Pool water test kits come in many varieties and every pool owner needs one.  You don’t need to be a chemist but you do need to understand the basic ideas of keeping your water balanced.

The easiest way to get a quick reading is with test strips.  In fifteen seconds you can know that your chlorine and PH is in the normal range.  Some test strips also provide guidance on Total Alkalinity, Calcium, and Stabilizer.  For about $13.00, you can get a bottle of 50 strips.  For about the same price, you can also get a kit with enough test drops to do over a hundred tests.  You add the provided coloring dye (or tablet) to the water you put in the tube you bought. Once you add this, your pool water in the tube will turn a color to indicate the level the water is at. Hold up the color chart provided in the kit to see what level the pool water is at. You can now tell if the water is low, in range, or above normal levels.

The tube in your test kit is known as a test block. So when the directions say, dunk the test block in your pool water, fill the tube up with your pool water. It is that easy. To test your water, read the directions and follow what it says.  This way you won’t add to little or too much provided coloring dye to the pool water and end up with false results.  Some excellent advice on pool chemistry can be found at www.lamotte.com.