What Does Pool Test Strips Telling Us? Pool test strips are used during your pool maintenance checks to check the levels of different chemicals and other factors that influence pool water chemistry. When it comes to testing for any kind of chemical contamination, testing for hypochlorite or trihalomethane (THM) is among the most important. Hypochlorite is commonly referred to as THMs and has been proven to be carcinogenic in high concentrations. In fact, there have been multiple studies done on this chemical and all the results showed the presence of THMs in the majority of the samples tested.
The purpose of using these pool testing strips is to provide you with the information you need in order to effectively manage your pool's cleaning processes and maintain its safe performance. Test strips for different pool chemicals come in different sizes and configurations. What do you need to look for when choosing the best pool test strips? The two things to consider in buying them are readability and flexibility. Below are some tips on how to choose the right strips to meet your needs.
What Do the Best Pool Test Strips Say About Yellow Test Strips? One of the things that make test strips the best choice for pool owners is their capability to detect unwanted substances in pool water. They have the capacity to detect a number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including acetone, benzene, ethyl acetate, glycol, naphthalene, propylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, and sulfur. For these reasons, most pool professionals prefer using yellow test strips for pool disinfecting.
Readability. This is probably the most important thing to look for in the best pool test strips on the market. A strip that easily falls apart is not good enough to protect your pool from bacterial contamination. Make sure that the strip will not fall apart even after a few hours of use.
Flexibility. Pool testing strips should be easy to use and adjust for changing water chemistry levels. You want strips that can adapt to different testing conditions like pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, or any other variables affecting water chemistry. Find out which strips can make adjustments by simply referring to a color chart of the most common standards used in the industry.
Calcium hardness or water chemistry dependability. For this, you need to strip manufacturers that have established contacts with a group of salt-water testers to get reliable data on water hardness. Your local hardware store might sell a small number of strip types that are capable of testing for all of the possible calcium hardness problems. But if you're really serious about keeping your pool regularly maintained, buying 100 pieces of these is a wiser investment. Purchasing these 100 pieces will also help you budget for more replacement testing strips.
