Aquachek Pool Water Test Strips..Low Chemical Readings
by John Pollacco
Today's tests repeatdly gave me the following results: - pH Low below 6.2ppm, free chlorine high 10; ppm total alkalinity low 0 and ppm stabilizer low 0. I did add acid but did not see any change. What's wrong? Thanks for the question John I would first ask if there has been any outside and sudden influences that would change the chemical makeup of the water, i.e. heavy rains, windstorms, heavy use of the pool, things of that nature. If not, then how were the readings before this happened? If you were using the same strips from the same package and were getting pretty consistent results for weeks at a time, then all of a sudden everything is out of sorts, it means either something from the outside influenced the pool, or the test strips went bad for some reason. If they were left out in the sun, dirt or debris got on them, pool chemical spilled on them, etc... There have been cases where kids would throw laundry or dish detergent in the pool, which would cause the water to foul and bubble up. For water testing, I would highly recommend a Taylor FAS-DPD K-2006 water testing kit. It's the kind I used in Arizona when I maintained pools and the one I use at the YMCA pool. Pool Water Testing Kit Swimming Pool Water Testing A little on the expensive side, about $80 or so, but it's worth the investment. You need to get the pH level up to 7.6 - 7.8, chlorine between 1.5 - 3.5ppm, alkalinity 80 - 100ppm, and stabilizer, cyanuric acid (CYA), between 30 - 50ppm. The K-2006 kit has the tests for all of these chemical readings. You can find how to raise and adjust all of these on my site. Although the test strips are pretty convenient, I've found the FAS-DPD kit is the most accurate. It does take a little getting used to, but it's worth the time. Get the kit, then compare it with the strips you have. If they are not equal, then the strips probably went bad. The pool chlorine cannot get that high without adding chlorine. Pool chlorine will always go down, not up, unless someone is adding it. Hope this helps and let me know how this turns out for you Robert |
