Yesterday we posted a blog entry about pool water testing and within a few hours we had a slew of inquiries about other pool related topics. We promise to get to them all in due time… and right now we will answer ‘MillieMouse’ who asked:

“My husband never throws anything out until its totally empty and he has used the same reagents in our Taylor brand pool test kit for a few years. Is that safe?”

Thanks for writing in, Millie, and to answer your question directly, NO. You should replace Taylor and any brand of test kit’s reagents on a yearly basis or whenever they get exposed to extreme temperatures, sunlight or other things which could cause premature chemical degradation — such as getting stored in close proximity to containers filled w/ chlorine or bromine.

Since you specifically mentioned that your husband uses a Taylor Test Kit, we figured we’d point you in the right direction… if you can get him to part w/ his old reagents. See below for a list of commonly needed Taylor test kit reagents:

We hope this helps and if, by chance, your husband has accidentally misplaced his beloved (antique?) Taylor test kit and wants to get a new one, Taylor-Test-Kits.Com can help with that problem.

It sickens us to read about valuable resources such as water testing kits sitting idle on shelves so long that their components age beyond expiration dates… especially when it happens in an economically depressed or otherwise challenged area such as rural India.

Forget about the wasted money. Think, instead, about the waterborne illnesses that water quality testing could possibly have prevented. THEN think about the money spent treating those diseases which more than likely exceeded the cost of the test kits by ten or twenty-fold!

These kits were meant to test water samples to ensure clean and drinkable water in rural areas. But in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district, the field testing kits — provided under the Rajeev Gandhi Rural Drinking Water Mission — were not used till their expiry date.

The kits, worth around Rs 25 lakh, have now been rendered useless. The district administration is conducting a probe as to why the kits were not distributed on time. ( source )

Water testing kits have expiration dates and we suggest that anyone who owns a test kit check the dates on reagents periodically to make sure all reagents have adequate shelf life remaining. While some reagents have very long shelf lives, others (i.e. certain liquid test reagents) lose potency very rapidly and must get replaced often.

As an example, Phenol Red & OTO reagents found in most basic 2-way pool water test kits should get replaced each new swimming season and/or if they sit in direct sunlight for too long, sit for too long with their caps not put on tightly, or get stored near strong oxidizers such as chlorine or bromine.

While on the topic of replacement reagents for pool water test kits, if you own a Taylor Pool Water Test Kit, you will definitely want check out this Taylor Test Kit Reagents Page before next pool season begins.

In conclusion

You count on your water test kits to tell you if you have safe pool water and safe drinking water so it would only make sense that you would want the components in that kit working at optimal levels. Expired test kit reagents may or may not give you the performance needed to guarantee accurate, dependable results!

It struck us as odd that we had not, yet, received an inquiry about ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential), but that thought will never cross our minds again since ‘Ella’ asked us…

I need to find out about the testerORP/Redox for using at the pool

And finally, what did they have to say?

Could you explain what could be tested at the pool’s water by tested ORP/Redox (ORPTester 10 model)? How often do I have to conduct the tests?

Thank you,

Ella

Thank you, Ella, for bringing up the topic of ORP Meters and what they test. Many people have heard of ORP Meters, but not many understand a whole lot about them.

Rather than get into a discussion about gaining and losing electrons that would bore everyone to tears, we will instead sum up ORP Meters’ usefulness by saying that they measure the effectiveness of oxidizers (i.e. chlorine, bromine, non-chlorine shock, and hydrogen peroxide, etc.) in the water.

For you more technical types out there, in a chemical reaction an oxidizing agent will take electrons away from other compounds/elements in the mixture and a reducing agent will donate electrons to the other compounds/elements.

Many automatic chemical dispensing systems rely upon ORP testing units to determine how much and when to add chemical sanitizers to pools.

Frequency of testing?

Whether it has to do with chlorine testing or testing for pretty much ANY pool water parameter, if your pool falls in the category of ‘public’ you will want to consult with your local health department… as regulations vary by locale.

What testing is required for public pools?

This also varies by location so once again you will want to consult with your local health department.

Oh, and before we forget, some health departments may not recognize ORP testing as a definitive way of measuring sanitizer levels. Also, simply measuring the sanitizer level in a swimming pool will not tell you everything you need to know in order to make sure the water stays safe.

Pool water parameters typically tested?

Sanitizer (i.e. free & total chlorine) levels, pH, total alkalinity, calcium or total hardness, stabilizer (cyanuric acid) levels, TDS, and water metals (i.e. iron & copper).

As we said before, you will want to check with your local health department to see what parameters they want you to test and how often they want you to test them.

… for mosquitoes unless pool owners maintain proper pool water quality. It only takes a few days for most pool water to become the perfect place for a female mosquito to drop off a few (hundred) eggs.

Culex mosquitoes lay their eggs on the surface of fresh or stagnant water. The water may be in tin cans, barrels, horse troughs, ornamental ponds, swimming pools, puddles, creeks, ditches, or marshy areas. Mosquitoes prefer water sheltered from the wind by grass and weeds.

Culex mosquitoes usually lay their eggs at night. A mosquito may lay a raft of eggs every third night during its life span.

Culex mosquitoes lay their eggs one at a time, sticking them together to form a raft of from 200- 300 eggs. A raft of eggs looks like a speck of soot floating on the water and is about 1/4 inch long and 1/8 inch wide.

Tiny mosquito larvae emerge from the eggs within 24 hours. ( source )

If pool owners keep a constant chlorine or bromine residual in their pools, mosquitoes will seek other places to lay eggs because the presence of chlorine/bromine in a body of water makes the water unusable as place for their young to hatch and develop.

So… in the interest of keeping mosquito populations down this Summer, we urge all swimming pool owners to test and maintain chlorine/bromine levels in their pools on a regular basis. It only takes a few days for some species of mosquitoes to go from eggs to full-grown bloodsuckers!

Suggested Testing Methods for Chlorine/Bromine Levels

So by simply making sure you have an adequate chlorine or bromine residual in your swimming pool, you can do a lot help reduce the number of bloodsucking mosquitoes in your neighborhood this Summer.

Need a Chlorine or Bromine Dispenser for Your Pool?

Take a look at the selection of automatic chemical feeders available from In the Swim a leading online retailer of swimming pool equipment, parts, and chemicals.

You can also get granular chlorine, chlorine sticks and calcium hypochlorite granules at In the Swim.

StaceyG from Rhode Island asked us a question recently:

Hi. Do chlorine test kits work for bromine, too?

Yes, Stacey, you can use a DPD-based chlorine test kit to detect bromine levels in water. Oh, and since you’ve asked about bromine, we will assume you want to test pool or hot tub water… so you can expect us to arrive shortly for the pool party.

Generally speaking, and as long as you follow the directions for testing chlorine in water using a DPD-based water test kit, you will simply have to multiply the results of the test by 2.25 if you have bromine in the water instead of chlorine.

In other words, if you got a reading of 1.0ppm chlorine, but the water actually contained bromine, you have a concentration of 2.25ppm bromine in the water.

That’s too much math for me! My brain hurts!

For those of you NOT interested in having to perform any sort of mathematical calculations poolside, many pool & spa test kits come with color charts/labels for both chlorine and bromine.

And then, for the folks who don’t want to do any math OR have to compare colors of liquids to a color chart or color comparator, we have meters such as the eXact Micro 7+ Pool/Spa Testing Meter which takes ALL the guesswork out of chlorine and bromine testing!

Last we checked, the eXact Micro 7+ Pool/Spa Testing Meter qualified for free shipping at FilterWater.Com.

Kyle from Florida asked,

My company does a lot of plumbing work for residential and commercial customers. Not all the time, but many times we get asked to test the water once we finish a job. I see a lot of test kits that use drops and those test strips on the market, but I want to use something a bit more professional like a meter of some sort. All the meters I’ve seen out there that test for a bunch of parameters have a ton of buttons, vials, powders and an instruction manual you could use to knock out a cow. Do they make a multipurpose water testing meter for the simple guy? Thanks for your help and I love the site. Lot of good info here!

Stop it, Kyle, before you make us blush!

To answer your question directly, yes you can find a reliable water testing meter made for the ‘simple guy’ and no you will not have to attend night school just to figure out how it works.

The eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter offers extreme versatility, has only one button to worry about, does not use vials, and comes with a handy, compact manual barely capable of killing a fly.

Below you will see a quick demonstration of how easily you can test water:

Now Kyle, if that looked like too much work, or like it involved way too much ‘technical stuff’, then you may as well hang up your water testing hat(?) and send all your samples out to a place like National Testing Labs ‘cuz testing water in the field does not get any easier than it does with the eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter.

• Direct read parameters — Total Alkalinity, Bromine, Calcium Hardness, Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Copper, Ozone, Permanganate, and pH

• Additional parameters — Ammonia, Chloride (as NaCl), Chlorine Dioxide (DPD-1), Chromium Hexavalent, Cyanuric Acid, Fluoride, Hydrazine, Hydrogen Peroxide (Low, Mid and High Range), Iodine (DPD-1), Iron (Fe+2), Total Iron (Fe+2/Fe+3), LR Total Hardness (as CaCO3), Magnesium, Manganese, Nitrate (as NO3), Nitrite (as NO2), pH (Acid and Alkali), Potassium, Protein (as BSA), Sulfate, Sulfide, and Turbidity. Kit includes conversion chart for these parameters.

• USEPA Compliant meter for Free & Total Chlorine — 0.01 ppm (mg/L) precision

• Built-in, permanent cell — no loose glass or plastic cells to lose

• Easy fill testing — Simply fill or dip meter into water

• Automatic countdown timer for accurate timing of testing

• 140 test memory — saves 20 tests per menu item

• No-slip grip housing — ideal for wet testing conditions

• Lightweight — weighs only 6 ounces w/ batteries installed

• Waterproof — IP-67 Rated and meter will float if dropped into water

• Easy-to-read LCD display — no color matching required

• Environmentally friendly — recyclable parts & uses 60% less reagents than 10mL sample tests

• CE certification

Looking for a versatile, lightweight, waterproof water quality testing meter? Need an EPA Compliant testing meter for chlorine testing?

Introducing a new photometer using a patented method and technologies that offer faster, safer, easier, and more precise water testing.
The eXact Micro 7+ offers seven modes which provide direct read capabilities for Total Alkalinity, Bromine, Calcium Hardness, Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Copper, Ozone, Permanganate, pH, and % Transmission – which allows for testing of an additional 17 parameters.

The eXact Micro 7+ can measure a total of up to 26 parameters and provides EPA Compliant testing method for both Free & Total Chlorine when used with DPD chemistry.

In need of replacement reagentstrip bottles for your eXact Micro 7+ Water Quality Testing Meter?

Update — Looking for an easier way to use DPD-1 with your existing chlorine test kit or meter? If it uses as 10 mL sample, then you definitely want to check out DPD-1 ReagentStrips for free chlorine. They mix into solution much quicker, easier and cleanly than DPD powders and DPD tablets and have a much longer shelf life than DPD liquids.

No one in their right mind would argue that testing water for drinking, use in a pool, watering crops, etc. has to happen. One might, however, argue that using test strips and liquid test kits which require the user to match colors can lead to approximations and assumptions regarding critical water parameters such as pH, chlorine/bromine/sanitizer levels, alkalinity, total hardness, heavy metals, etc.

We all know what assumptions can lead to: Making an a## out of you and me.

No one wants to get sick from dirty or polluted water so when accuracy matters most, you may want to put down the test strips and liquid test kits and opt for a verstile water testing meter such as the eXact Micro 7+ which tests for NINE critical water parameters using direct read measurements and an additional TWENTY-SEVEN other important water parameters with the use of a conversion chart.

Features of the eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter:

• Tests for 36 parameters in total

• Nine direct read parameters — Total Alkalinity, Bromine, Calcium Hardness, Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Copper, Ozone, Permanganate, and pH

• Twenty-Seven parameters using a conversion chart: Ammonia, Chloride (as NaCl), Chlorine Dioxide (DPD-1), Chromium Hexavalent, Cyanuric Acid, Fluoride, Hydrazine, Hydrogen Peroxide (Low, Mid and High Range), Iodine (DPD-1), Iron (Fe+2), Total Iron (Fe+2/Fe+3), LR Total Hardness (as CaCO3), Magnesium, Manganese, Nitrate (as NO3), Nitrite (as NO2), pH (Acid and Alkali), Potassium, Protein (as BSA), Sulfate, Sulfide, and Turbidity

• USEPA Compliant meter for Free & Total Chlorine — 0.01 ppm (mg/L) precision

• Built-in, permanent cell — no loose glass or plastic cells to lose

• Easy fill testing — Simply fill or dip meter into water

• Automatic countdown timer for accurate timing of testing

• 140 test memory — saves 20 tests per menu item

• Incorporates eXact® Strip technology — safe & reliable reagent dispersion

• No-slip grip housing — ideal for wet testing conditions

• Lightweight — weighs only 6 ounces w/ batteries installed

• Waterproof — IP-67 Rated and meter will float if dropped into water

• Easy-to-read LCD display — no color matching required

• Environmentally friendly — recyclable parts & uses 60% less reagents than 10mL sample tests

• Proprietary optics — allows for accurate testing without cap

• CE certification

Interested in learning how this device works? Check out the image below as it takes you through the steps of how to test w/ the eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter.

With all the posts we’ve written about the importance of testing chlorine levels in drinking water, we seem to have forgotten that a lot of people have test kits already and simply need replacement dpd tablets. The links below will take you to a site where you can pick up replacement dpd tablets and DPD powder for the Taylor brand of water test kits for pools and spas.

Most pool water professionals will agree that pool owners and pool maintenance staff should check the sanitizer levels (chlorine, bromine, etc.), pH, calcium hardness and total alkalinity on a regular basis.

To check those basic parameters a pool owner can use pool test strips, wet chemistry pool test kits and/or pool testing meters. Each method has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages:

While the four parameters mentioned above (sanitizer levels, pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness) should get checked on a regular basis, pool owners should also keep a watchful eye on other pool water parameters such as cyanuric acid levels, mineral content (i.e. iron, copper, etc.), TDS (total dissolved solids), and acid/base demand.