What does a Splash Doctor technician test in the pool water?
When you schedule a free swimming pool water test in St. George, Hurricane, Cedar City, or anywhere in Southern Utah, we want you to be prepared. This guide is designed to provide you with the basics of pool tests. By understanding these tests, you will begin to understand why we add the chemicals we do to bring your water to optimum levels.
This will provide a safe, clean swimming environment for you and your family to enjoy all year long.
Use our calculator below to calculate your pH, CYA, calcium and more!
Swimming Pool Chlorine level
At Splash Dr. we are able to check both your free chlorine as well as combined chlorine levels. Free chlorine is the level of chlorine available to sanitize the pool. Combined chlorine is typically at zero if your pool is maintained correctly. If you ever get a very strong chlorine smell or your combined chlorine level is over .5 ppm the swimming pool technician will SLAM/Shock your pool.
PH?
Ph-the ph level is what is used to determine if the pool is either too acidic, too base, or right on target.
If the ph level is too high it can cause cloudy water not caused by algae and damage to swimming pool equipment due to calcium scaling. This scaling can lead to larger problems as the buildup in the pipes restricts the flow of water causing premature failure of heaters, pumps, and filters.
If the ph level is too low, this means the acidity level in the swimming pool is too high. This can cause degradation or early failure in your plaster, tile, and grout. Extremely low PH levels can cause damage to pool heaters and other pool equipment with metal parts. It can also cause people’s eyes to burn and sting.
The ph level being at recommended levels Also makes it easier to maintain total alkalinity to a proper level.
Cyanuric Acid
Cya-also known as a swimming pool stabilizer. By knowing the exact amount of CYA in your swimming pool we can figure out proper chlorine levels for both daily chlorine as well as a slam/shock treatment. If cya is too low or too high we are then equipped with the knowledge to bring it back to ideal levels. We have created a helpful calculator to determine your proper CYA level.
Usually, for a chlorine pool, your CYA level needs to be between 30 and 60 ppm. For saltwater pools, you want a slightly higher CYA level between 70 and 90. When you are ready to shock or slam your pool knowing the CYA level is crucial to ensure your chlorine levels are high enough to do the trick.
Salt, Not Just For Your Food
Salt level-if you have a salt water swimming pool we will test your water levels for salt concentration. Based on the type of salt water generator you have installed and the manufacturer’s recommendations we will ensure your salt levels are optimum. This is usually between 2700ppm and 3400ppm. This ensures your generator produces the maximum amount of chlorine for the time it runs.
Calcium Levels
Calcium level-typically a newly plastered swimming pool will raise in calcium hardness for the first few months. Once it stabilized we test this value to ensure it stays at a proper level. We have multiple options to both raise ad lower levels based on this test.
We have found that in Southern Utah, high calcium levels are a huge problem.
When testing water in Hurricane, St. George, and Washington, the water out of the spigot is already around 225 ppm of calcium. What this means, is that to ensure your pool stays in balance, using cal-hypo or any other calcium-based pool shock can take your calcium level above what is recommended FAST.
At Splash Doctor we use cal-hypo sparingly and usually resort to liquid chlorine. This does not add any calcium to your already hard water and prevents having to drain and refill constantly. It reduces calcium scaling and keeps your tile and waterline looking clean.
Total Alkalinity and PH
Total alkalinity-total alkalinity or ta is directly correlated to your ph level. In order to get TA at an optimum level, our swimming pool technician typically has to lower your ph first, and then increase aeration. We are able to aerate your swimming pool or spa in a few different ways. We like to use the installed equipment where possible such as deck jets, waterfalls, or blowers for a spa. If you do not have any equipment that can be used to aerate, we can use an air compressor and hose to add air to your pool. This will help bring your ta down to a level that helps stabilize your swimming pool.
If you would like any more information on swimming pool water testing or what you can do to treat your swimming pool give us a call at 435-668-3880. You can schedule a free consultation and water test with one of our swimming pool service technicians.