4-way test strips for pools?

Question

I put the strip in the water and checked it with the colors on the package, but it doesn't say how much is too much and too little. The results were: free chlorine - 1, bromine - 2, pH - 7.8, alkalinity ppm - 120. So, my question is what is it supposed to be at?? What do these results mean? (by the way, those results are not negative)

Nothing else came in the package. The brand is hth and it came with 10 strips.

Answer 1

Your chlorine is a bit low. Depending on the level of stabilizer (CYA), it should probably be between 3 and 10 ppm. pH is on the high end of normal, 7.2 to 7.8. Alkalinity of 120 ppm is a bit high, 60-90 is considered ideal, but can be managed.

Test strips are notoriously inaccurate. It's also very, very important to know the stabilizer (CYA) level so you can define the optimal chlorine level. Please do yourself a favor and get a good test kit. Check out the stickies on the site below.