STA POOL PLANT – WATER TESTING
Why Test Pool Water? In this article Luke Griffiths, STA’s Technical Qualifications and Business Development Manager, emphasises the importance of regular water testing and shares some insights into best practice
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ater testing is a fundamental aspect of maintaining safe and comfortable swimming pool conditions, ensuring the health and wellbeing of bathers while safeguarding pools, equipment and adhering to regulatory standards and industry guidance. At the heart of water testing lies the necessity to assess water quality accurately. Treated water requires regular monitoring to ensure adequate treatment levels, guaranteeing safety and comfort for bathers, protecting equipment, and meeting regulatory requirements and guidelines. This underscores the critical role of water testing in maintaining the integrity of pool environments. The choice of testing equipment plays a pivotal role in obtaining accurate results. So let’s look at the suitability of two primary testing methods: comparators and photometers. While both methods are acceptable, their selection depends on user preference. Photometers offer precise readings, down to 0.1mg/l for chlorine, but require regular calibration checks. On the other hand, comparators provide fixed colour readings, ensuring simplicity but may not be suitable for all users, especially as the colours on plasticbased discs fade over time and users with colour blindness may have difficulty matching
the colours accurately, in fact even for users with perfect eyesight, there is a degree of ambiguity in the method due to the matching of shades being open to interpretation. This highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate testing equipment tailored to the specific needs and preferences of the user and the type of pool they are testing for. Ensuring the accuracy of testing equipment is paramount. The importance of maintaining scrupulously clean equipment and using the correct reagents to achieve reliable readings cannot be stressed enough. Additionally, operators must adhere to manufacturer instructions meticulously and keep photometers calibrated to ensure accuracy. This emphasises the importance of meticulous attention to detail in water testing procedures to obtain dependable results consistently. Key parameters requiring regular monitoring include free and total chlorine (working out combined chlorine from these two), pH levels, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Outdoor pools using stabilised chlorine or cyanuric acid will also need to check cyanuric acid levels. These parameters play crucial roles in maintaining water quality and ensuring optimal pool conditions. For instance, monitoring free
POOL WATER TESTING – WATCH THE VIDEO STA and Lovibond® Tintometer teamed up to develop and produce a pool water testing video available to watch now on YouTube and via the QR code. The video summarises the basic requirements of testing swimming pool water in line with the latest manufacturer recommendations, and in accordance with industry best practice and guidance.
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The importance of training personnel to conduct water testing competently should not be underestimated, underscoring the role of education and training in maintaining water quality standards” chlorine and pH levels together is essential, as pH levels influence chlorine efficiency. Deviations from recommended levels can compromise water quality and pose risks to bathers and equipment, highlighting the importance of routine testing. TDS, representing the sum of soluble compounds in water, serves as a vital indicator of water quality. Elevated TDS levels can impair disinfectant performance and necessitate corrective measures such as additional dilution. Proper control of TDS levels is imperative to maintain water quality within acceptable limits, emphasising the significance of comprehensive water testing protocols. In addition to chemical parameters, turbidity, measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), serves as a critical indicator of water clarity. High turbidity levels can impede visibility and efficiency of UV systems, posing safety hazards and indicating potential issues with water chemistry, circulation, or filtration systems. By adhering to recommended turbidity levels, pool operators can ensure optimal water
clarity and safety for bathers, highlighting the importance of holistic water quality management. To facilitate proper water testing practices and ensure accuracy and consistency the following should be observed; follow manufacturer instructions meticulously, using the correct testing materials, maintaining clean equipment and conducting regular calibration checks. The importance of training personnel to conduct water testing competently should not be underestimated, underscoring the role of education and training in maintaining water quality standards. STA highly recommends that employers ensure any employee responsible for water testing gains a suitable qualification. STA have three professional qualifications available, which suit the needs of those involved in varying degrees of pool plant work – from routine water testing to the full management and operation of a pool plant facility. STA 01922 645097 www.sta.co.uk
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