Every pool differs in water cleaning and disinfection mechanisms and it is critical to know the type of pool surface you have as well as what chemicals are safe to use for cleaning and testing. Some pools have a water purification system that recycles the water and other types of swimming pool constantly refresh the water within it. Most public swimming pools use the method of recirculation to refresh the pools water content. There are many contaminants, which can infect your swimming pool. Some can cause human illness or skin irritations; others can cause discoloration of the water or unwanted odors but are not harmful to human health. Therefore, it is time to use that pool test kit to check levels and water quality in your swimming pool. Use a kit that is simple to comprehend and follow. If you buy a pool test kit in a pool store or similar, the directions will be inside the box. Pool test kits check your pool water's pH, total chlorine, total bromine, acid demand, and total alkalinity.

How often would one need to test the water? Commercial pools are required to check chlorine levels every hour and findings recorded and the pH and chlorine levels at least twice or thrice a week. Chlorine should be fed continuously to maintain a consistent level. Total alkalinity and calcium hardness levels tend to fluctuate less, so weekly testing can be done. Home pools don't need to be checked as often due to less usage as a community facility.

There are other types of kits such as test strips, which provide an analysis through the manufacturer's website or at the pool supply store. If you are concerned about water balance, you will want to invest in an advanced kit. Basic test kits are usually chlorine and pH testers only. You may wish to spend more for a DPD chlorine kit, which measures free, combined and total chlorine levels. Also important is the ability to test total alkalinity and calcium hardness. Test strips for these are also available now. These are "dip & read" strips of paper, that turn into different colors indicating levels of pH, alkalinity and chlorine in the pool. Though fairly simple to use, it seems that they may not be quite as accurate. Your pool professional can check the water for metal presence, and total dissolved solids.

Benefits of pool test kits are that they are low cost and very easy to use. There could be some drawbacks as well, such as degradation of the OTO solution that causes inaccurate readings over time, results may not be reliable quantitatively or the tests may lack standardization. However, pool testing to ensure proper sanitation, is absolutely critical in minimizing various diseases. All water activity venues must be tested - which means not only public swimming pools but also hot tubs, medical treatment pools, spas, whirlpools, and water parks. Evaluating these facilities for environmental health compliance includes checking the circulation, filtration, and water treatment records; and most importantly, the quality of the water.