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Every owner of a swimming pool knows that the water needs to be tested all the time to make sure that the chemical levels are correct so the water doesn’t become cloudy or produce algae. There are many different types of tests to find this out, but one of the more popular water chemistry tests are titration kits. They are a bit more accurate than the testing strips, but they require some more work to get the proper readings. With every drop you add to your titration test, the more accurate the reading will be. But as everything, the chemicals used to do the readings need to be within the proper age.  Like food, these chemicals will age, and with that age, they can deteriorate.

Some experts recommend that the titration testing kits be tested before they are even used. As a consumer, you won’t know where they were before they arrived at the store you are buying them from. If they were frozen or were in a humid climate for a while could change how they work. Some of these influences may even come from metals in the pool. To be sure that these kits won’t falter during the time you will be using them, make sure they have a proper storing spot. It is important to keep these kits out sun or in frozen environments. It is best to keep them in an area that stays between 85 and 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, don’t store them next to any chemicals because these can also cause some sort of change. All in all, make sure that the titration kit is taken care of in order to get the best readings for your swimming pool.

Whether you are a commercial swimming pool owner or a public pool owner, there are some key water chemistry points to keep in mind when servicing the water in swimming pools. There are some daily maintenance tasks to take care of, as well as some things to look at over the course of a week and even months. First off, the chlorine level in the swimming pool should be checked daily. Depending on how often the pool is used determines on how the chlorine levels fluctuate. The same goes for the pH levels in your swimming pool.  Make sure that those water chemistry levels stay between 7.2 and 7.8.

On a weekly basis, the chlorine and chloramine levels should be monitored. Chloramine levels raise when there are oils and other contaminants in the swimming pool water. When chloraminelevels rise, the smell of the water increases. So, if the chloramine levels are above 0.4 ppm, it needs to be lowered through hyperchlorination.

The water chemistry levels that should be checked monthly are the alkalinity, calcium hardness as well as the usual chlorine and pH. These things are important to keep in mind throughout the swimming pool season, especially if the weather is hot. Be sure to stay on top of these water chemistry levels if the water is being used daily.

There are many different ways to measure and test the water in a swimming pool, but one of the main ways is using testing strips.  Even though there are multiple items to look at when testing the water, only a few are worth looking at all the time.  Those include the chlorine, pH, alkalinity and calcium levels.  These seem to be the ones that could change from day to day depending on the weather or organic matter that comes in contact with the swimming pool water.

Testing the pool water needs to be done every couple of days.  Some experts say that these water chemistry tests need to be done daily, so coming up with a schedule would be best.  If the swimming pool maintainer is using the same testing strips from the previous season, they should know that there can be false readings.  Water chemistry testing strips tend to only last one season, so be careful.  One common false positive is with the chlorine.  As we all know, chlorine can bleach surfaces when it is high, so sometimes the test will show that there is no chlorine in the swimming pool.  If the maintainer knows that there is some in the pool, there might be too much.  This false positive is a result of the chlorine bleaching the testing strip.

Here are the basic water chemistry levels that need to be maintained in the pool.

• Chlorine:  1.0 - 2.0 ppm
• pH:  7.2 - 7.8
• Calcium Hardness:  180 - 220 ppm
• Alkalinity:  80 - 120 ppm
• Dissolved Solids:  below 5000 ppm
• Cyanuric Acid:  40 - 80 ppm