Recently (5/6/13) a spokesperson for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that 79 gallons of “very slightly radioactive water” leaked from a holding tank at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant and found its way into a storage basin that flowed into Lake Michigan.

Officials quickly stated that the accidental discharge of the radioactive material (trace amounts of tritium, cesium and cobalt) into Lake Michigan posed no risk to human health since the water did not contain a whole lot of radioactivity to begin with and got massively diluted before entering the lake.

Although workers did successfully stop the leak and prevent any further contamination of the lake by radioactive water from the plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission did shut the plant down once they discovered the leak.

You can read more about this story here.

Water Testing Blog’s take on all this…

After a little research we learned that this power plant had several other mandatory shutdowns prior to this one and that caused us to think the following thoughts:

• Why has this facility had so many problems?

• The NRC had its eye on this plant for past violations/concerns so it caught wind of the leak and addressed the matter relatively quickly. How many leaks of “slightly radioactive water” from power plants not on the NRC’s immediate watch list go undetected for long periods of time before anyone catches on?

• Despite the reported small quantities of cobalt, cesium and tritium, diluting contaminants does not change the fact that contaminants have entered the environment.

• Here in the United States we (supposedly) have inspectors actively checking up on nuclear power plants to make sure they follow the rules and have equipment that functions properly… but what about overseas? What sort of inspection schedules and government oversight exist in other countries with smaller budgets?

Needless to say we scared ourselves to the point of getting chills down our spine.

Testing for radiation

In movies you will see people walking around with complicated looking devices that also appear to cost a small fortune… but in real life the average person can pick up a reliable, easy-to-use radiation detector for under $300.

As an example, in the Water Test Kit Store you will find both the DX-1 Radiation Detector and the DX-2 Radiation Detector manufactured by Industrial Test Systems, a US based company.

The DX-1 meter detects radiation levels between 0 mR/hr and 10 mR/hr while the DX-2 meter detects radiation levels between 0 mR/hr and 100 mR/hr.

Both meters work equally well as front line radiation monitoring tools and both come with a 1 year warranty on the detector tube and a 5 year warranty on the electronics. Warranty serviced directly by the manufacturer, not some off-the-wall random electronics shop.

Today’s question deals with seasonal allergies, a topic that affects millions of unfortunate souls each year… including yours truly. As the weather warms up and the pollen comes out, so do the Kleenex.

‘Rocker86′ recently asked, “Would it be possible for pollutants and other junk in water to make allergies worse? I go to my dads everyother weekend across town and in the spring my allergies act up real bad over there but not at my moms. My moms has filters on the faucet and in the fridge but my dads does not.”

Thank you for the inquiry, Rocker. Until about a year ago I had never heard of a term called ‘allergy stacking’ which means that a person can have slight to mild allergies to things in their environment and never really suffer the effects of a pronounced allergic reaction until they become exposed to a number of those things at the same time.

As an example, let’s say Rocker has a slight allergic reaction to cat fur and also to the pollen of a Maple tree. When exposed to either he shows little or no symptoms. However, when exposed to them both at the same time he begins to sneeze his head off and break out in hives.

What does ‘allergy stacking’ have to do with water quality?

We figure that since the human body naturally mounts a defense against and reacts to unwanted contaminants in the air, it would also do the something similar for contaminants in the water we consume. Therefore, it stands to reason that drinking water contaminants to which the human body reacts and quickly wishes to get rid of may contribute to the body’s overall allergen load.

Have we found proof of this? No, not really, but we did find an interesting article that found a correlation between a person’s exposure to various pesticides and the likelihood of that person having food allergies. Dr. Elina Jerschow, an assistant professor of allergy and immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City stated in a press release that “Our research shows that high levels of dichlorophenol-containing pesticides can possibly weaken food tolerance in some people, causing food allergy.”

Although Dr. Jerschow’s research did not find a cause and effect relationship between the pesticide ingredient and food allergies, it does certainly lend a great deal of credibility to the notion that all the pesticides, VOC’s (volatile organic contaminants), and other contaminants many of us ingest on a regular basis in our water have an adverse effect on our health.

Removing & reducing water contaminants

Depending upon your unique water quality situation, and you will only know the details of your water quality situation if you TEST YOUR WATER (you’ll find a number of useful water test kits in our Water Test Kit Store), several options exist for removing unwanted contaminants in your water:

• Shower Filters – We carry the Austin Springs brand of shower filters that have tested to reduce chlorine concentrations by more than 90%. Studies have shown that exposure to chlorine — which easily off gases from warm/hot shower water — can trigger mild to occasionally severe allergic reactions and may potentially cause long term respiratory problems.
• Countertop Filters – At this time we have Austin Springs‘ NSF/ANSI 42 and NSF/ANSI 53 Certified counter top water filters. In total, these units are NSF Certified to reduce more than 60 water contaminants including chlorine, chloramines, mercury, cysts, various gasoline additives, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), lead, etc.

• Undercounter Filters – Using the same filter elements as the contertop models, the Austin Springs undercounter water filters also bear NSF Certification for the reduction of more than 60 water contaminants including chlorine, chloramines, mercury, cysts, various gasoline additives, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), lead, etc.

Each year we receive no less than 50 or 60 inquiries from folks asking about the availability of ‘simple pool test kits’… and each year we say, “Yep! We know a few different ones!”

This year’s simple pool test kit lineup includes the Pool Check 3-Way, 4-Way, 5-Way, and 6-Way test strips.

We also carry the Taylor Basic Phenol Red (pH) & OTO for Total Chlorine (K-1000), Taylor Basic Phenol Red (pH) & DPD for Free Chlorine (K-1001), and the Taylor Troubleshooter (K-1004) test kits.

No matter which test kit you select, please keep in mind that a test kit will do you absolutely no good if you never use it. Also, waiting until a problem starts to develop before you test will also do you no good.

Pool water testing alerts you to water quality deficiencies that could result in water quality issues (i.e. cloudiness, algae, stains, etc.). Catching the deficiency before it turns into a problem can save you hours of aggravation and quite a bit of money in chemicals that treat algae, cloudiness, staining, and other water problems.

Preferred water quality levels

Another question we get each year: “What levels should my pool water have?”

Below you will find a list of basic pool water parameters along with their optimal ranges:

• pH: 7.2 – 7.8
• Free Chlorine: 1.0 – 2.0 ppm
• Total Alkalinity: 80 – 120 ppm
• Calcium Hardness: 180 – 220 ppm, though some say 200 – 400 ppm for plaster and/or gunite pools..
• Cyanuric Acid: 25 – 50 ppm
• Total Dissolved Solids: 500 – 5000 ppm

Please note, however, that not all pools will require the exact same water chemistry to stay safe for swimming and crystal clear so if you have doubts about specific pool water quality concerns, definitely get in touch with a pool water professional (i.e. service company or staff in a local pool store) before adding water treatment chemicals.

Adding the wrong chemicals can make a problem much worse and often times a lot more expensive to correct!

As a result of yesterday’s post regarding test kits for hydrogen peroxide in swimming pools we received a number of questions from readers asking if they should switch to peroxide instead of chlorine and also if hydrogen peroxide as the main sanitizer would save them money.

Comparison of required concentrations?

Swimming pools can, under certain circumstances (i.e. with a pass-through UV water filter), remain ‘safe’ for use with a free chlorine concentration of 0.5ppm while the same pool using hydrogen peroxide would require a concentration of around 30ppm to 40ppm… and sometimes more.

Mathematically, and on a good day, it would require 60 times the amount of hydrogen peroxide (or more!) to do the same job as free chlorine in this example.

When last we checked a gallon of 27% or 35% hydrogen peroxide shock had a cost of around $15 to $25 (see Splashes Oxidizer at In the Swim)… and in those concentrations it would require approximately 1 gallon of shock per 10,000 gallons of pool water to reach a 30ppm and 40ppm concentration.

Please note that the aforementioned ‘math’ also assumes a normal biological contaminant load — meaning no excessive amounts of body oils, algae, leaves, dead animals, feces, etc. in the water at the time the shock gets added.

By comparison, a gallon of liquid chlorine still costs around $5 or $7 at the local pool store… and may treat the same amount of water with a slightly higher than usual amount of biological contaminants.

Possible problem with use of hydrogen peroxide as main sanitizer?

Aside from cost — and in case you did not know, hydrogen peroxide volatilizes (i.e. leaves the water) at a faster rate than chlorine meaning you will need to add it more frequently — we have seen a number of cases where swimming pools with DE (diatomaceous earth — that ‘finely ground white powder’ added through the skimmer after backwashing) using hydrogen peroxide on a regular basis have had issues with the filter elements getting clogged prematurely and requiring acid washing more often than expected.

We have read in a few places that the hydrogen peroxide actually breaks down the diatomaceous earth leaving the cloth filter elements susceptible to clogging by contaminants passing through the filter. The diatomaceous earth, under normal circumstances, coats the cloth filter elements and keeps contaminants from getting trapped in their mesh. Backwashing the filter then shakes loose the DE as well as the contaminants and they get flushed out of the system.

Is peroxide safer to handle than chlorine?

Not really. Both have the power to cause eye, skin and nose irritation. Read the warnings on both products before handling either one and ALWAYS USE PRECAUTION!

When in doubt, don’t do it! Seek advice from a pool water professional before adding chemicals you do not know much about to your water… because bad things CAN and WILL happen if you do not take the proper precautions!

As an example, adding chlorine to a biguanide pool, or vice versa, will result in the formation of really nasty solids that take a lot of time, effort, energy, and money to remove. Granted not a health hazard, but still a really nasty problem to have to deal with!

Why do people switch from chlorine/bromine to peroxide?

Typically the reason for switching from chlorine/bromine to an alternate sanitizing system like peroxide involves a person having allergic reactions or sensitivity to chlorine/bromine. In cases like these no options exist and other water sanitizing systems must get used.

Other reasons for switching to a non-chlorine/bromine sanitizer system include pool professionals not telling ‘the truth’ about pool sanitizing options so they can make more money, people having bad experiences with chlorine/bromine in the past due to improperly maintained pools, and often times just not fully understanding the ins and outs of each pool sanitizing system.

No matter what, TEST for sanitizer levels regularly!

Regardless of whether you choose chlorine, bromine, peroxide, ozone, biguanide, or some other type of sanitizer, remember that it serves your first (and most important!) line of defense against potentially hazardous pool water contaminants and algae.

The only way to way to know for sure that your swimming pool contains the correct concentration of sanitizer… is to test the water!

Today’s inquiry came to us from ‘Trex99′ who wanted to know about test strips for peroxide: “We just got a house with a pool and the old owners used a water system called ‘Baquacil’ that we know nothing about, but there’s an old bottle of teststrips for peroxide with all the pool stuff. Bottles old and faded. Do we need these for the pool and if yes than do you sell some?”

The Baquacil pool water treatment system uses something called a biguanide in place of traditional pool sanitizers like chlorine or bromine to keep water safe for swimming. In addition to the biguanide this type of pool water treatment system also makes use a ‘shock’ comprised mainly of hydrogen peroxide that pool owners, last we heard, should use once every one or two weeks.

Regarding the matter of whether you need to test for peroxide in your pool, from what we have read that all depends on whether or not you plan to keep (and maintain) a hydrogen peroxide residual in your water or if you plan to shock according to schedule and be done with it.

If you plan to maintain a residual then yes, you will want to own a test kit or test strips for peroxide in water.

As for whether or not we sell a testing product for peroxide, we carry WaterWorks Peroxide Check tests trips that has the following peroxide concentrations on its color chart:0.05, 2.0, 5.0, 10, 25, 50, 100 ppm (mg/L).

In our experience most people using a biguanide pool sanitizer sanitizer system typically do not need to test for peroxide levels in excess of 100 ppm (most peroxide levels get kept around 30ppm or 40ppm) but, if you ever do need to test for higher levels, mix an equal portion of pool water with distilled or deionized water, perform the test per the product’s instructions, and then multiply the detected peroxide level by a factor of two.

A jury in New Hampshire reached a verdict in the State’s lawsuit against Exxon Mobil for its part in the contamination of New Hampshire’s drinking water supply only a few hours ago… and already we have received 13 questions about MTBE, an additive once used in gasoline to help fuel burn more efficiently. The questions included:

• What is MTBE and why did Exxon use it? — MTBE stands for a volatile, flammable liquid with no color known as “Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether” at room temperature. It dissolves easily in water and, in concentrations between 20ppb and 40ppb, humans typically begin to detect a turpentine-like taste and/or odor in their drinking water.

  Around 1979 gasoline manufacturers started adding MTBE to their products as something to help reduce an unwanted engine sound known by many as ‘knocking’. Previously gasoline manufacturers added lead to their products to reduce engine knocking but health problems associated with exposure to lead prompted the government to ban the use of lead in motor vehicle fuels. MTBE presented itself as a cost-effective octane boosting replacement for lead additives ( test your water for lead ).

  MTBE helps to ‘oxygenate’ (introduce oxygen into) gasoline products thereby helping to dilute the quantity of harmful tailpipe emissions given off when a motor vehicle runs without negatively impacting the way the vehicle’s motor runs.
   

• Was Exxon the only company to use MTBE in its gasoline? — Absolutely not! As far as we know MTBE became the ‘standard’ gasoline additive in the industry once the EPA started to crack down on gasoline manufacturers for their contribution(s) to air quality pollution.
   
• How does MTBE get into the water supply? — From what we have learned, most cases where water testing has detected higher levels of MTBE in an area’s surface and/or ground water typically experienced some sort of large-scale spill (i.e. tanker truck carrying gasoline tipped over) or had issues with underground storage tanks slowly leaking gasoline into the soil.

  Since MTBE dissolves easily in water, it may also enter bodies of water as a result of runoff that comes in contact with areas where a smaller gasoline spills occurred (i.e. at gas pumps), by passing/through ground where an irresponsible party illegally dumped old, unwanted fuel, or from the exhaust of marine vehicles (i.e. boats, personal watercraft, etc.) whose engines fail to fully burn their fuel or port their exhaust properly.

  MTBE may also, believe it or not, fall from the sky when it rains since it does enter the atmosphere in small quantities as motor vehicle exhaust. “What Goes Up, Must Come Down…”
   

• How can I test for MTBE in my water? — Sadly, no at-home water test kit exists for MTBE due to the complex nature of the compounds chemical structure. A good (and hopefully certified!) water testing laboratory like National Testing Laboratories or other facility with the correct equipment, however, can test your water for MTBE and many more potential contaminants of concern.

  For a list of local water testing laboratories with the proper credentials to test drinking water, take a look at the EPA’s list of State Certification Officers for Drinking Water. Find the one (or ones) for your State and give them a call. Withing minutes they should have the ability to provide you with the names of qualified drinking water laboratories in your area.
   

• How do I get MTBE out of my water? — As ironic as this may sound, a person can easily and effectively reduce the amount of MTBE — if present to begin with — in their water using water using filters that contain Granular Activated Carbon. Note: Not all water filters that use granular activated carbon will perform equally as well so look for a water filter with NSF/ANSI 53 Certification for the Reduction of MTBE in Water or an equaivalent third-party certification.
   
• Do you carry water filters to remove MTBE? — In the Water Test Kit Store you will find two units bearing NSF/ANSI 53 Certification for MTBE Reduction in Water: 1) Austin Springs Countertop Water Filter; 2) Austin Springs Undersink Water Filter.

  For a full list of contaminants reduced or removed by the two filters listed above, please refer to the lists below:

The other day we received an inquiry from Jason who asked if we knew of ways to test for the presence of farming chemicals in well water… because he had fears about once-allowed (and now banned) chemicals used in the farming industry seeping into his shallow well.

All of you who stop by the Water Testing Blog on a semi-regular basis already know we believe owners of private wells need to keep an eye on the quality of their well water. A point we have not discussed, until today, deals with whether owners of shallow wells have more to worry about than owners of deep wells.

Difference between shallow and deep wells?

This subject gets a little murky… depending on who you talk to:

• Some folks say a shallow well has a total depth of 100 feet or less and deep wells have a depth of 100 feet or more.
   
• Other folks say a shallow well has a smaller top diameter (less than 2″) and that a deep well has a larger top diameter (greater than 2″).
   
• And finally, we have also read that some people tell the difference between a deep well and a shallow well by the volume and flow rate of the water produced by the well. Note: We read of this way of classifying a well as shallow or deep a lot less frequently than the first two methods.

So as you can see, regarding the matter of defining what constitutes a deep well versus a shallow well, some disagreement exists. We wish the disagreement stopped here, but it does not.

Is a deep well better than a shallow well?

The waters get REAL murky on this topic… unfortunately.

Quite honestly, it seems as though the matter of which well type will work best for a residence depends largely on a few key factors:

• Placement and depth of your water table. How far underground must a well go before it reaches the water table and what sort of depth does the accessible water table have?
   
• Flow rate and volume of water required by a residence. As a general rule, residences with an expectation of requiring more water at a faster rate should normally consider having a deep well installed — but clever well contractors looking to help homeowners keep costs down may also tie several shallow wells together at the head with specialized topside pumping equipment.
   
• Intended use for the water once pumped to the surface. Dependent upon location, of course, deep wells may have a tendency to draw water containing a higher desired amount of minerals that could eventually cause problems with plumbing (i.e. in the form of clogs and fixture staining). Additionally, we have read that not all plant-life can tolerate high mineral content on its leaves and other exposed surfaces.

Our advice? Contact a certified and experienced well water consultant in your area to go over your expected water needs before deciding on a shallow or deep well for your property.

What about farming chemicals and shallow wells?

Some feel that the difference in the amount of rock and other filtering media between where a shallow well draws its water and a deep well pulls its water makes the quality of deep well water better than the quality of shallow well water.

This does sound like a very plausible hypothesis and also like one that we, too, can agree with. Therefore, and of course all well water situations may very, we would say that if Jason fears the presence of now banned herbicides and pesticides in his water, then he should certainly have his water tested by a qualified, certified water testing laboratory that can perform testing for compounds like VOC’s and obviously herbicides & pesticides.

We suggest trying to use a local laboratory since their experience working with the local water supply(ies) typically gives them a leg up when it comes to knowing what contaminants to look for in a region’s water.

If availability of a lab or cost make using a local water testing lab not an option, then companies like National Testing Laboratories offer mail-in water testing packages that include as many as 20 ‘commonly found’ 20 pesticides, herbicides and PCB’s (including Atrazine, Simazine and Alachlor) as well as up to 47 VOC’s (including Benzene, Methyl Tert Butyl Ether (MTBE) and Trichloroethene (TCE)).

As of 4/8/2013 you can find nine different test kits from National Testing Laboratories available in our Water Test Kit Store: http://shop.watertestingblog.com.

Our reader question for the day came to us from ‘Fred222′ who wanted information on the Austin Springs line of water filters… and specifically he wanted information on the Countertop (AS-DW-CT-P) and Undercounter (AS-DW-UC) models.

I have city water and want to know if the austin springs water filter will clean my water so it is safe. The under counter and countertop models look like they will work but how can I can I tell for sure?

First and foremost, Fred, before you start deciding on a water filter, we think you should consider getting your water fully tested for typical water contaminants in your area. Contact your local water department for a copy of the most recent annual water quality publication and then locate a certified water testing laboratory in your area that can perform any testing that appears necessary.

We suggest using a qualified (and certified!) local water testing laboratory because they may have the ability to recommend testing based on their experience with the local water supply over a number of years.

If no local lab exists, then you may want to consider the mail-in water testing services of a company like National Testing Laboratories that currently offers three levels of what they call ‘City-Check’ ranging in cost from $140 for the Basic City-Check up to $250 for the Deluxe City-Check.

After completion of testing?

With any luck, Fred, your water will receive a clean bill of health! But, if not, then make a list of all the things found in your water that you would like removed (or in some cases reduced) and compare that list to the list of water contaminants removed/reduced by any of the water filters you have considered purchasing.

Since you did mention the countertop and undercounter models in the Austin Springs line by name, the following link will take you to the Data Sheet of Test Results for the Austin Springs™ Undercounter & Countertop Water Filters.

Moral of the story?

Rushing into a water filter purchase without knowing exactly what, if any, contaminants your water supply contains makes no sense. You could very easily make one of several foolhardy things:

• Spend money on an expensive, complicated water filtration system when your water does not require anything more than simple chlorine reduction for taste and odor improvement.
   
• Spend any amount of money on a water filter that does not address your specific water quality issues.
   
• Spend money on point-of-use (i.e. shower, faucet, countertop, or undercounter) water filters when in actuality, only a whole house filter has the filtering power to meet your water quality improvement needs.

What about simpler drinking water test kits?

The cost of water testing by a laboratory may not fit a lot of people’s budgets these days — and we can FULLY appreciate that!   

So… will more economically feasible water test kits like the WaterSafe City Water Test Kit, WaterWorks COMPLETE Test Kit or SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit work just as well? Not for complex contaminants like VOC’s (volatile organic contaminants) and harder to test for environmental elements, no, but for folks on municipal water systems one would HOPE that none of those would exist in the water supply to begin with since those folks PAY a company to clean up the water before distributing it!

Interested in learning more about Austin Springs water filters?

If you would like to learn more about the filtration capabilities of the Austin Springs product line, then the links below will take you to pages containing more facts about each of the products shown:

Today’s inquiry came to us from a frustrated woman who has apparently had some bad experiences with ‘complicated’ test strips that may or may not have come from overseas sources.

Hi and thank you for the recent post on when to test pool water. We have had our pool for only one season now and did the dumb thing of believing the pool sales jerk when he said we don’t have to test but once or twice a month. We spent a FORTUNE trying to get the water to stay clear and then when we tested more using the test strips that came with our kit the results were crazy high one day crazy high the next and the directions read like a bad foreign subtitle film. Do all pool strips get made in places outside the US? Also can test strips actually do the job or do we need something else? Thanks, May

Well, May, we DO know of several pool test strip manufacturers located here in the United States and as you probably saw in our water test kit store that at this time we carry the Pool Check Brand of pool test strips in a variety of configurations: 3-Way, 4-Way, 5-Way, and 6-Way.

We decided to carry the Pool Check Brand for a number of reasons:

• Easy-to-follow directions written right on the bottle.
   
• Pool Check test strips get manufactured in the United States by Industrial Test Systems, Inc. — which has its headquarters in South Carolina.
   
• Wider detection ranges and we believe that Pool Check color charts have more precision than many other brands currently available.
   
• We have worked in the field and at our own homes with Pool Check products for many years and have always felt confident that we could trust the water test results we got during testing.

As for whether or not Pool Check (or any pool testing product for that matter) will work well for you, that all depends on your water quality situation. If too far out of whack, then pretty much no at-home testing product will give accurate results… so we suggest taking your water at the beginning of the season (right after you open the pool) to a local pool store and having them test it — so you can hopefully start the season off right..

Yes, they will more than likely tell you that you need this, that, and the other thing to get your water balanced, but at least you will know that you have done what you needed to do to get the water balanced, clear, and safe. Follow their instructions and then use products like the Pool Check brand of test strips to make sure important water quality parameters have not started to drift from acceptable levels.

In our opinion, a properly monitored pool should rarely, if ever, have any serious algae or clarity problems stemming from water quality unless outside factors (i.e. chemical feeder malfunction, excessive bather load, kids forgot to add chlorine for a week, etc.) come into play.

Moral of the Story?

Start your swimming season the right way by having your water tested by a trained pool water professional. They will (or should…) test for more advanced things like metals (i.e. iron, copper, TDS, etc.) and get you headed in the right direction with crystal clear water that’s safe for swimming.

After that, use the water testing product that makes the most sense for your budget and water conditions to keep an eye on the quality of your water. By doing so you should have the ability catch potential water quality issues before they become… expensive water quality problems.

Every year since we started this project we received numerous emails asking us how often pool water should get tested… and every year we respond to each inquiry because we believe pool owners could save themselves a lot of headaches and money by testing their water on a regular basis.

What do you mean by ‘regular basis’?

We will address this question first by giving a list of definite reasons to test one’s pool water:

• Brand New Pool – Better to run a full battery of tests that includes things like dissolved metals in your source water and remove any you find or risk having those metals come out of solution and stain your brand new pool when you add chlorine/bromine. Also, you will want to know exactly what to add (i.e. pH adjuster, alkalinity adjuster, hardness, etc.)
   
• Opening Your Pool – After adding source water, and before adding chemicals, test the water to make sure you have no dissolved metals and also so that you do not add other pool chemicals (i.e pH, alkalinity, hardness, etc.) unnecessarily.
   
• After a Natural Event – Test your water for the basics (i.e. sanitizer level, pH, alkalinity, hardness, etc.) after periods of heavy rain, heavy winds, etc.
   
• When Nature Calls – Should you ever realize that someone has taken a ‘phone call from Nature’ in your pool, get everyone out and follow suggested pool shocking practices which usually require maintaining sanitizer levels at or above a certain level for a specified period of time before allowing anyone back into the water.

  You will need to test for those elevated sanitizer levels in order to know that you have followed the procedure… and then you will need to test to make sure those have sufficiently decreased before allowing bathers to re-enter the water.
   

• In the Event of Algae and/or Cloudy Water – If either of these two pool water conditions afflicts your pool then you should certainly test the water to find the problem, obtain the correct chemicals to correct the problem, and test to make corrected the problem.
   
• After the Crowd Has Left – The larger the bather load, the greater the likelihood of a shift in a pool water chemistry balance. Suntan oils, sweat, and, um undetected ‘liquid accidents’ all have an effect on the water’s pH, alkalinity and sanitizer levels
   
• Closing Your Pool – Always test the water and correct any problems with the water before closing the pool because water problems that exist at the end of the season will only get worse when the pool sits idle over the Winter months.

Getting to the actual question in the title of this article, though, we suggest testing the water as often as you can. In all honesty, with the correct pool water testing product, taking a quick snapshot of your pool’s water quality ought not take more than about a minute.

We suggest daily pool testing, but let’s face it… kids, school, work, chasing the neighbor’s cat out of the yard, and darn near 1 million other things rob most of us of any remaining, few, and precious seconds of ‘free’ time as it is — so how about testing each time you go out to check the skimmer?

Or, for those with automatic chlorine or bromine feeders (very useful gadgets, by the way!), how about every time you go poolside to fill up your feeder?

In the end, though, just like the owners of private water wells, no government agent will come out and make you test the quality of your water. Therefore, it becomes a personal choice as to whether or not a pool owner wants to test regularly and potentially stop pool water problems before they get out of hand (cloudy water, algae, bacteria, parasites, etc.) … or spend money to correct each of those problems after they occur.

Economics of pool water testing?

A bottle of Pool Check 6-Way Test Strips costs around $12 and provides 50 fairly comprehensive pool tests… with each test taking a bout a minute.

On the other hand, not testing a pool regularly can result in a pool owner having to spend an estimated $4 to $6 per 10,000 gallons of pool water for shock (liquid or powdered), no less than $5 or $6 for a gallon of standard algaecide ($20+ for the concentrated stuff!), and in really bad cases… $20+ per quart for stain remover.

Did we mention that correcting pool water problems usually also involves time spent brushing down walls, backwashing (and possibly having to acid wash) filters clogged with algae, and getting a real workout scrubbing stains off of pool surfaces?

And in conclusion…

You do the math on whether or not regular pool water testing makes sense.

For more information on pool water testing, please check out the pool water section/category of this site.