How often should you test your pool water?
No one wants a green pool. It’s unsightly, unsanitary, and can be costly to fix. So how do we avoid it? The easiest way to avoid this is to make sure your pool is kept clean and the chemical levels correct. But how frequently do you need to test your pool water?
As seasons change and we experience bad weather such as rain and snow storms, pool maintenance has to change with it. Read more to find out clear guidelines on how often you should check your pool water year-round to make sure your pool stays healthy and clean.
Water Testing In Cooler Months
During the cooler months, we use our pools less often. The cooler weather can significantly decrease the chlorine demand your pool requires. This can lead to excessive chlorine levels which can damage blankets and pool equipment. Therefore, you should be testing your pool water’s chlorine and pH levels every two weeks.
Maintaining proper water chemistry will reduce the amount of work needed when you’re ready to start swimming again. We recommend getting a water test in-store every other week, which will not only test your pH and chlorine levels but also calcium hardness, salt level, stabilizer and alkalinity.
Water Testing In Warmer Months
The weather is warming up and pool season is about to start. Yay!
But before you grab your sunglasses and inner tube, you need to make sure your pool is in tip-top shape after sitting unused throughout the fall and winter months.
You likely need to clean your pool filter, top up your water, and check over your equipment. In addition to all this, you will need to start testing your water more. As the summer season heats up and the pool is getting more use, it’s important to also ramp up your water testing, increasing to at least twice a week in the peak of summer. Testing should be done even more frequently if you have pets or young children regularly in your pool.
Our team can provide you with the tools and expert advice so you can test at home anytime, using our test strips.
In Bad Weather
If you’ve experienced a lot of rain or storms, this can greatly affect the pH and chlorine levels of your pool. After these bouts of bad weather, you should immediately test your water to prevent an algae outbreak and a costly clean-up bill.
Alternatively, if you are experiencing abnormally hot weather, the water can evaporate, which can also cause the chemicals to lose their effectiveness. Again, if this is the case you need to increase your water test frequency.
Free Water Testing
Environments provides free water testing in-store. Simply bring in your sample and we can analyze it in 60 seconds.
Collect a sample about an arm’s length under the water surface and bring it to Environments within a few hours. We’ll then be able to provide you with a complete analysis of your pool water, completely FREE!
