Many people think that having a test kit or tests strips at home is enough for pool water testing. Although it is a quick way to do a check up with your water chemistry, it is still very important you bring in a water sample to Aqua-Tech once a month. Why you might ask? Aqua-Tech’s water technicians use advanced technology that tests well beyond test kits and tests strips (pH, alkalinity and chlorine). Continue reading to understand all of the advantages of bringing in your water sample.
Advantages of bringing in a water sample once a month:
Keeping your water balance in range is the key to a safe pool for you to swim in. Most of the time what causes cloudy and green pools is wacky pool balance. There are ways to help keep your water balance in range without coming in to get your water tested on a weekly basis. Using your test strips (which will test for the pH, alkalinity and your chlorine) daily and putting chemicals in accordingly to the strip is huge. That way when you come in on a monthly basis you aren’t shocked that your alkalinity is so low and you need to add 8kg of alkalinity. It also gives us the opportunity to get to know you and your pool better. We get a feel for how your pool reacts to certain chemicals – certain chemicals that work for your pool and certain chemicals that don’t work for you pool. There is also something called a chlorine demand that, 9 times out of 10, you won’t notice unless you bring in a water sample. Essentially what a chlorine demand is, and what happens is, the chlorine isn’t doing its job at killing all of the bacteria in your pool. In your pool you have free chlorine and you have total chlorine. Free chlorine is the chlorine that breaks down the bacteria to kill it. Your total chlorine is the chlorine that is going to gas it off and get it out of the pool. For instance, in your total chlorine is at 6.2 ppm (parts per million) and your free chlorine is at 2.5 ppm, they aren’t at the same number. Therefore, the chlorine may have killed the bacteria but it’s still in the pool and it hasn’t been gassed off yet. In order to break that combined chlorine we have to give your pool a great big shock. Depending on the size of your pool a great big shock could mean up to 10 bags of shock costing you approximately $250. By catching a combined chlorine early, (if your total chlorine is 4.2 and your free chlorine is 3.8) it may result in only a bag or two. Pool water testing is so important and bringing a monthly water sample to our water lab technicians is a huge benefit to you and your pool!
Disadvantages of bringing in a water sample once a month:
There are none!!
We want you to enjoy your pool to its fullest. Bringing us a sample in will prevent major issues and save you money! Our water lab technicians will make sure everything looks good in your pool so you can splish-splash in it all summer long!
