Ideally, you should be testing every day, especially if your pool is not covered and is exposed to rain, wind, leaves, grass clippings, and sunlight. Moreover, maintaining the proper pH balance in your pool will keep your pool finish and equipment in good working order. It can also affect how comfortable your pool water is to swim in. If the pool water is too acidic or too basic, it can irritate the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. Is this puzzling you?

Without getting too technical, the pool reading is a measure of how much chlorine is available in pool water to destroy germs. But not all chlorine in the pool is available to destroy germs. Some chlorine may be unavailable because it has chemically reacted with impurities brought into the pool through the bodies of swimmers – perspiration, urine, body oils and cosmetics – and other possible factors like heavy rainfall which increases the presence of bacteria and dirt in your pool’s water.