Why do we test the water?
It is important to test the water in the
pool to ensure the pH and chlorine levels remain balanced. Chlorine is a
disinfectant and is added to the water to kill microbial pathogens. A correct
disinfectant level is crucial to maintain biosecurity.
What do we test?
We take three separate tests for the
chlorine levels; the free, total and combined chlorine. It is imperative to take the pH reading too
as the chlorine is most effective at a specific level of pH. We use a
photometer to take these readings. The photometer gives the reading by passing light
through a coloured 10ml sample of water.
Any dirt that comes off of the horses when they are using the equipment has a
tendency to raise the pH to be more alkaline. Chlorine is more effective
between the range of 7.2 – 7.4, therefore if the photometer gave a reading of
above 7.4, acid will be added to the pool to reduce the pH level, if the pH was
too low, alkaline would need to be added to increase the pH.
Free chlorine is what attacks the pollutants
in the water. When the free chlorine
combines with the pollutants it becomes combined chlorine. High levels of combined chlorine are bad and
are what give off noxious gases and can cause skin irritations.
To get the combined chlorine reading we test
for the free and total chlorine and use this simple sum: Total Chlorine – Free
Chlorine = Combined Chlorine
Free chlorine should
outnumber Combined Chlorine at a ratio of 2:1, so that there is always enough
free chlorine ready to attack any pollutants that may be introduced into the
water. If the combined chlorine levels read more than
the free chlorine levels this means we will need to add more chlorine in the
pool to re-balance the levels. As these chemicals can be dangerous in high
concentrations, we always wear a gas mask, gloves and an apron when adding them
to the pool.
