Today’s question came to us from ‘AnThony07′ who asked, “Pool store guys said to fix pH after alkalinity. Why not just fix the problem pH they pointed out?”

Many folks mistake pH for alkalinity and at other times they mistake alkalinity for pH. Do the two have a lot in common? Well, sort of, but they also have enough differences that they both matter and need to get addressed separately and in the correct order.

Simply put,

• pH – A measure of how acidic or basic a water sample is.

• Alkalinity – A physical count of the ‘molecules’ that make a sample acidic or basic.

Yes, yes, we know… we oversimplified that by a mile… but for most pool owners that model works quite well.

On a more real-world level, think of it this way: If you walked into a room and wanted to change the overall mood or opinion of the room, would you have better luck exacting change on a room full of people or a room with fewer people in it?

Obviously you could get the change in mood or opinion in the room if it contained fewer people, right? Well the same goes for pool water. A pool with low alkalinity will change pH very easily as a result of outside influence (i.e. addition of acidic rain water, depositing of leaves that give off acids as they decompose, etc.) whereas a pool with the proper amount of alkalinity will take longer to have its pH altered by outside influences.

Conversely, a pool with too much alkalinity could, over time, go out of balance (acidic or basic) and then it would take a whole lot of persuading (i.e. the adding of chemicals) to correct the pH — and a lot of times the pH will shoot from one end of the spectrum to the other after the addition of, for the average pool owner, an unpredictable quantity of pH correction chemicals.

So… Does alkalinity matter, Anthony? You bet it does!

Moral of the story

Before you go WASTING MONEY on chemicals to fix the pH, make sure you have the proper amount of alkalinity in your pool water! If you don’t want to travel to the pool store every time you think your alkalinity may need checking, pool water test strips such as those manufactured by AquaChek or Pool Check work quite well, cost very little and provide fast, accurate results on-the-spot.

Or, for those who want to perform more in-depth testing so they can fine tune their pool water’s quality, pool water testing meter’s such as the eXact Micro 7+ Pool Testing Meter make it possible for the the average pool owner to test for a large number of important pool water characteristics — without the need for complicated mixing, measuring and interpreting of chemical reagents.

eXact Micro 7+ Pool Water Testing Meter…
a Pool Testing Meter for the Average Pool Owner

Though we did not know the names of any specific labs in his area, we did provide him with some useful resources that could certainly help him find a qualified water testing lab in his area.

Good morning, Albert, and thank you for your inquiry regarding water testing labs in Arizona. Hopefully we can help you to locate a suitable home water testing lab in your area.

We first suggest taking a look at the EPA Web Site, specifically the page containing information about local water quality issues in Arizona. This page also contains contact information for the Arizona’s Drinking Water Offices… excellent sources of information on where to turn for certified drinking water analysis! See below for the link:

http://water.epa.gov/drink/local/az.cfm

Directly related to your question, however, the Arizona Department of Health Services Web Site has an online listing of labs in your area on the following page:

http://www.azdhs.gov/lab/license/env.htm

We hope this will at least point you in the right direction!

Best regards,

- Water Testing Blog Staff

For those of you NOT hailing from the Arizona area, the following web page will provide you with links to resources in other US States: http://water.epa.gov/drink/local/

Popular home water test kits?

As always, we suggest calling upon the services of certified water testing professionals if you have doubts about the safety of your water supply. At-home drinking water test kits do, however, give average home and business owners the power to keep an eye on basic drinking water parameters (i.e. heavy metals like lead, free chlorine, total chlorine, pH, hardness, etc.) whose levels, if seen fluctuating dramatically, could indicate the presence of issues requiring further investigation by a certified water testing lab like National Testing Laboratories or local water testing lab.

Childcare Water Kit	Free Chlorine Water Test	Ida’s Iron Check
Arsenic Quick Test Kit	Arsenic Quick Test Mini-Kit	Bacteria Check Test Kit
LEADQuick Paint Home Test Kit	Manganese Check Water Test Kit	Mercury Check Water Test Kit
Total Hardness Test Kit	Water Metals Test Kit	Water Quality Test Kit
Well Drillers Test Kit — Master	Well Drillers Test Kit –Standard	eXact Micro 7+ Pool Test Kit
eXact Micro 7+ Water Test Kit	Ammonia Aquarium Test	Nitrate/Nitrate Test Kit

Total Chlorine & pH 2-Way Test Kit for Pools and Spas

What’s that? you say you don’t need a whole new kit? Sad to say, but in most cases a whole new kit will cost about a buck or two more than purchasing just the reagents. Don’t blame us, though. We just have the gun task of delivering the news.

Having lived in many apartments before finally each getting our own houses, all of us at Water Testing Blog fully understand not wanting to clutter small, cramped shower areas with extra plumbing fixtures.

Now, however, all you apartment dwellers have the affordable option of installing a Sprite Slimline Shower Filter which uses KDF-55 and Chlorgon Media (tested and certified against NSF/ANSI Standard 177 for the Reduction of Free Chlorine in Water) to dramatically reduce free chlorine concentrations in water.

Additionally, the Sprite Slimline Shower Filter (Manufacturer’s Part Number SL-WH) also helps to balance the pH of water it filters and aids in reducing scale buildup on shower walls.

Will I need to replace my existing shower head?

Not with the Sprite Slimline Shower Filter! This unit installs directly behind your existing shower head and adds a mere 1.5″ to the fixture.

Notice How the Unit Installs Cleanly Behind the Shower Head

No plumbing experience to install this unit!

Why should I care about chlorine?

Recent and not-so-recent studies have drawn direct correlations between exposure to chlorine in shower and eye irritation, dry/itchy skin, damaged hair, and even hardening of arteries in some cases. Not to mention that folks with respiratory problems such as asthma or allergies often report worsening of symptoms as a result of chlorine exposure in the shower.

Where can I get a simple test kit for chlorine?

We still believe that SenSafe manufactures one of the simplest and cost effective methods for accurately testing both free AND total chlorine levels in water at the same time: The WaterWorks 2 Free & Total Chlorine Test Strip.

This product outperforms ‘old school’ OTO drop test kits for total chlorine and uses patented, EPA Approved test method to detect free chlorine levels — all with a dip-n-read test procedure!

“My husnband and I both work 2 jobs and take turns shuffling the kids around to all their school, soccer, band and scout stuff. We don’t have time to run back and forth to the pool store every week for more pool chemicals. Do you know a chemical kit that will last us most if not all summer long?”

We certainly empathize with your situation, Mary, since we have kids, too, and have to create time to do ANYthing other than work, housework and drive them hither and yon.

We typically stock up on chemicals from our local pool supply store early in the season and don’t have to make a trip back until at least 3/4 of the way through the season, though sometimes a bit sooner if we get a lot of rain or have 2 or 20 more social gatherings at the homestead.

Since it sounds like you clearly don’t have a lot of time on your hands, Mary, for going to the pool store even ONCE, we suggest that you look into a pool chemical package like the Chemical Season Supply Kit (Large) from Amerimerc.Com, a leading online retailer of pool chemicals, pool test kits, pool supplies, and, of course, pool toys.

What does the kit contain? So glad you asked!

• 50 lb.3in Tablets — Great for day-to-day chlorinating
• 1 qt. Poly 60 Algaecide — A necessary tool for fending off unwanted algae
• 1 qt. Conquest Super Rust & Scale — Keep pesky metal stains out of your water
• 24 x 1 lb. bag Dura Shock — Excellent for shocking & superchlorinating
• 4 lb. pH Increaser — Effective way to elevate the pH of your pool water
• 6 lb. pH Reducer — Effective way to decrease the pH of your pool water
• Aqua Chek Chlorine 3-Way Test Strips — Fastest way to test your pool for vital parameters

Looking for other chemicals and supplies for your swimming pool and want them delivered right to your door? Check out the latest offerings on Amerimerc.Com!

“My husnband and I both work 2 jobs and take turns shuffling the kids around to all their school, soccer, band and scout stuff. We don’t have time to run back and forth to the pool store every week for more pool chemicals. Do you know a chemical kit that will last us most if not all summer long?”

We certainly empathize with your situation, Mary, since we have kids, too, and have to create time to do ANYthing other than work, housework and drive them hither and yon.

We typically stock up on chemicals from our local pool supply store early in the season and don’t have to make a trip back until at least 3/4 of the way through the season, though sometimes a bit sooner if we get a lot of rain or have 2 or 20 more social gatherings at the homestead.

Since it sounds like you clearly don’t have a lot of time on your hands, Mary, for going to the pool store even ONCE, we suggest that you look into a pool chemical package like the Chemical Season Supply Kit (Large) from Amerimerc.Com, a leading online retailer of pool chemicals, pool test kits, pool supplies, and, of course, pool toys.

What does the kit contain? So glad you asked!

• 50 lb.3in Tablets — Great for day-to-day chlorinating
• 1 qt. Poly 60 Algaecide — A necessary tool for fending off unwanted algae
• 1 qt. Conquest Super Rust & Scale — Keep pesky metal stains out of your water
• 24 x 1 lb. bag Dura Shock — Excellent for shocking & superchlorinating
• 4 lb. pH Increaser — Effective way to elevate the pH of your pool water
• 6 lb. pH Reducer — Effective way to decrease the pH of your pool water
• Aqua Chek Chlorine 3-Way Test Strips — Fastest way to test your pool for vital parameters

Looking for other chemicals and supplies for your swimming pool and want them delivered right to your door? Check out the latest offerings on Amerimerc.Com!

“Do they make meters for pool testing that regular people can afford? Last yr our poolguy had a meter and I asked him how much it cost. He told me one thousand and some change. He lie to me so I would not go get one and he loses a customer?”

Wow. Interesting situation, right? Personally we’d have fired the guy for telling an outlandish lie. Yeah, sure, SOME equipment used to test pool water MAY cost upwards of a thousand dollars or more, but would the average pool maintenance person REALLY spend that kind of money? We doubt it.

We suggest, Lassie, that you take a look at the eXact Micro 7+ Pool Water Testing Meter… which costs well under a thousand dollars, by the way.

Combining the reliability and repeatability of a photometer w/ the dependability of proven chemistry methods such as DPD (for chlorine testing) and phenol red (for pH testing), the eXact Micro 7+ Pool Testing Meter puts the power of accurate water testing into the hands of the people who need it most: pool owners.

A definite advantage offered by this particular pool meter: Versatility. The pool testing meter tests for 7 critical pool water parameters directly and with the use of a conversion chart and correct reagentstrip it can test for a number of other water parameters, as well.

What comes in pool water test kit?

In the basic kit you will find everything you need to test for free chlorine, total chlorine, pH, calcium hardness, total alkalinity, dissolved copper, and cyanuric acid.

Each year millions of pool owners will venture out into their sheds, begin to rummage through boxes marked ‘pool stuff’ in their garages, etc. and come up empty handed. What did they go looking for? Their simple, trusted 2-way pool water test kit.

Where did all those test kits go? No one really knows, but some have hypothesized that an alien race of testing gnomes creeps out in the off season and harvests a select number of 2-way test kits that they will sacrifice to the Pool Gods on our behalf in exchange for a bountiful, fun and safe swimming season.

Regardless of whether or not that last bit sounded believable, if you find yourself in need of a 2-way pool water test kit for total chlorine and pH, sites like InTheSwim.Com and PoolCenter.Com carry those and more.

Now… if you want to take BETTER care of your pool water — and possibly save yourself numerous water chemistry headaches which cost money to correct — you may want to consider taking a look at a 4-way pool test kit or more advanced Taylor Test Kit.

Taylor K2005C Pool Water Test Kit

In either case, we get this question a lot. Below you will find links to four areas of interest for pool owners in the Spring:

Pool Opening Kits	Pool Chlorine
Solar & Winter Covers	Equipment & Accessories

And, of course, an area that too many pool owners neglect: Pool Water Test Kits.

Can’t I just dump a bunch of chlorine in and call it a day?

Sure… but then you will more than likely waste money correcting the problems you’ve created or didn’t solve by simply adding chlorine.

Testing your pool water for at LEAST the basics (metals, pH, alkalinity, free chlorine, total chlorine, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid) will give the knowledge you need to purchase the correct pool chemicals and add the correct amounts so you can get your pool started properly and avoid annoyances such as staining caused by the addition of chlorine to water containing high levels of metals, algae caused by poorly balanced water in which chlorine cannot do its job, etc.

Consider This : 99% of the time it costs MORE money to fix a pool water chemistry issue than it does to test in the first place and add the correct chemicals the first time!

So anyways, an independent environmental monitoring group in the Chesapeake Bay area (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) announced that results of recent water quality testing indicate definite improvements in the bay’s overall condition.

With its crab population rebounding and water quality slightly better, the Chesapeake Bay is showing signs of improvement, the region’s leading environmental group says, but the estuary remains seriously impaired and needs a strict pollution “diet” to ensure its restoration.

The Annapolis-based Chesapeake Bay Foundation upped the estuary’s overall health score by three points in its latest “state of the bay” report, while warning that it remains in critical condition, barely above a failing grade.

“That the bay is getting better is a huge development, but sadly not the whole story,” William C. Baker, the foundation’s president, said in a release accompanying the report. “Dead zones, fish kills and water contact advisories are constant reminders of how far we still must go.” ( source )

Got a body of water in your area that you’d like to keep an eye on? The Chesapeake Bay Foundation probably uses quite a few advanced tools such as multi-parameter meters to measure a wide range of critical water parameters but in all honesty, sometimes using simple tools such as a TDS Meter or Eco-Check, a very popular product which tests for nitrates, nitrites, hardness, total alkalinity, and pH all with a single dip of a test strip and typically costs less than $14.00 for a bottle of 25 tests.

Drastic changes in basic water quality parameters sometimes serve as warning signs that other, more serious water quality problems exist.

Eco-Check 5-Way Test Strips

TDS Meters for Water Quality Testing

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