When most people imagine backyard swimming pools, they envision pool parties, water games, barbecues and gatherings of friends and families. But to ensure this vision is as serene as the reality you need to make sure your pool water is clean and balanced. Testing your pool water chemistry needs to be done regularly and properly. Failure to do so can quickly turn your backyard swimming pool dream into a nightmare. In this article, we’ll go over the steps of how to collect pool water for testing.
The Water Sample Container
No matter what type of water sample container you’re using you need to make sure it’s clean and free of any contaminants. Rinse out the container with fresh water before retrieving your sample. Also, make sure the container is large enough to easily give you the right amount of water needed to do the tests. Don’t use containers that formerly held chemicals as this could affect your readings. Same goes with old pickle jars. Even if you think you’ve washed it thoroughly it could still have traces of acid and salt.
Collecting the Water Sample
Where you take your water sample from can also affect your test results, so make sure to do it properly. When taking the water sample, hold the container upside down and dunk it elbow deep into the water before turning it over and allowing it to fill up. You should never take your water sample from the surface as any contaminants from the air can taint your test results. Taking the sample from deep below the surface ensures you get water that’s had sufficient time to mix thoroughly. This is also why you should collect from the deep end rather than the shallow end. Also, remember to stay away from any jets when collecting the sample. There could be higher concentrations of chemicals in the water coming out of the jets.
When to Take the Water Sample
The best time of day to take a water sample is first thing in the morning. Pool water that’s been sitting in the sun all day will have some of its chlorine burned off which will affect your test results. Taking a sample within a day or two of adding chemicals will also give you skewed results and may end up with you adding more chemicals before you need to. Allow any added chemicals to thoroughly mix for a couple of days before testing the water again. You should also refrain from collecting water samples shortly after it rains. Rainwater is slightly acidic and will affect your test results. Allow a day or two for the rainwater to mix in the with the rest to get proper results.