Got a Pool? Get Insta-Test Water Test Strips and Keep Everything in Perfect Balance!
Written: Jun 07 '04 (Updated Jun 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: easy to use, easy to read, fairly inexpensive
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: With Insta-Test Waster Test Strips I'm glad I chose chemicals instead of cleaning as my "pool chore".
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Insta-Test Poptop Pool Water Test Strips |
It’s almost a month now that we’ve had our pool. I’d say pool party at the Aliventi house - everyone come on over, but the water is a frosty 65° right now. Hopefully it will be getting much warmer soon!
One of the things I was very nervous about was keeping the water crystal clear. I’d seen my neighbor manage it for years, but when he moved and the new owners took over, the pool seemed to frequently descent into a distinct greenish tinge. This made me quite nervous about handling the job of keeping the chemicals in balance with our own pool.
With all of the pool-related items from the store came Insta-Test Waster Test Strips by LaMotte. The strips are neatly packed in a plastic pop-top container resembling the containers the mini-M&M’s come in.
The Insta-Test Waster Test Strips I have come in a blue container and test the pool-water for 3 thing: free chlorine or bromine, alkalinity, and ph level. There are also Insta-Test Waster Test Strips which come in a red container and test for 5 things: free chlorine or bromine, total chlorine, alkalinity, ph, and water hardness.
I usually test once a day. The actual tests themselves are inside the container on a strip of plastic. I simply take a strip out and close the container. The strip gets dipped in the pool (I stretch as far down as I can in the water over the side) and swirled three times, then I read it right away (without shaking off excess water) by comparing the immediate results on the strip to the picture on the side of the container. What’s nice here is that the picture includes two colors in the ideal range. This means no real guessing if the result on the strip doesn’t exactly match the color when only a single color is shown as being ideal. I usually aim to keep my chemicals at a level somewhere between the two colors, but I know that if it happens to lean more toward one shade or another, I’m still in a safe range.
Since I have to keep the container with me to read the test results, it’s important that the container keep the remaining strips in good condition. The pop-top on the Insta-Test Waster Test Strips seals quite well and is guaranteed for at least 1,000 openings. It’s connected right to the container so it can’t get lost or fall on the ground, making it easy to spill the strips. Inside, the container is lined with a dessicant liner to eliminate moisture from possibly corrupting the strips. This is instead of those little bags often found in packaging that I have to worry about falling out or my kids or pets getting their hands on. Since this can’t fall out, the strips are kept in excellent condition. I wouldn’t even worry if I accidentally dropped it into the pool while I was reading a test!
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KEEP POOL CHEMICALS IN BALANCE?
Keeping pool chemicals in balance is very important to having a good bathing experience. Too much chlorine or bromine and you’ll notice it by a distinct smell as well as possible skin and eye irritation. The pH of our eyes is 7.2. If the pH is too low (acidic) some parts of the pool and pump and filter can corrode over time. A low pH will also cause you to use more chlorine as the water is not getting properly sanitized. Lo pH also can cause burning of the eyes and nose, itchy and dry skin, as well as cause swimsuits to fade.
If the pH is too high (alkaline) in addition to the water becoming murky, calcification (scaling) will often occur at the water-line. This chemical reaction can eventually cause the sand in a sand-filter to turn into cement. Chloris is also not used efficiently in a pool where the water’s pH is too high. This is also the effect of the total alkalinity, which is why this test is just as important as the other two.
Free chlorine is the chlorine in the pool which will sanitize the water. Total chlorine includes chlorine compounds which form when there isn’t enough free chlorine. These compounds smell bad and irritate, so it’s your choice whether or not you feel the need to test for them. If you can keep the free chlorine at an optimal level, there’s no need to worry about the other.
Obviously too little chlorine will allow bacteria and algae to grow in the pool. Too much chlorine causes irritations of the eyes, nose and skin. Chlorine is also considered to be a carcinogen, so exposure to too much of it is not healthy.
Testing for water hardness is testing for the minerals in the water. We live on Long Island where the water is quite hard. The main minerals are iron, calcium, manganese, and magnesium. When testing pool water, the mineral level in question is the calcium. If it’s too low then corrosion and staining can occur. If it’s too high, scaling will form around the pool walls at the water line. The filter as well as pipes and hoses can eventually become clogged, followed by a clouding of the water.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Since the pool store we go to for our chemicals offers free computerized testing, I don’t feel the need to use the 5-test Insta-Test Waster Test Strips . If the total chlorine or water hardness gets out of balance, I will be warned well ahead of time as we go there once every two weeks with a water sample. Since I already know the water on Long Island is hard, I’ll just add the proper chemicals to remove the minerals at least every spring, and possibly in the fall as well.
The basic 3-test Insta-Test Waster Test Strips have been working perfectly so far. My water is crystal clear and my eyes and nose haven’t felt irritated nor my skin dry after my all-too-brief swims.
LaMotte Corporation
P.O. Box 329
802 Washington Ave.
Chestertown, MD 21620
Website: www.lamotte.com/insta
Other pool- related reviews:
Sharkline Escalade Emerald Series Pool
Robo-Kleen Robotic Pool Cleaner
Smartpool PoolEye Alarm
Intext Easy-Set Pool
Water Warehouse Online Store
© 2004 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
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Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
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