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.

⏰ 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

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.

[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 👍

[danhargrave]

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.

[rocksteady]

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

[crittersintheyard]

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

[stevemanning]

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

[acalora]

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

[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!

[Tothewhip]

Very good information! Easy to understand too.

[RonArdronChiefRocka]

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

[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?

[brendankeough]

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.

[designzbydebbz]

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

[dpro]

Does the photo capture on the app more accurate?

[russellhershkowitz]

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?

[notme]

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.

[aslo]

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.

[alexidonovan]

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.

[tiffanysechrest]

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

[viewsandreviews]

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

[ninhalo]

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.