As the beginning of Summer 2010 approaches and more people flock to local swimming pools in an effort to cool off, the risk of waterborne illness from parasites increases. Recreational Water Illnesses (RWI’s) typically occur when people do not practice simple hygiene before and during their pool visits.

In the event of a recreational water illness most people immediately blame pool operators for allowing sanitizer levels to fall. Many of those same people, however, forget that germs and bacteria enter the pool on people and that if people stopped introducing harmful germs and bacteria to pool water, sanitizer levels would probably not drop to dangerously low levels and allow germs to wreak havoc.

Another thing to remember about chlorine, bromine and other sanitizers: They will not work as effectively if other critical water parameters such as pH and total alkalinity levels have drifted out of acceptable ranges. So even if sanitizer levels test correctly and in the right ranges, high/low values for other water parameters may render those sanitizers partially or totally ineffective at killing germs and bacteria.

What sort of ‘nasties’ can a person expect to find in swimming pools as a result of poor swimmer hygiene habits?

The most common are caused by the germs Cryptosporidium (crypto), Giardia, E. coli and Shigella. Once these parasites gain entry to the pool they can cause swimmers to experience a variety of infections ranging from skin, ear and eye to gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses that can quickly put a damper on summer fun.

How widespread are these pesky pool parasites? Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found nearly one in ten public swimming pools in a major metropolitan city tested positive for Crypto and Giardia, the parasites responsible for causing most of the outbreaks of diarrhea among swimmers in the United States. Diarrhea is one of the most common illnesses related to swimming and is spread when disease carrying germs from human or animal feces get into the water and are accidentally swallowed by unsuspecting swimmers. ( source )

So as you can clearly see, harmful bacteria and germs in pool water should concern EVERY swimmer and EVERY swimmer should do their part to reduce the number of germs and bacteria they could potentially bring to a pool party.

For a list of things you, your family, and hopefully all other pool patrons can do to reduce the risk RWI’s in your favorite pools, check out a recent article on The Water Testing Blog entitled Myth: Chlorine Kills All Germs and Bacteria in Water.

What about testing? Can the average person test for the presence of harmful bacteria before entering the pool? Yes, WaterSafe manufactures a bacteria test kit specifically designed for use in pool & spa water to detect harmful bacteria species such as Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, E.coli, species of Salmonella, Shigella, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and many other Coliform and non-Coliform bacteria.

While the kit will not distinguish between bacteria types or give quantitative results, it will let you know if water tested contains more than 1,000 cfu/mL. People should avoid swimming in pool water containing levels greater than 1,000 cfu/mL.

OK, so you COULD go and eat a value meal at some fast or semi-fast food restaurant for five dollars (plus tax)… or you could take advantage of a great price on Pool Check 3 Way Test Strips that you know you will need this pool season.

What do they test for? So glad you asked! Pool Check 3 in 1 Test Strips test for Free Chlorine (0-20ppm), Bromine (0-40ppm), Total Alkalinity (0-360ppm), and pH (6.0-9.0).

Right now on the National Safety Products web site you can get a bottle of 50 strips for just five bucks… which works out to just 10 cents a test.

You KNOW you will need these things at some point this pool season so why not pick up a few bottles right now and not have to worry about running out later this Summer and having to pay MORE for the same product; simply because retailers know you’ll have to pay whatever they ask at that point.

Order some Pool Check 3 in 1 Test Strips today… or for those of you who don’t like using test strips and prefer to use a more traditional test kit, you will find those on Taylor-Test-Kits.Com.

On another note…

Happy Friday, everyone! Weekend’s almost here!

Voted one of the “Most Valuable Products for 2008!” by Aquatics International Magazine, the Lamotte Color Q Pro 7 tests for seven critical pool and spa water parameters: Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Bromine, pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, and Cyanuric Acid.

It comes with either TesTabs or liquid reagents and has a 6-month manufacturer’s warranty.

Below you will find a table which lists each water quality parameter the meter can test along with the meter’s associated detection limits.

The Lamotte Color Q Pro 7 offers convenient pool or spa-side water testing without the need for color matching or look up charts and conversion tables. It provides direct readings for Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Bromine, pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, and Cyanuric Acid and by doing so eliminates all guesswork.

A naturally occurring reddish metal that appears in rock, water, soil, sediment and in the air, copper has unique physical properties which make it perhaps one of the most commonly used and important metals. You can find copper in pennies, as part of electrical wiring systems, and in plumbing. You can also find it used in some pesticides and algaecides.

As humans we require a minute amount of copper to live, but as with anything, too much copper in a short period of time and prolonged exposure to excess copper can have detrimental effects on our health.

For that reason health officials suggest testing your drinking water for copper, and other things obviously, on a semi-regular basis… especially if you live in an older home, in an area that has older water delivery lines, or if you have well water.

How can you test for copper?

Previously you would have to use a test kit that used drops, tablets, powders, etc. or have your water tested by a water testing laboratory. As usual we suggest that people use water testing labs if they have serious reason to suspect drinking water contamination and that owners of wells have their water tested by a certified water testing lab at least once a year, for occasional testing needs you can use copper test strips such as the John’s Copper product manufactured by SenSafe.

If you think you may have a need to test your water for copper, then you may also want to test for other metals such as iron, manganese, mercury, and lead.

A test kit such as the Well Driller Master Test Kit has all those tests and more.

Over the years we have dealt with WAY too many people who had trouble getting their pool ‘right’ after opening it — because they DIDN’T add the necessary pool water balancing chemicals at the beginning of the season.

Please don’t let yourself fall in that desperate, sad category! Test your water if ya’ know what to test for… free chlorine, total chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, iron, copper, tds and cyanuric acid.

The above parameters assume, of course, that you have a chlorine pool.

Below you will find links to some useful web pages with VERY useful pool water balancing chemicals, pool water test kits, etc.

Everyone always wants to know what levels of chlorine (tablets & powders), pH (pH increaser & pH decreaser), alkalinity, calcium hardness, TDS, and stabilizer they ought to have in their pool.

Too bad a vinyl liner pool in Upstate Michigan usually requires a different set of water chemistry parameters than a gunite pool in Southern Arizona… and a fiberglass pool in Central Kansas requires a slightly different set of parameters.

Don’t get discouraged, though. Just stick w/in the following guidelines to start, though, and then correct as you go along… with the goal of finding the perfect chemical balance for your pool — hopefully with the help of a pool water testing expert from your local pool store!

• pH: 7.2 – 7.8
• Free Chlorine: 1.0 – 2.0 ppm
• Total Alkalinity: 80 – 120 ppm
• Calcium Hardness: 180 – 220 ppm, though some say 200 – 400.
• Cyanuric Acid: 25 – 50 ppm
• Total Dissolved Solids: 500 – 5000 ppm

For those between pool store visit testing times, meaning you need to test your pool at LEAST two or three times a week, you may want to consider using a liquid test kit such as one of the following:

OK, so you have probably WAITED with baited breath for us to post this collection of pool chemicals, pool testing supplies and more… so here you go!

Enjoy the weekend!

We’ve talked a lot about the eXact Micro 7+ Pool Testing Meter and would now like to introduce you another pool testing meter called the Aquachek Tru Test Reader which works in a completely different manner.

The Aquachek Tru Test Reader uses special three-way test strips instead of reagents added by drop, tablet, reagentstrip, powder, etc. and detects free chlorine, bromine, pH and alkalinity in as little as 15 seconds.

Simply dip an Aquachek Tru Test Strip into the pool or spa for few seconds, remove from water, place in Aquachek Tru Test Reader, and press the ‘read’ button.

The unit uses two AA batteries for power, features a large, easy to read LCD display, and stores the last nine sets of test results.

With regard to the unit’s ability to handle accidental immersion in a pool or spa, the manufacturer claims the water can withstand accidental immersion in water for a short period of time without sustaining permanent damage. They suggest drying the unit off, removing the batteries, drying the battery compartment, and replacing the old batteries with fresh, dry batteries.

Things to Note About the Tru Test Reader

• The reader will only read correctly when used with Aquachek Tru Test Strips.

• We did not see anywhere that the unit has any kind of actual waterproof rating (such as IP-67).

• Although removing user subjectivity from the equation by having the meter read colors instead a person, the unit still relies upon test strip technology which some people do not care for or trust.

Our opinion of the Aquachek Tru Test Reader?

• It seems like a nice, inexpensive meter to have around the pool for spot testing the basic three pool water parameters: Free Chlorine, pH and Alkalinity. Given that the instrument interprets the strip and requires no light to do so, the unit ought to work quite well for testing in low-light conditions and for people with color blindness.

• Its accuracy, though leaves something to be desired, we think. The Aquachek Tru Test Reader appears to have the same amount of +/- accuracy as a person reading test strips by eye… Alk: +/- 30, pH: +/- 0.1, Cl: +/- 0.3 from 0 – 1.0ppm & +/- 1.0 from 3 – 10ppm.

• Having to use only the Aquachek Tru Test Strips kinda’ stinks, but for a sub sixty dollar multi-parameter, they gotta’ get their money out of you SOMEhow, right?

In the end we believe the meter has its place in the pool testing arena, but not near the top. Its lack of accuracy and reliance upon test strip technology make it a nice gadget, but not one for the serious pool testing enthusiast.

We still feel that the eXact Micro 7+ Pool Testing Meter has the most versatility and offers the most bang for the buck — but then again, it also costs a lot more than the Aquachek Tru Test Reader… so we guess ya’ get what ya’ pay for in this case.

Once you have tested your pool water for all the important parameters (free chlorine, total chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, stabilizer, iron, copper, etc.) with one of the following testing methods, you will need the right pool water balancing chemicals to correct any parameters not within acceptable ranges.

  Pool Water Test Strips — least expensive & very subjective

  Liquid/Tablet Test Kits — ‘wet’ chemistry & very subjective

  Pool Testing Meters — most expensive & least subjective

Oh, and lest we forget to remind some of you, make sure you checked the dates on your pool water test kit reagents and test strips to make sure they had not expired before you used them! Expired test strips and test strip reagents will usually give false readings and wind up costing you more money in chemicals down the road!

With pool water testing results in hand, you may now select the proper pool water balancing chemicals for your current water conditions. hopefully you won’t NEED any chemicals besides chlorine and maybe a little cyanuric acid (stabilizer), but in case you do, we posted the following links just for you: