Perfect water quality not only provides swimmers with a good swimming experience, but also protects their physical health. Pool test strips offer a fast, simple, and cost-effective way to monitor water quality. In this article, we'll talk about the correct way to use pool test strips, explain what they test, and help you understand the ideal water chemistry for your pool or spa.
The Role of Test Strips
The test strip is mainly used to test the pH value, chlorine content, alkalinity, hardness and other key parameters of the pool water, which are essential to maintain the balance and hygiene of the pool water, directly affecting the health of swimmers. Monitoring these indicators regularly helps prevent water imbalance, algae growth, corrosion, and other pool issues.
The Type of Test Strips
The test strip factory we cooperate with has many years of background in pharmaceutical reagent production and leading R&D advantages, and offers various test strips for different water quality needs, such as free chlorine test strips, salt test strips, 7 in 1 pool & spa test strips, 6 in 1 pool & spa test strips and so on.
Among them, the 7-in-1 pool test strips are the most comprehensive, allowing users to test multiple water indicators in a single dip.
What Do 7-in-1 Test Strips Measure
A 7 in 1 pool & spa test strip, that is, is made up of seven elements as follows:
Total Hardness: It can detect the pool water hardness to ensure that the water will not produce sediment, affecting the clarity of the water. Although this is a parameter on the test strip, people are more concerned about the calcium hardness issue. In general, we can take the total hardness multiplied by 70% as the result of calcium hardness.
Free Chlorine: The appropriate free chlorine level ensures the disinfection effect in the pool.
Bromine: If there are bromine disinfectants in your pool, it's an important indicator to test for.
Total Chlorine: This is the sum of free and combined chlorine.
Cyanuric Acid: A pool conditioner that enables chlorine in the pool to last longer under the exposure of UV rays, reducing the loss of chlorine from sunlight.
Total Alkalinity: It represents the pH buffer capacity of the water body, which affects the stability and safety of the swimming pool water quality.
pH: It is an index to measure how acidic or basic your pool water is. Unbalanced pH will not only affect the disinfection effect of chlorine in the pool, but also damage the pool equipment.
How to Use Pool Test Strips
1. Prepare test strips, a clean water sample container, and data recording tools.
2. Choose the water sample from the pool with a depth of 30-40 cm to ensure that it is representative.
3. Dip the test strip into the water sample and remove it quickly.
4. Hold the test strip horizontally for 15 seconds and do not shake it.
5. Compare the test strip with the standard color chart, read the corresponding value, and record these results.
6. After that, adjust pool chemicals according to the test result.
Recommended Pool Water Ranges
| Parameter | Ideal Range |
|---|---|
| Calcium Hardness | 150-1000 (200-400 is ideal for pools and 150-250 is ideal for spas) |
| Free Chlorine | 1.0–4.0 ppm (US STD), 1.0–3.0 ppm (EU STD) |
| Total Chlorine | Free Cl + Combined Cl (Combined Cl < 0.4 ppm US / 0.5 ppm EU) |
| Bromine | 2–6 ppm (US, pools), 4–6 ppm (US, spas) |
| Cyanuric Acid (CYA) | ≤100 ppm |
| Total Alkalinity | 60-180 ppm (80-100 is ideal for pools disinfected by unstabilized chlorine, 100-120 is ideal for pools disinfected by stabilized chlorine) |
| pH Level | 7.2–7.8 (US), 6.8–7.6 (EU) |
Important Tips for Accurate Testing
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Conclusion
Regular testing with pool test strips is essential to maintain balanced water and protect swimmer health. Our high-accuracy 7-in-1 pool test strips are trusted by distributors and brand owners worldwide. If you're looking for a reliable supplier of pool testing solutions, we welcome you to contact us for product information, technical support, or free samples. Meanwhile, if you need swimming pool chemicals to keep your pool clean and clear, also contact us!
For a more detailed look at what pool chemical you need for your pool, check out our pool care guide here.