Once again we go in the direction of pool water. Why? Because we love drinking clean water, bathing in clean water and swimming in clean water. The cleanliness and safety of water matters in each of those applications. Get over it.

OK, folks… So the warm weather finally got here and you have taken the cover off (if you had to put one on in the Fall), brought the water level up to its normal level (usually about halfway up the skimmer), cleaned out any solid ‘stuff’ or ‘debris’ that may have fallen into the pool over the Winter, taken your pool water to your local pool water for (usually) free chemical analysis, picked up the suggested chemicals (usually chlorine shock, algaecide, pH, stabilizer, alkalinity, and calcium hardness), gone home, and added the recommended doses of everything to your pool once the pump and filter are working.

Think you have finished your work for a while? Not hardly! Maintaining a swimming pool safely throughout the duration of the swimming season requires regular pool water testing. Why? Because bacteria and other waterborne critters harmful to humans don’t miss an opportunity to jump in an improperly maintained pool — so they can wait for a swimmer to ingest them through skin, eyes, ears, nose, mouth… any opening will do.

Keep a close watch on your pool water by testing it regularly on your own, adding the correct amount of pool chemicals as suggested by pool chemical maufacturers and the companies you purchase them from.

Need help choosing a pool test kit for use between trips to the local pool store?

Several options exist, each having its own merits and disadvantages. Choose the one that best suits your needs and supplement accordingly with analysis by your local pool store — especially after a heavy bather load (lots of people in the pool!), long stretches of rainy weather, or after having to add large amounts of fill water to the pool.

Wet Chemistry or Liquid Kits for Pool Testing

• 2-way pool test kits test for pH and total chlorine.
• 4-way pool test kits test for ph, free chlorine, total chlorine and alkalinity.
• Advanced pool service test kits test for chlorine or bromine, pH, acid and base demand, total alkalinity, calcium hardness & cyanuric acid.
• Higher level kits may also test for bacteria, various metals, total dissolved solids and other pool water parameters in addition to the ones listed above.

Water Testing Meters for Pool Water

• AquaChek TruTest Digital Test Strip Reader
• AquaChek TruTest Test Strip Reader

Dip’n'Read Test Strips for Pool Water Testing

• Aquachek 4-Way for free chlorine, pH, alkalinity and cyanuric acid (50 tests)
• Aquachek 4-Way for bromine, pH, alkalinity and cyanuric acid (50 tests)
• Aquachek 7-Way for free chlorine, total chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, cyanuric acid, and total hardness (50 tests)
• Aquachek 7-Way for free chlorine, total chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, cyanuric acid, and total hardness (100 tests)
• Aquachek copper test strips (25 tests)
• Aquacheck calcium hardness test strips (25 tests)