Pool TEST STRIPS: How to Use Them the RIGHT Way | Swim University

Test strips are an easy and instant way to measure your pool’s water chemistry. But only if you know how to use them correctly and read them. So here’s a quick guide on how to use pool test strips and what to do with the results.
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⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to How to Use Pool Test Strips
00:33 - How to Collect a Water Sample
01:06 - How to Read Pool Test Strip Results
01:18 - #1. Total Hardness
01:41 - #2. Total Chlorine or Total Bromine
01:55 - #3. Free Chlorine
02:35 - #4. pH
03:02 - #5. Total Alkalinity
03:17 - #6. Cyanuric Acid
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Swim University has made swimming pool and hot tub care easy for more than 10 million homeowners. And each year, we continue to help more people with water chemistry, cleaning, and troubleshooting. We know taking care of a swimming pool or spa can be difficult. And it’s hard to find a trusted source of information. We get it! This is the reason we created Swim University.
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[@SwimUniversity]

We hope this helps you understand how to use pool test strips! And if you need more help with pool maintenance, check out the Polo Care Cheat Sheet at www.swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet 👍

[@stanleykeith6969]

I have a question for you. We had a bad winter in 2021 into 2022 and when we got into the pool this summer we noticed that our liner on our above ground pool was starting to wrinkle the whole way around the top about 6 to 8 inches down. I wonder if it could ne sinking in to the ground. Our installer used cement flat stepping stones with gravel under Neath. Pool has been up about 4 years. In the winter months water and snow are around the bottom of the pool and just lays there. If it is sinking, is this why the liner is wrinkled. I do drain some water down below the skimmer. In the summer, if we get a very hard rain, water also lays there. I'm afraid to dig around the bottom of the pool to make a trench. I have grass around the bottom, no rocks. My problem in the liner? Live in Pa. cold winters. Any Help would be great. 😃

[@TAMicklosJr]

After the initial 15 seconds, what is the alotted time to take and log my readings?

[@georgesewell4642]

I’m so happy you found her I can’t even begin but you know I

[@Kirstinblaklalalakm]

Does it work on juice or milk ..? Or only water ?

[@danhargrave1018]

0:08 "So here is a quick guide on how to use pool test strips and what to do with the results." Thanks for this video. I hit the like button. But it really doesn't say much if anything about "what to do with the results". Do I add acid? How much? What kind? What do I add if it's too acidic? How much chlorine if it's low? What kind? Chlorine tablets or liquid? Are all brands the same? This video still leaves a lot of questions unanswered (just like all of the other pool testing videos). I have yet to find a video that really shows a novice how to test the pool water and what specifically to do to make the pool water right. Maybe you could make a video that does that. Thanks again.

[@jimbeam-ru1my]

the question it really needs to answer is why bother doing it right when they aren't accurate no matter what you do? Test strips don't work.

[@crittersintheyard3993]

Thank you for the way you explained it, its very helpful

[@rocksteady13]

Really appreciate all the tips and advice.swim university helps me so much.

[@SwimUniversity]

Happy to help!

[@acalora123]

You say "don't shake the strip" but you show someone shaking the test strip

[@SwimUniversity]

Ha fair. We mean don't shake it like "Outkast shake it like a Polaroid Picture" level of shaking it.

[@oneyegarage4152]

😅😂

[@igotcuteshoulderblades3956]

🤣

[@cheaproadkill]

Thank you so much, this is exactly the info I needed!

[@stevemanning9222]

Useful thanks. Is there a video on what to add to your pool if levels are low or high?

[@GJ_Stone]

High PH. Muriatic acid. To low PH Soda Ash. Increase Alkalinity- Sodium bicarbonate.

[@lpundr1]

Bicarb will raise ph AND alkalinity.

[@Tothewhip57]

Very good information! Easy to understand too.

[@rw_golf6387]

Does anyone really need a video for this? Just asking.

[@shezbrits9835]

Thanks a million

[@FamilyNeal]

I have lived in Goodyear AZ (Phx) for 2 years and these pool guys here always want the pool free chlorine to be at a 10 and they never shock the pool. I tell them no and they refuse to let it stay at a 3-5 range. I previously owned a pool for 13 years in Dallas, TX and never had anyone including the builder tell me to run chlorine over a 5. We were usually at a steady 3 and shocked once a week during the summer. I know the Sun hits a little different in the desert but why such a high chlorine level? P.S. I have let everyone of them go and handle it myself with your excellent guidance videos. Thx!

[@SwimUniversity]

10 PPM is a very high chlorine level that's considered unsafe for swimming!

[@dpro7445]

Does the photo capture on the app more accurate?

[@OrganicAndHealthy]

We are debating whether to buy a test kit or test strips, and I noticed the Taylor kits include a test for "acid and base demand". What is this used for? I don't see it on any of the test strips I found, so is it not very important?

[@notme22]

Once I have TA in range I drop the PH to 7.2 and shock them the PH will drift into range by time the shock is over. This way the chlorine is most effective. As long as you have carbonates(alkalinity) in the water the PH is always drifting upward towards the PH Ceiling.

[@russellhershkowitz2310]

I don't know how to explain this, do you wait 15-30 seconds before you read the strip? Or when 5he strip is becoming somewhat dry?

[@aslo4812]

Aqua Check test strips only have 4 tests. PH, Free chlorine, total alkalinity and stabilizer. I see you showing other test strips with more tests. Do we need those other strips or will these Aqua checks in the blue bottle be sufficient to maintain my pool? Not salt water just regular.

[@viewsandreviews180]

Thank you for sharing this information it helped me a lot but I guess color blind folks are out of luck.

[@mjv8011]

Como comprar para vir para o brasil?

[@SupraViperhead]

When you said "and what to do about the results", I assumed you would say how to correct whatever issues the test strip says it has.

[@stephengonzales3276]

Thank you for sharing

[@SwimUniversity]

You bet!

[@ninhalo1973]

So what do you do when the colors on the strip don’t match any of the colors on the bottle? For example my ph goes from orange to red, but sometimes it’s a pinkish orange. Alkalinity goes from a brownish green to a dark green but the strips show blue. I have several different brands and they all do the same thing.

[@Avean]

For me its opposite. The bottle says alkalinity should be blue but its green. But my pH values are perfect spot on so i dont get it.

[@lpundr1]

​@@Aveangreen is perfect. It shouldnt be blue.

[@designzbydebbz]

Can I use regular test strips for my salt water pool or should I buy specific salt water test strips?

[@SwimUniversity]

You'll want to have something to measure salinity, like a digital salinity reader. But then you can use the regular test strips.

[@RonArdronChiefRocka]

This is awesome! What testing strips to you recommend for a Salt Water Pool? The bottle diagrams are needed for this ole head.

[@SwimUniversity]

Buy a separate salinity reader and keep using regular test strips (since you don't need to test your salt levels as often).

[@tiffanysechrest9301]

Any digital testing methods? I have multiple brands of test strips and find the pH is always difficult to read.

[@axellesel6005]

Test strips seems to be messy use tf 100 kit for exact results

[@alexidonovan5491]

New pool and spa owner here and need to know everything because I'm freaking out! Lol I think I might have figured out the pool and spa gallons because I assume that helps to know how much of each chemical to use? Old in door pool and spa above ground from 88. Just emptied pool because seams were leaking and just emptied spa to clean but not sure which chemical to add first and how much. Please help this stressed out new owner lol.

[@alex_jermaine]

Find a Pool supply store near you. Most will test your pool/spa water for free. You bring in a water sample, tell them how many gallons is your pool, and they'll give you the breakdown of what you need and how much you need

[@alexidonovan5491]

@takeadeepbreathe We don't know the pool gallons since the previous owner didn't let us know and they didn't even know how deep it was! I am doing a lot of research myself and waiting on a temperature sensor for my heater currently, then have to find and fix a leak which we now think is possibly the main drain valve thing.

[@Kirstinblaklalalakm]

Does it work on juice or milk ..? Or only water ?

[@wilsongatibo9851]

My pool started being foamy, the only chemicals i recently added are phosphate remover stabilizer and shock, what could be the cause of this

[@drdrew3]

Contaminants such as sweat, sunscreen, cosmetics, laundry detergent cause foaming. It will eventually wind up in your filter. Best avoided by showering before entering the pool. Can be treated with enzymes.

[@wilsongatibo9851]

@@drdrew3 nobody had swimmed for quite some time though

[@drdrew3]

@@wilsongatibo9851 It’s a long list of possible CONTAMINANTS. All are treated the same way - ENZYMES. If no swimmers it’s often from pollen, insects, etc. To foam use enzymes. If it’s still a problem there is anti foam liquid commonly used in hot tubs.

[@wilsongatibo9851]

@@drdrew3 i used the anti foam it worked great. Thank you

[@brendankeough7552]

I'm a 13 year vet in the industry. I have cleaned and chemically adjusted 39,000 pools. Test strips are garbage. Get a Taylor test kit and compare the results... Test strips are good for 1 thing and that's cyanuric acid. Test strips are good to see if chlorine is present in the water, but not much more.

[@440Nichole]

Those test kits are way over priced.

[@brendankeough7552]

@@440Nichole i was going to say something, but i dont cast pearls at swine

[@saralinstrom]

Is there. Brand you recommend because for me it seems all straps are not created equal

[@SwimUniversity]

Aquachek is pretty dependable

[@kaimendoza6179]

Hello I'm having troubles I don't have the exact test strip the video has but the results on my test strip was 0 bromine ppm, 0 total chlorine ppm, 800 ppm water or I assume is hard water aka a lot of calcium. But I am so confused because ph and chlorine lvls are ideal and balanced. Also, I am not sure about my filter situation. I know it is cartridge filter, but I don't necessarily know how to function it. I'm just trying to help out my parents' pool.

[@jimbeam-ru1my]

test strips aren't accurate. many of them are way off and pretty much unusable. the 5 way test kits are a 100 times more accurate and every time I compare a test strip reading to a test with the 5 way, it shows the strips are way off.

[@steam-SMOKEY]

May i ask? After 15-20 seconds the test strip levels were fine, but after coming back to them 10mins later, the levels on the strip were bad. What readings I go with?

[@unknownriderinbound]

Stick with the 15 second reading like the (tiny print) instructions on the test strips say.

[@brianbedard2949]

Hey hi, please send me a cheat sheet 😊

[@kylefidure7504]

At the NESPA classes they said that the latest studies show that CYA should be 15-30. That 50 is now considered high and dangerous. Can you please tell me why?

[@SwimUniversity]

Interesting. Everyone else in the industry still uses the 30-50 ppm range.

[@kylefidure7504]

@@SwimUniversity I've always kept pools at a 50 cya especially Salt pools I've never had any problems or any complaints. I was a little surprised when the instructor told us that and I can't find any research on how CYA can be harmful.

[@walp86]

​@@kylefidure7504It is due to the sometimes pesky fecal accidents (Worst case is often the spore forming bacteria Clostridium Difficile in the "form" of diarrhea) which is really hard to "sanitize" if your CYA level is above 14 ppm. People will get really sick and the pool is kinda doomed if the CYA is above 14 ppm, because then you will need to add an insane amount of chlorine shock, sustained for a very long period (many days up to weeks depending on the severity), which makes the water unbathable during the sanitation. You are better off emptying and cleaning the pool if your CYA is high and a fecal incident of that type happens. In the report they even distinguish between a easily removable "solid waste"(turd..) and the impossible to catch, free floating stuff (diarrhea). Pools with UVC-systems easily "kill" (inactivates) Clostridium Difficile, since that kind of bacteria is fairly sensitive to UVC-radiation. 60 mJ/cm² walldose is enough for >99.99% to be inactivated each pass through the UVC-chamber. The industry is more focused on the CYA blockage rule, i.e 7.5% of the CYA level should be your chlorine baseline. I.e 100 ppm CYA (extremely high in my opinion) requires >7.5 ppm free chlorine for the sanitation to even start working, and as we know, 5 ppm chlorine level is kind of the limit for entering the pool.. I use chlorine tabs without CYA and have a low pressure UVC system installed to 1. Reduce the chlorine demand quite tremendously, 2. Get rid of the unwanted monochloramines, which in turn decreases the formation of di- and trichloramines. 3. Safely "kill" (inactivate) the stuff that is chlorine resistant. 4. Reduce the chlorine shocking frequency.

[@rawlehurry6404]

I applied all of technics and pool is still not clear I shock twice so far I don't know what else to do.

[@jamess9138]

Is it wrong to dip the strip directly in the pool?

[@SwimUniversity]

It can be less accurate

[@flickboogers9325]

Great video...Is it still okay to add chlorine tablets to the skimmer if your pump is on 12 hours a day?

[@ryanwoodard7790]

Never add tablets to a swimming pool skimmer or pool pump basket. use a floater and or tablet feeder

[@flickboogers9325]

@@ryanwoodard7790 what's the reasoning behind this I've been doing this for over 2 years that's what my pool guy suggested

[@ryanwoodard7790]

@@flickboogers9325 3" chlorinating tablets are acidic. They will corrode the skimmer, basket, pump basket, and pump impeller (and anything else as the water makes it wayy back to the pool every morning the pump is turned on). If your pool professional suggested this then they may not have been properly trained.

[@flickboogers9325]

@@ryanwoodard7790 Wait even in the video he says to put it in the skimmer basket? Also I've been doing this for 3 years and haven't had any issues? I do understand your point about corrosion and that does take time and I don't want to corrode my equipment prematurely

[@stanmondzelewski9253]

Never cared for strips. Taylor kit only.

[@GJ_Stone]

Calcium hardness range should be 200-400.

[@Ionizap]

If you have a vinyl pool you don't need to worry about hardness.

[@rocketplex8818]

I thought the conditioner was supposed to be around 90

[@drdrew3]

Nope. Very well established that proper CYA for outdoor residential pools is 30-50ppm. Any higher than that and your chlorine slowly begins to become less effective - exactly the opposite of what you want

[@unionse7en]

....they don't make it obvious which direction to reference the strips against the chart...

[@CKBowling1]

My CYA is always high, no matter what I do. I just started ignoring it.

[@Sammy31Dee]

Gotta drain more water at end of season so when you start a new season and refill it's not so high

[@CKBowling1]

@@Sammy31Dee ya I have done this. Even drained it down pretty low during the season and refilled, CYA always ends up high. That is why I stopped worrying.

[@unitedwestand5602]

@@CKBowling1 use liquid chlorine only. I rarely use tablets

[@wayneb123am]

@@unitedwestand5602 Yes, I switched to liquid chlorine just recently, you can add it under a solar cover, you don't have to bush it off the bottom and it seems to work quite well. I have an automatic chlorinator on my filter, I no longer use it, I have an older pool, I am not sure it is good for the piping to have tablet chlorine sitting in the chlorinator when the filter is shut down and the water is not circulating. Also, I don't think it is good for the piping going to the inlets, they maybe galvanized and will corrode easily.

[@bonniebartlett2408]

Could you guys tell me how you do liquid chlorine instead of tabs. My pool isn't very big 12x33 ...cya levels never show any reading. Chlorine doesn't either. I use an ionizer also. Pool is always clear with no problems.

[@drdrew3]

Step 1: throw the test strips in the trash Step 2: get a decent liquid drop kit and learn to use it properly Step 3: enjoy your clear balanced pool

[@SwimUniversity]

The kit is definitely more accurate! But so many people aren't even testing regularly, so test strips are an easy introduction.

[@scottiencali]

Im colorblind so these test strips are pretty useless to me.. I use the free water testing at the pool stores.. 1 thing i learned.. Leslies is commissioned based sales people..so they will always tell you that you need something. (Just say you have some leftover at home) Other pool places that arent commissioned based are better...but both are usually free water testing.

[@SwimUniversity]

You might want to consider purchasing a digital test strip reader if you don't want to go in the pool store.

[@drdrew3]

@@SwimUniversity C’mon, get real. A reliable digital chemistry analyzer such as Spin Touch costs $950 - the cartridges are single use and also expensive. And they have been back ordered so badly even Leslie’s can’t get them for their stores. If you are going to give advice it needs to be practical

[@dialgamor1548]

​​@@drdrew3What's wrong with something like the $300 Sensafe? There are colorblind people who seem to be using that one fine. And that one's certified. NSF-50 Level 1.

[@dialgamor1548]

I know some people with colorblindness use the liquid test kits. pH tends to be the hard one there because you have to compare similar color shades like test strips. The others are based on when color changes entirely from one to another. It's a harsh difference. If you go that route, there are pH meters. You just have to get a good one and keep it calibrated. And as already mentioned, some people just go all digital. If you are fine with the idea of test strips, there are even apps for test strips so you just take a photo with your phone.

[@usseg]

"Don't wipe or shake the test strip" after having shaken the test strip...

[@tonistark246]

Ppm and parts per Million is the same😂

[@jimbeam-ru1my]

why bother to do a test correctly when it will still be just as wrong as when you do it incorrectly?