Just wanted to get some opinions. This is the second summer with my pool and it really does seem to run itself. The water is clear, no ones eyes are burning and i never have any issue with the quality of the water so i rarely test the water. Being a responsible pool owner, last year i brought a sample in to the local store and they persuaded me to buy over a hundred bucks worth of chemicals they said i needed. I felt the water was fine and it wasn't really necessary. So is it ok that i rarely test the water and what could be the negative results of not testing? Its an in ground concrete. Thanks
Not Testing your Water?
- Thread starter pooldestroyer
- Start date
A lot of bad things can happen. If your pH or CH gets too far out you can destroy your pool surface cost tens of thousands of dollars. It's cheaper to keep an eye on things than to fix things after they happen.
A "responsible" pool owner would test their water often to make sure it is sanitary for their family, friends and guests. Looks can be deceiving. Consider ordering one of our recommended test kits.
borjis
LifeTime Supporter
Admittedly since learning of both past/present pools habits (each pool is different) I do not test daily, but 2-3 times weekly
for chlorine, maybe once a week for ph.
All the other tests I used to do every 3 months but now I do it monthly. Somehow my CYA went 30 ppm down over 2 months
without any water exchange (chlorine demand mysteriously went up of course). I don't like surprises especially in the pool, so everything will be tested monthly from now on.
for chlorine, maybe once a week for ph.
All the other tests I used to do every 3 months but now I do it monthly. Somehow my CYA went 30 ppm down over 2 months
without any water exchange (chlorine demand mysteriously went up of course). I don't like surprises especially in the pool, so everything will be tested monthly from now on.
+1
How do you know how much chlorine to add? Are you guessing?
Glad I'm not swimming in there.
Dom
If it were my pool....when my grandchildren & my great grandchildren come over to swim, I sure the heck would want to know what condition the water, is it SAFE or ???
I need to ask.... what is your motivation for this post?
You are a member of a forum that bases everything on accurate and frequent testing.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/131-basic-pool-care-schedule
There are other things besides swimmer comfort & algae to be concerned with, like bacteria, virus, and other pathogens, which are things that you can't see in the water.
Dom
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While I do use TFP I sometimes feel the community views other methods as wrong or bad. And maybe they are, but if you counted how many millions of pools there are, and how many are maintained with tablets vs bleach, I don't think you can really support an argument about water being "safe". I'd venture that 1% or less pools are managed with bleach? That leaves probably 80% of the pools as tablets and pool store (19% salt). I guess I'm just lazy, but if I were a normal owner I'd probably run tablets 2-3 years, and then when my CYA rose and I got algae, I'd drain and start over. No testing required, and 3 years of no maintenance either.
Not testing your FC and pH for 3 years is a recipe for disaster.
And the 3 pool owners I know that maintain themselves regularly supplement with shock. The other pool owner has a pool guy that consistently feeds her water with "something"
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And the 3 pool owners I know that maintain themselves regularly supplement with shock. The other pool owner has a pool guy that consistently feeds her water with "something"
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- Mar 24, 2014
- 2,455
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-55
FC too low? Algae bloom.
FC too high? Pump/plumbing ruined, liner bleached, skin burn.
pH too high or low? Burning skin and eyes.
CH too low in plaster pool? There goes $$$ replaster job.
No CYA test? How do you know #1 and #2?
I think I'll stick to frequent testing.
FC too high? Pump/plumbing ruined, liner bleached, skin burn.
pH too high or low? Burning skin and eyes.
CH too low in plaster pool? There goes $$$ replaster job.
No CYA test? How do you know #1 and #2?
I think I'll stick to frequent testing.
EVEN if you follow pool store advice/methods......THEY want to test your water at least weekly. Pick a method BUT test your water.
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I agree many pools maintained by poolstore and pool maintenance companies. And the average uneducated in pool chemistry person would say successfully managed. But, are they? You may not ever know what illness/ailments may have occurred do to unhealthy pool management. A friend of mine was trying to talk me into SWG. His pool is managed by a company that comes once a week. He told me now that he switched to a non-chlorine pool his kids no longer get red eye and green hair. Now I know that he had a poorly managed pool even though his water was clear. Now that he switched to SWG he still has a chlorine sanitized pool, just better managed. Red eye is from excessive chloroamines, green hair can be caused by excessive, unnecessary, copper. I would like to know my car brakes are going to fail before they fail and that my transmission is actually bad before i replace it. if i do not do preventive maintenance and educate myself somewhat in the mechanics of a car, I am an easy target for the unethical or uneducated car shop.
exactly. lots of people don't maintain their cars, they just buy new ones when something breaks.
i maintain my car and my home and my pool. i do tfp because i like to know why i have calcium buildup, or how to make my pool last longer. i test my water so i can make sure my kids don't have burning eyes, and their swimsuits last longer.
i maintain my car and my home and my pool. i do tfp because i like to know why i have calcium buildup, or how to make my pool last longer. i test my water so i can make sure my kids don't have burning eyes, and their swimsuits last longer.
Once a pool has stabilized in its sweet spot, testing is so quick and easy. Just add chlorine per poolmath; so easy.
I spend money for insurance on my car and house, but hope I never have to use it.
I spend money for insurance on my car and house, but hope I never have to use it.
shoot, I don't even use Pool Math for chlorine - I know how many ppm I get from a jug and do it in my head now
oh yes - (almost) every day - I may skip a day once or twice during the week if the pool does not get opened or used - shoot we had a pool party recently, and I tested halfway through the party, and we closed the pool for an hour for fireworks, and I added chlorine
I was just commenting that after a while, the chemical additions become pretty routine, and "calculations" are not needed every day
I was just commenting that after a while, the chemical additions become pretty routine, and "calculations" are not needed every day
borjis
LifeTime Supporter
same here.
1/2 gallon 8.25% yields 4.5 ppm every time. (for mine)
and it pretty much needs that every tuesday & saturday unless I have guests over.
The OP's motivation is to justify his or her not testing the pool on a regular basis. If somebody else isn't testing either, then the OP feels justified. It could also be a troll. I don't test every day. When I first opened the pool I tested daily just to get a feel for what the pool is doing. I test chlorine every 2-3 days, pH twice a week and the rest once a month.