Accurate Water Testing: Not all Test Kits Are Created Equal

The most crucial aspect of your pool service provider’s job is testing your pool’s water. It may be frustrating when all the leaves aren’t removed from your pool after a windstorm, or the filter is dirty, but what matters most when it comes to your pool is chemistry.Your pool is a large investment and you should demand and expect to receive the highest quality of standards when it comes to your pool’s water chemistry.In the pool industry, we rely on a test kit to tell us that the water chemistry is on target, however, what most people don’t know is that there are pool test kit “standards”, which are test solutions that test and calibrate the accuracy of the test kit. Standards have been available since the 1990’s, but very few pool companies use them.In the Danville/San Ramon/Alamo area, our EBMUD water is considered “soft” with a minimal amount of total dissolved solids (TDS). While this is great for drinking water, it is very aggressive towards plaster, which is why balancing your pool water is so important to keep your plaster and your pool in top condition.The Standards for a test kit relate to PH, Hardness, Total Alkalinity and Cyanuric acid. These are the most crucial parts of water testing in regards to extending the life of your plaster. During the rainy season, when the water gets turned over, the chemistry of the water needs to be checked more frequently.At Atlantis Pools, our policy is to calibrate our test kits weekly. I have seen brand new test kits right out of the box give inaccurate results. I recommend asking your pool company if they have ever tested their test kits. Nothing is more important the getting the water right when it comes to your pool.