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Recently we saw that a company had a link on its web site entitled Online Pool Water Testing… and quite honestly it seemed a bit weird to think that a company could POSSIBLY test your water over the Internet so naturally we went and checked out the link.

We EXPECTED to find a convoluted bunch of advertising hype leading up to asking us to send a sample of our water to a lab someplace bu we did not find anything of that nature.

The company, In the Swim (www.intheswim.com) posted a very simple online form that asked for just a few simple pieces of information that one could obtain by looking at their pool water and using a test strip like the Pool Check 5-Way Pool Test Strips offered in our online store.

The form asked for the following pieces of information: Pool type (pool or spa), water conditions (cloudy or clear & color if cloudy), visible algae, visible stains, pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, and free/available chlorine (or bromine).

Then, once we hit the ‘submit’ button it took us to a page where it placed all of our values in a nice, neat table that also contained the industry accepted values for the same pool water quality parameters. This made it very easy for us to see exactly how our pool water quality compared to the way it should be.

We then had a chance to ‘view suggestions’ regarding our personal water quality situation — which we did — and a new page appeared with information regarding possible causes of our pool water woes (we said we had cloudy water and low pH). At this point the program did, of course, give a push for us to add some chemicals to our cart, but never once did the program’s language seem threatening or intimidating… like we have overheard in many pool stores over the years.

• “If you don’t fix this problem right away your pool will rot.”
• “Yeah, you CAN swim in it as-is, but I wouldn’t.”
• “Hey, if the machine says you need these chemicals then you NEED these chemicals.”
• And one of our favorites of all time: “Don’t come crying to us when your skin gets all itchy and your hair turns green, OK?”

Yep. Got to love the untrained, uncouth water testing personnel in some pool stores. Wait, we take that back. No, you don’t have to love them. You SHOULD, however, make use of Pool Check Test 5-Way Strips and the convenient, not-too-pushy Online Pool Water Test program on IntheSwim.Com. No download required, either! It’s 100% online and easy!

Pool Check 5-Way Test Strip

Pool Check 6-Way Test Strip

Pool Check Salt Test Strips

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We had not seen the online water test on In the Swim before and want to thank Water Testing Blog for bringing it to our attention. After playing around w/ it ourselves just now we, too, found the process pretty easy, completely painless and totally worthwhile.

Many pool stores use test methods no more sophisticated than the testing tools than you may already have at home or that you can purchase online at places like In the Swim or from our own Pool Water Test Kit Store.

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The results of a recent study revealed that 1 in 5 Americans admitted to peeing in the pool. Keep in mind that more people probably pee in the pool and just didn’t want to admit it. Gross!

If you’re taking a refreshing dip in a pool with four other people, odds are one of you is urinating. This is not gross-out myth, but cold, depressing fact from a recent survey conducted by the Water Quality & Health Council, a scientific research group sponsored by the American Chemistry Council.

The survey, conducted in April, asked nearly 1,000 adults whether they urinate in pools. One in five bravely admitted their mistakes. And those are the ones who admitted it.

…

It is easy isn’t it? Maybe that’s because many of us were taught as kids that chlorine counteracted any accidents. Technically, that’s mostly true. If pool operators maintain proper chlorine and pH levels, most waterborne germs are killed on contact.

But 54 percent of public pools tested by the WQHC last year failed to provide the proper chlorine levels and 47 got low marks for pH balance. You can blame poor pool maintenance, but frequent urinators don’t help.

…

To find out of your pool is safe, look for some tell-tale signs of bacteria.

“Check if you see the bottom,” says Dr. Wiant. “If a pool is clear it’s likely very clean and balanced, but if it’s it cloudy or the sides are slimy, those are signs that bacteria is prevalent and the pool isn’t filtering out germs the way it should.”

Hyper-vigilant swimmers can also purchase pool test strips at any drug store and do their own scientific assessment. “They’re easy to use,” he adds, “just crack one open and dip it in the pool and you’ll be able to tell right away if the pool is clean.”

Another signal it’s time to get out of the pool: burning, stinging eyes. Although it’s not seriously harmful, when “urine combines with chlorine it becomes an irritant,” Wiant says. So if you find yourself squinting in pain after a dive, ask yourself why that person doing the backstroke in the next lane looks so relaxed. It’s not that nice of a day. ( source )

Do us all a favor, folks and PLEASE stop peeing in the pool! The Center for Disease Control has monitored pool water quality for many years now and the number of illnesses contracted from contaminated swimming pool water has increased steadily.

Some blame the increase on poorly maintained pool water but in the end it comes down to one thing in our minds: Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Shower before swimming: If everyone removed the oils and other bodily secretions from their bodies before entering the pool the chlorine and filter would have less to clean up.

Shower after swimming: Clean the pool off of you after a swim. We suggest this for two reasons: 1) Chlorine dries out your skin; 2) Perhaps a fellow swimmer, one of the 20% that admits to peeing in the pool, unknowingly had a contagious health condition that he or she passed into the water at some point. Do you REALLY want to walk around with THAT on your skin the rest of the day?

Preventative measures

Aside from showering before a swim and using the proper urine receptacles (Toilets, people! Use the toilets!) when nature calls, keeping an eye on pool water quality will go a long way towards making sure everyone has a safe, clean and enjoyable time in the pool.

Detecting a strong chlorine smell in swimming pool water does NOT always mean the water is safe. If, for example, the pH goes out of range the chlorine will not work nearly as effectively at neutralizing unwanted bacteria and other organic contaminants.

Therefore we, like the article, suggest testing pool water before diving in. Easy-to-use pool water test strips like the Pool Check 3-Way test kit give accurate, reliable water test results for free chlorine, pH and total alkalinity in under a minute.

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So what have we learned? Hopefully you have learned NOT TO PEE IN THE SWIMMING POOL ANYMORE and will urge all those around you to stop peeing in swimming pools, lakes, oceans, rivers, etc., too!

Oh, and we also suggest maintaining proper water chemistry in your pool at all times. This means you will need to TEST the pool water for critical pool water quality parameters including, but not limited to free chlorine, total chlorine, pH, and total alkalinity on a regular basis.

For that task we recommend Pool Check 5 Way Test Strips currently available in our Water Test Kit Store. This product comes in a bottle of 50 and has a total test time of less than a minute!

Testing of public pools?

While we would LOVE to think all operators of public pools keep a vigilant eye on the quality of their pool water… we worked in the pool industry for a while and came across a number of pools that LOOKED clean and tidy but had all sorts of water quality issues that could have resulted in swimmers getting sick if a harmful bacteria or parasite had found its way into the water.

Before hopping in the water you should take a minute to use a product like the Pool Check 5 Way Test Strip to make sure the water contains, at the very least, a proper amount of free chlorine.

As a general rule bromine offers more disinfecting power than chlorine because even its combined/used form (bromamine) still has the power to help keep water safe and clean. Additionally, by shocking once a week w/ an extra dose of bromine pool and spa owners effectively ‘free’ bromine molecules up to return to their assigned task of oxidizing biological contaminants.

Do bromine pools require stabilizer?

Despite bromine’s superior stability in water compared to chlorine, pool experts suggest maintaining a cyanuric acid level between 30 and 60 part per million. Note: As with chlorine, excessively high stabilizer levels can restrict bromine’s ability to do its job effectively.

What form does bromine come in?

Bromine usually comes packaged in tablet or granular form. Most people use tablets in a floater or feeder of some sort for everyday purposes and granular bromine for weekly shock treatments. One may also use granular bromine as a means of establishing a bromine level in fresh water so that it will begin to draw off of bromine tablets in a feeder or floater.

Who sells bromine?

Pretty much EVERY pool and spa store carries bromine in one form or the other, thought usually most will not carry bromine powder in large containers.

As far as online retailers go, we know that In the Swim carries different sizes of bromine tablet pails ranging from 3.5 pounds all the way up to 500 pounds.

In the Swim’s “Americas Strongest Bromine”…

• 3.5 lbs. of bromine tablets
• 10 lbs. of bromine tablets
• 25 lbs. of bromine tablets
• 50 lbs. of bromine tablets
• 100 lbs. of bromine tablets
• 200 lbs. of bromine tablets
• 500 lbs. of bromine tablets

A question you may have at this point: “How do I test for bromine?”

As usual the easiest method involves the use of test strips manufactured by companies like Aquachek or Pool Check. Test strips offer fast, reliable test results without the need for complicated testing procedures or messy powders and liquids.

Pool Check Chlorine/Bromine Test Strips

Aquachek Chlorine/Bromine Test Strips

]]> http://watertestingblog.com/2011/06/15/quick-information-about-bromine/feed/ 0 http://watertestingblog.com/2011/02/14/reagents-for-taylor-test-kit/ http://watertestingblog.com/2011/02/14/reagents-for-taylor-test-kit/#respond Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:03:47 +0000 http://watertestingblog.com/?p=3762 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:

TAYLOR #1 DPD REAGENT 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $8.35    click for more info

TAYLOR #2 DPD REAGENT 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $8.59    click for more info

TAYLOR #3 DPD REAGENT 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $9.12    click for more info

TAYLOR #4 PH INDICATOR REAGENT (PHENOL RED) 16 OZ Estimated Cost: $17.02    click for more info

TAYLOR #4 PH INDICATOR REAGENT 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $6.01    click for more info

TAYLOR #5 REAGENT ACID DEMAND 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $6.15    click for more info

TAYLOR #6 BASE DEMAND REAGENT 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $5.10    click for more info

TAYLOR #7 THIOSULFATE REAGENT 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $5.16    click for more info

TAYLOR #8 TOTAL ALKALINITY 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $5.31    click for more info

TAYLOR #9 SULFURIC ACID 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $5.37    click for more info

TAYLOR #10 CALCIUM BUFFER 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $6.50    click for more info

TAYLOR #11 CALCIUM INDICATOR LIQUID 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $9.49    click for more info

TAYLOR #11 CALCIUM INDICATOR LIQUID 3/4 OZ Estimated Cost: $6.16    click for more info

TAYLOR #12 HARDNESS REAGENT 2 OZ. Estimated Cost: $6.07    click for more info

TAYLOR #13 CYANURIC ACID REAGENT 1 GALLON Estimated Cost: $29.41    click for more info

TAYLOR #13 CYANURIC ACID REAGENT 16 OZ Estimated Cost: $9.86    click for more info

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.