Track FC, CC, pH, TA, CYA, CH, and salt over the season
Pool Name / Location:
Volume (US gal):
Dimensions (L x W x avg depth, ft):
Type (chlorine / saltwater):
Surface (inground / above-ground):
Date Started:
Clear, safe water is a number game. Logging your readings turns a slow chlorine drift or a creeping pH into something you catch and correct in minutes, instead of a green pool you discover on a Saturday morning.
Water Test Log
Test FC and pH 2 to 3 times a week in swim season, the full set weekly. A liquid drop kit is more accurate than strips. Test before you dose, not after.
Ideal ranges (backyard pools)
Free chlorine (FC): set by your CYA. Target roughly 7.5% of CYA, so CYA 30 wants about FC 2 to 3, CYA 50 wants about FC 4 to 6. Salt pools run higher CYA, so dose to the cell and the FC/CYA ratio.
Combined chlorine (CC): 0 to 0.5 ppm. Above 0.5 means it is time to shock.
pH: 7.2 to 7.8. Lower with muriatic acid, raise with soda ash.
Total alkalinity (TA): 60 to 120 ppm. Baking soda raises it.
CYA (stabilizer): 30 to 50 for a chlorine pool, 60 to 80 for a saltwater pool. Lower CYA only by draining and refilling.
Calcium hardness (CH): 200 to 400 ppm.
Salt (saltwater pools): about 3,000 to 3,200 ppm, or whatever your salt cell calls for.
Date
FC
CC
pH
TA
CYA
CH
Salt
Notes
Notes
Shock days, new fill water, heavy bather load, rain or storm events, anything that moved a reading.
Dosing and range figures are estimates from standard pool-care formulas and are not a substitute for testing your own water. Educational only. Always follow the product label and local guidance.