Pool Water Testing 101: Essential Tips for Balanced and Safe Water

If you are a pool owner, you may have an idea about how important it is to maintain your pool regularly. To ensure your pool has a balanced water chemistry, you must test it regularly, as this not only keeps the water clean but also creates a comfortable swimming experience for users.

This guide covers the essential aspects of pool water testing so your pool can remain pristine all year round.

In This Guide:

• Why Should You Test Your Pool Water?
• How Often Should You Test Your Pool?
• How to Test Pool Water?
• How Often and How to Balance Swimming Pool Water
• Cost Analysis on Pool Testing in Australia
• Final Splash: Key Takeaways on Pool Water Testing

Why Should You Test Your Pool Water?

Regular pool water testing is essential to keeping harmful bacteria at bay and ensuring your pool is free of contamination. Unbalanced pool water leads to several health issues, including skin irritation, algae growth, and pool equipment damage. Therefore, water must be regularly tested to ensure it's not dangerous for health. Also, it prolongs the life of pool equipment and also enhances swimmer comfort.

How Often Should You Test Your Pool?

You must test your pool at least 1-2 times per week. This depends on several factors including frequency of usage, environmental factors such as rain or temperature changes, and the addition of new chemicals. These factors contribute to the frequency of pool water testing. If your pool witnesses heavy use or is based in windy areas, you may need to test it more often than normal. Before and after adding a pool shock treatment, you must test your water to see the effect of the treatment on the water.

How to Test Pool Water?

There are various ways of testing your pool water including the following:

• Test Strips – Test strips are the best method to test your pool water easily and quickly. However, they are less precise so you cannot get the correct idea.
• Liquid Test Kits – Liquid test kits are more reliable than test strips and can accurately measure pH, alkalinity, and chlorine levels.
• If your pool has a higher pH and you wonder how to lower the pool pH, you can add a pH decreaser and vice versa.
• Digital Testers – Digital testers are highly precise and can give accurate readings of pH, chlorine, and alkalinity. However, they tend to be a bit expensive. If you wish to increase alkalinity in the pool, you can add baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to the pool.
• Professional Pool Water Testing Services – If your pool needs detailed testing then you can avail of professional pool water testing services that are available at pool supply stores.

How Often and How to Balance Swimming Pool Water

If you want to do pool water testing, you must consider the following critical pool water balance factors:

• pH: Your pool must have a pH range of 7.2-7.6, as a pH higher or lower than this range is unsuitable for your pool.
• Alkalinity: The total alkalinity of your pool must be between 80 and 120 ppm. You can increase alkalinity by adding sodium bicarbonate and decrease it by adding sodium bisulfate.
• Calcium hardness: The pool calcium hardness levels must be between 200 and 400 ppm, as high calcium levels cause scale along your pool waterline.
• Sanitizer levels: These must be between 1 and 3 ppm if you are using chlorine. Sanitizing agents are useful for cleaning the pool and ensuring it is free of bacteria.

For more details about proper pool chemistry levels, check this blog: What are Proper Pool Chemistry Levels?

How Often Should You Adjust pH in Your Pool?

Your pool’s pH must be between 7.2 and 7.6, as this is the ideal range. You must check pH levels twice a week and at least once a week. Environmental factors like heavy rain and intense swimming activity hinder pH levels. Therefore, you must do the necessary treatments to adjust pH levels. By the way, regular use of a pool cleaner can help your pool stay chemically balanced for a longer period.

How to Increase Alkalinity in Pool

Alkalinity acts as a buffer for pH levels. In addition to pH, maintaining alkalinity is also important. When alkalinity falls, it is quite difficult to maintain a stable pH. Moreover, a lower pH and alkalinity lead to itchy skin, stinging eyes, and pool corrosion.

Therefore, you must add sodium bicarbonate to the pool to raise alkalinity and prevent pH fluctuations. Generally, 1.5 lbs. of baking soda per 10,000 gallons of water will raise alkalinity by about 10 ppm. If your pool’s pH is below 7.2, add 3-4 pounds of baking soda.

How to Lower Pool pH Level

If your pool pH is higher than 7.6, you must take necessary action to reduce it. Use liquid acid (muriatic acid) or dry acid (sodium bisulfate) to lower the pH.

For sodium bisulfate:

• Follow the instructions to dissolve the dry acid in water.
• Add this dissolved solution to the pool.
• Use a pool brush to break up clumps.
• Let the acid dissipate in the pool water for 10-15 minutes.
• Check the pH again after 4-5 hours to see if the pH level has been appropriately adjusted.

For muriatic acid:

• Wear safety gloves and goggles, and read all the instructions carefully.
• Dribble liquid acid slowly along the perimeter of the pool without splashing or spilling outside the pool.
• Allow the acid to mix with the water in the pool.
• The pH is again checked 4-6 hours later to determine whether the required pH level has been achieved.

Cost Analysis on Pool Testing in Australia

Here's the cost breakdown of pool water testing in Australia:

• Test strips: Costs $40-$60 a year.
• Liquid kits: Ranges between $20-$50
• Digital testers: $100-$150
• Professional testing service: $55-$120 per service.

DIY testing kits are pretty affordable in the long run as they are readily available and can easily test pool water. Moreover, neglecting pool maintenance over time incurs expenses that become too expensive compared to test strips. Therefore, you must prevent such expenses by regularly testing your pool water and preventing equipment damage.

Final Splash: Key Takeaways on Pool Water Testing

Regular pool testing is essential to increase pool longevity and ensure clean and pure water. You may use various pool testing tools, such as test strips or digital testers, to measure pool pH, alkalinity, and chlorine levels. You must go and test your pool now to see if it's fit for use, as regular testing ensures a comfortable and enjoyable swimming experience.