Test Your Swimming Pool Everyday

Get to Know Your Swimming Pool

Having been a pool owner for a few years, I've realized that the best way to take care of my swimming pool is to arm myself with knowledge. I like to know how my swimming pool chemicals behave and change on a daily basis. So many factors can affect your pool chemistry: Number of swimmers, humidity, water supply, weather and temperature can cause your PH, Free Chlorine and Total Alkalinity to change daily. At the very least, I like to test my PH and Free Chlorine daily and I use the Taylor K2006 to do it.

Monitor the Chemicals used

I use the 3Bs method to take care of my pool: This means that the only chemicals I ever need to use are good ol' Bleach, Baking Soda and Borax from my grocery store. Because I'm not using a Tri-Chlor Puck Chlorinator to disinfect my pool, it is vital that I test the Free Chlorine on a daily basis, so I know exactly how much bleach to add in the morning. Because my stabilizer (CYA) is around 40, I like to keep my free chlorine around 3.5 to 4.0(ppm). Usually this requires about 32 ounces of 6% liquid bleach per day. However, by doing a daily FAS Chlorine test with the extremely accurate Taylor K2006 Test kit, I've found that my chlorine usage can vary quite a bit on a day to basis. Sunny, hot days really devour the chlorine rapidly. I will usually test my PH and FC every day, and do the other tests; (Calcium Hardness, Total Alkalinity, CYA) weekly. If I was using Trichlor Pucks to disinfect my water, I would need to check my CYA more frequently because Trichlor pucks add Stabilizer (CYA) to your pool. The higher the CYA, the more free chlorine that is required to properly disinfect your pool water. This is why I prefer the 3Bs method for pool care, but that is another topic which will be discussed later.

Enjoy Your Pool and Don't Worry

Testing the pool every day will keep things simple for you. Knowing exactly what your water chemistry is and what actions to take will keep both your mind and pool trouble free. It all starts with Daily Pool Testing.