How often do you test your water?

[Smehltrett]

Hey all,

Just a general question how often do you check your FC, CC, CYA, PH etc... This is my first season with the pool and at the beginning I was doing it every day. Now I am finding that I just check the ph with my meter every other day or so and typically add a little bit of chlorine at the end of each day. I have only been checking my FC maybe twice a week if that. Haven't had a wink of trouble yet since getting the water to turn so I am starting to get lazy with my testing/

 

[mknauss]

I have a SWCG. I test the FC and pH twice a week. I run a full test each month. That is April to November -- our summer.

If you are dosing with chlorine I would suggest doing the FC every day until you really know your pool and then you could go every other day. But you must never skip your chlorine adds.

You just know you really do not want to have to SLAM --------------

 

[s_vidden]

First year with my new to me AGP. Here is my test schedule. I stick to this schedule unless I had a high # of bathers over the weekend, I am trying to alter chemical levels, or a storm passes through.

FC: Daily after sun goes down. I bump up the FC over night.
PH/TA: Weekly
CH/CYA: Monthly

 

[borjis]

Once you get to know your pool, you kinda know when to test or when it will need chlorine added.

That being said, I'm pretty much testing every other day and adding a bit of chlorine after each test.

I also test just before guests arrive and add a bit more chlorine than necessary then test
again after the end of that day and may need to add more.

 

[rmturner54]

First year pretty annal about it since i was learning.
Now,
Fc and ph every other day.
Cya only after a lot of rain or water evaporation. That one kind of a play it by ear.
Ta and ch same as cya. I know my fill water, which helps.

 

[kcindc]

When I manually added bleach: test FC daily; PH every other day; TA CH and CYA monthly.

Since switching to a SWG and after getting my SWG dialed in: test FC PH twice a week, TA CH and CYA monthly. I will test FC more often if I have a big party or if my lab/otter mix decides to drop dirt encrusted toys in the pool or if I find a dead critter in the skimmer.

 

[woodyp]

July and August is NOT the time to "think" you know what to expect with your chemistry with rising air and water temps. I'm betting your bather load goes up too in the heat. This has been a Texas Public Service Announcement!

 

[Lilypad]

Haven't had a wink of trouble yet since getting the water to turn so I am starting to get lazy with my testing/

Yep, and that's exactly when the Green Algae Beast can arise from the depths. It lulls you into that false sense of security. I test most mornings and add chlorine daily. Like others, you get a good idea how much you need, but testing is king and keeps that TFP sparkle!

 

[Kurt/Shelley]

We have had our pool for 4 weeks and I have tested everyday for FC and PH, CYA 3 times a week and full test once a week. Our pool has been clear the entire time so we are quite happy. Learning how much bleach to add daily based on our numbers and the feel of the pool and being comfortable with my routine. Thankful we have not had any problems other than high calcium which I'm not sure how to lower but at this point only slightly concerned.

 

[mknauss]

We have had our pool for 4 weeks and I have tested everyday for FC and PH, CYA 3 times a week and full test once a week. Our pool has been clear the entire time so we are quite happy. Learning how much bleach to add daily based on our numbers and the feel of the pool and being comfortable with my routine. Thankful we have not had any problems other than high calcium which I'm not sure how to lower but at this point only slightly concerned.

Good job in getting into a routine.

To lower your calcium you must drain and refill with water that has less calcium. The only way --------

 

[Kurt/Shelley]

So I would guess that would be bottled water? lol. We would have to have someone bring water in and not use our tap water. Just received our water bill and it was $35 higher than the last for filling our 5500 gal pool. Not sure the cost to have water brought in.

 

[Akathisia]

...CYA 3 times a week...

You certainly don't have to test CYA that often. CYA will only change significantly over a short period if water is added, drained, splashout or using pucks etc.

 

[doc8404]

I have a SWCG. I test the FC and pH twice a week. I run a full test each month. That is April to November -- our summer.

If you are dosing with chlorine I would suggest doing the FC every day until you really know your pool and then you could go every other day. But you must never skip your chlorine adds.

You just know you really do not want to have to SLAM --------------

Exaxtly what happened to me. Got lazy on bleaching since we weren't using.
Had an algae set in but only had to SLAM one day.
Caught it just in time.

 

[kywildcats]

I test my FC every morning, and PH every other day. All other tests are done monthly. Maybe overkill on the FC test, but I sure don't want to lose my pool because I am lazy.

 

[Smehltrett]

So I felt guilty and tested for the first time in 3 days and was slightly above the minimum. I am going to try and be more diligent with testing the FC. I feel like I am using a considerable amount less chlorine since adding borates. That or maybe since im using 10% instead of 8% bleach now.

 

[Shekkie]

When manually adding chlorine I would run basic tests every other day and a full batch monthly.

This year with my SWG once I got it dialed in I test a few times a week for basics and still monthly for everything.

With lotsa dog activity, many visitors or weather swings I'll test as well. It only takes a few minutes. I guess I am lucky that my pool is very predictable.