the need for you to calculate it manually. These kits are expensive, which is expected, but they provide the most accurate testing.