How to Accurately Test Your Swimming Pool Water with Clorox Smart Strips
When it comes to maintaining a swimming pool, testing the water for chlorine, pH, alkalinity, and calcium levels is crucial for ensuring a healthy swimming environment. However, relying solely on the eye test to match colors can be challenging, especially with subtle shades like yellow. Thankfully, smart test strips simplify this process, eliminating the guesswork involved in color matching.
To effectively test your swimming pool water using Clorox test strips, follow these straightforward steps:
Steps for Testing Water with Clorox Smart Strips
Before you begin, familiarize yourself with the steps to ensure a smooth testing process. Once you place the smart strip underwater, you’ll need to scan it within approximately 15 seconds for the most accurate results. While it’s possible to use the traditional color chart method, I highly recommend using the Clorox Pool & Spa app for optimal convenience and precision.
Step 1: Remove Test Strips from the Bottle
When you’re ready to test your water, be cautious about how you handle the test strips. If your hands are wet from swimming or cleaning the pool, make sure to dry them thoroughly. Carefully grab a test strip from the bottom of the bottle with dry hands, avoiding contact with the other strips to prevent premature wetting, which can lead to inaccurate readings. After taking a strip, promptly replace the lid and store the remaining strips in a cool, dry place. Also, keep your smartphone away from the pool to avoid accidental water damage.
Step 2: Dip the Smart Strip in the Water
Hold the black end of the test strip and immerse it several inches below the water surface. If your elbow gets wet, you’re definitely deep enough. Submerge the strip for only 1 to 2 seconds, then remove it and shake it once to eliminate excess water.
Step 3: Place It on a Solid White Background
Your Clorox smart strips come with an attachment that has a color chart on one side and a solid white background on the other. Position the white side facing up and place the test strip on it, ensuring that the colored portions of the strip are visible on top.
Step 4: Launch the Mobile App
If you haven’t done so already, download and register for the Clorox Pool & Spa app from either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. The app is free and user-friendly. Once installed, follow these steps:
- Open the Clorox Pool & Spa app.
- Select “Test Strip Testing.”
- Click on “Scan to Test.”
- Choose “Scan Now” and align your phone with the test strip on the solid white background until the app confirms a successful scan.
Once scanned, the app will instantly display the results. If you encounter an error, simply click “Try Again.” For the best results, test during the daytime in bright sunlight to ensure the app can easily read the strips.
For a visual demonstration, check out the video on my YouTube channel showing how the Clorox smart strips work. If you’re interested in purchasing these Clorox Smart Strips, you can find them on Amazon.
Can a Test Strip Be Used More Than Once?
No, each smart test strip is designed for one-time use only. After completing the test, dispose of the strip and use a fresh one for your next water test. This rule also applies to any strip that may have accidentally gotten wet, underscoring the importance of proper storage. A wet strip is unlikely to provide accurate results, whereas a dry, unused strip will yield the most reliable readings. If you’re running low, you can easily replenish your supply through this link: Clorox Smart Strips on Amazon.
How Accurate Is the Clorox Pool & Spa App?
The accuracy of the readings you receive from the app far exceeds that of the human eye attempting to match colors. Given that colors can have thousands of different shades, achieving precision manually is nearly impossible. The app’s scanning technology detects the exact color shade, providing you with more reliable results. To enhance the accuracy of your readings, keep these tips in mind:
Improve Accuracy by Following These Simple Guidelines:
Avoid testing at nighttime. The low light conditions can hinder your smartphone’s camera from capturing a clear image, leading to inaccurate readings. Test in bright daylight. Position yourself to avoid casting shadows over the test strip, ensuring the camera has an unobstructed view of the sky. Natural sunlight is ideal for scanning. Scan the test strip within 15 seconds. Quick scanning after dipping the strip will yield better results. Always have your phone ready to go. Do not wipe off excess water before scanning. After shaking off the water, refrain from using cloths or fingers to dry the strip, as this can affect the accuracy. Only handle the black portion of the test strips during testing.
What Can Be Tested with the Smart Strips?
The 6-way test strips provide a comprehensive assessment of your pool’s water quality by testing pH, total alkalinity, hardness, free chlorine, total chlorine, and stabilizer levels—all at once. This makes it much simpler to identify areas needing adjustment.
pH
The acidity levels in your swimming pool water directly impact the pH balance. Keeping your pH levels between 7.2 and 7.6 is crucial; deviations can negatively affect pool components and swimmers’ comfort. High pH levels can lead to itchy skin and cloudy water, while low levels may damage equipment. Adjusting pH can be done using muriatic acid to lower it and borax or washing soda to raise it. Note that the lowest reading on the pH smart strip is 6.2; if you see this number, your actual pH could be even lower.
Total Alkalinity
Alkalinity measures your pool’s ability to neutralize acids. Once your pH is stabilized, adjusting alkalinity becomes more manageable. The ideal range for total alkalinity is between 90 and 150 ppm. To raise alkalinity, add baking soda; to lower it, you’ll need to first decrease the pH to 7.0-7.2 before gradually raising it again while repeating this process as necessary.
Total Hardness
Adequate hardness in your pool water is essential; soft water can lead to corrosion of pool components. The ideal hardness level is around 250 ppm. Increasing hardness is straightforward with specific Clorox products designed for this purpose.
Free Chlorine
Free chlorine is the active component that sanitizes your pool, keeping it safe from bacteria. Optimal free chlorine levels should be maintained between 1 and 4 ppm for effective sanitation.
Total Chlorine
Total chlorine represents the overall chlorine level in your pool, including both free and combined chlorine. The latter is no longer effective for sanitation. You can determine total chlorine using the formula: Free Chlorine + Combined Chlorine = Total Chlorine. To ensure proper sanitation, always keep free chlorine levels higher than combined chlorine levels. If combined chlorine exceeds free chlorine, a shock treatment may be necessary.
Stabilizer
Stabilizer helps reduce chlorine loss due to sun exposure. Without it, chlorine evaporates more quickly, diminishing its effectiveness. The recommended stabilizer level ranges from 30 to 100 ppm. While maintaining a lower level is often preferable, staying within this range aids in better sanitation. Excess stabilizer can be addressed by draining some pool water, as backwashing or leaks also reduce stabilizer levels over time.
Final Thoughts
Using smart strips is a convenient and efficient way to obtain accurate readings for your pool water tests. While there may be occasional scanning errors due to camera focus or lighting conditions, following these guidelines ensures that you achieve reliable results. With the Clorox smart strips, you can maintain your pool’s water quality with confidence and ease, moving beyond traditional eye tests to a more modern approach.