How to get your water tested by a dealer.

What you should test.
Both pool and tap or well water should be tested 1x year.
Well water should be tested 2x year, if a test has revealed nitrates or metals
Almost all water company utilities will furnish chemical analyses on their water on request; however, it is still necessary to test tap water for iron and copper, since these are often picked up from the water pipes between the treatment plant and your house.

Why you should test.
Test data, especially on your tap or fill water determines what pool treatment program is needed. Many common problems with pools result from failing to consider the chemistry of the fill water. Continued testing assures that water has not changed or is OK. We've learned the hard way that it can, sometimes without warning. Recent trends in water treatment can result in manganese in the tap water: though not toxic, manganese is a nightmare pool water contaminant, resulting in black or brown stains that are very difficult to remove.

Use a sample collection bottle
The ideal sample is at least one pint of water in a clean plastic dark colored bottle. A brown used hydrogen peroxide bottle makes a perfect sample bottle!

Cleaning a sample bottle
If your bottle is not clean, or is questionable, or hasn't been used since last year, clean it first.

• Empty the bottle
• Refill halfway with tap water
• Add a small amount of bleach (1 tablespoon)
• Add a small amount of laundry detergent (1 teaspoon)
• Cap and shake vigorously. [Be careful of the cap: drips will bleach your clothes]
• Uncap the bottle, put it in the kitchen sink, and fill almost full.
• Cap, shake again, and let it stand 10 minutes.
• Empty, fill 1/2 with tap water, shake.
• Repeat 3x or until all bubbles are gone.
• Fill full with tap water, cap, and store until needed.
  Note: if you have major contaminants, especially metals, in your tap water, store the bottles filled with distilled water which you can buy at the grocery for ~$1/gallon.)

Using a sample bottle.

• Empty the tap water out of your bottle.
• Fill 1/2 with pool water, shake, and discard.
• Collect your sample from in front of the skimmer.
• Submerge the bottle at least 8" while collecting your sample.
• Fill to overflowing, and cap. (Leave NO airspace)

Getting the sample tested

• Take the samples to your dealer or test site as quickly as possible.
• If you must delay, store the samples in the coolest place possible.
• It's wise to take dual sets of samples to TWO dealers: some dealers test results are rather inaccurate.

Common problems

• Allowing the sample to sit or get hot (above 85) will mess up many of the tests. Discard any sample not tested within 12 hours of collection.
• A dirty bottle can cause wildly inaccurate results. See bottle cleaning above.
• Leaving air space in the bottle will result in inaccurate alkalinity and pH test results, and may cause other errors as well.

Collecting Collect your water sample after the pool pump has been running for at least one hour. Submerge the bottle at least 8" deep in front of your skimmer, invert, and allow it to fill with pool water. (Remember to rinse the bottle with pool water first!)

Test Guide (use the associated testform to take to your dealer)

Pool Chemistry	Chlorine1		PHMB2		Copper3
Source	Tap	Pool	Tap	Pool	Tap	Pool
Free Chlorine	All	All	-	-	All	All
Total Chlorine	All	All	All	All	All	All
pH	All	All	All	All	All	All
PHMB	-	-	-	All	-	-
Peroxide	-	-	-	All	-	-
Alkalinity	Mnth	Mnth	Mnth	Mnth	Mnth	Mnth
Calcium 4	Mnth	Mnth	Mnth	Mnth	Mnth	Mnth
Stabilizer	-	Mnth	-	-	-	-
Copper	Year	Year	All	Mnth	-	All
Iron (Fe)	Year	Year	All	Mnth	Year	Year
Manganese (Mn)	Year	Only	Year	Only	Year	Only
Nitrates5	Year	Year	Year	Year	Year	Year
Phosphates5	Year	Year	Year	Year	Year	Year
Ammonia6	-	Prob	-	Prob	-	Prob
Bromide6	-	Prob	-	Prob	-	Prob
Yr = test yearly   Mn = test Mnth when open   All = at each test performed   Only = test only when tap or well water indicated problem   Prob = test if you have problems after using Yellow Out, Yello Free, Yellow Treat, or any product from United Chemical Company Footnotes: Tests for bromine are the same, except it is not necessary to test for stabilizer. The test for bromine is IDENTICAL to the chlorine test. PHMB is the active ingredient in Baquacil and Softswim Copper pools include those operated with ionizers or with liquids such as Pristine Blue. IMPORTANT: a chlorine residual MUST be maintained for safety. The FTC has issued restraining orders against companies which claim to be 'chlorine-free' and has successfully sued companies which have claimed otherwise. A clear pool is NOT always a safe pool. On vinyl pools,calcium only needs to be tested annually, unless your pool has a tendency for the calcium to be to HIGH. Calcium cannot be too low on a vinyl pool, contrary to most published data. Phosphates and nitrates are are algae food. They primarily enter the pool multiple sources, including the use of non-chloramine shocks to destroy chloramines, lawn fertilizer overspray, and some well waters. Often, the only solution is to drain, if they are high, and algae is uncontrollable. Bromide or ammonia in pools are common causes of the "I have no chlorine complaints". A common source is the repetitive use of the chlorine supplements for yellow algae.

Back   OR   Home

Not the swimming pool information you're looking for? . . . Search Google for more answers!
Custom Search

About Us | Copyrights | The Pool Forum | Sitemap | Contact us! Copyright(c) PMB Webpages and Ben Powell, 1997-2011 All rights reserved