Mineral Pools and Clear Choice Labs test kits

We’ve had a few questions this year about using our test kits with “mineral pools”, magnesium pools, and some other less traditional pool systems. If you have a salt water generator, or chlorinator, this information is not for you as you’re using the sort of pool we definitely test!

Can I use Clear Choice Labs test kits with a ‘mineral pool’?
The short answer is maybe.
The long answer is it depends.

Our kits are designed to be incredibly accurate at testing freshwater and salt water pools that use traditional chlorine based methods. Because these pools are the most common, our kits test for specific chemicals found in these pools. When other chemicals are introduced in unknown quantities, such as in mineral pools, our tests may react differently.

If you do have a mineral pool and want to try our kits, we suggest buying one of our smaller kits for testing to start with – we have numerous clients using our products to test for specific chemicals in their mineral pools. We also suggest recording the current range of the chemical you’re testing for, say CYA, and then check using our kit to see if it gives you the same reading. Unfortunately, we simply can’t know if the chemicals used in every style of mineral pool will work with our tests.

So why is a mineral pool different?
At a very non-scientific level, almost every pool uses chlorine to keep it clean. Whilst this can be added to the pool manually, most pools create their own to make life that little bit easier. Mineral and magnesium pools also use chlorine, they simply get it from a different parent chemical to start with.

How does Chlorine get into my pool?
1) Most commonly? Salt (sodium chloride) water chlorinators. They cycle the salt water in your pool, do something magic (chemistry magic!) to it, and the sodium chloride gives off chlorine. These are the most common pool types, and certainly the benchmark and standard for the industry.

2) You put chlorine in the pool. This is usually from a container labelled Chlorine (or a clever variant) in some way, and you hopefully do some magic maths to know how much to add. You can use our kits to test you’re adding the right amount.

3) Mineral pool systems. These often use a different chloride than sodium chloride or salt – often Magnesium Chloride. Sometimes it’ll be a mix of chemicals, or another metal/mineral/chemical entirely. Then this runs through a magic (chemistry magic!) system and a chloride in the water gives off chlorine.

Essentially, mineral pools generate chlorine. The industry standard Australian pool using a salt water chlorinator generates chlorine. Mineral pools merely change the initial chemical they use to get their chlorine from.

Aren’t mineral pools better for my skin, health, pool, etc?
Unfortunately mineral pools aren’t standardised, as different manufacturers sell their own systems and chemical solutions. Without some level of standardisation, we wouldn’t even consider commenting on the chemistry and any pro’s and cons of mineral pools.

However, mineral and traditional pool types both generate chlorine, and the water in both pools should contain similar levels of chlorine in order to keep your pool clean. Chlorine works, and traditional pool chemistry to keep it at the perfect levels for swimming and keeping your pool crystal clear is incredibly simple. That’s where we come in!

What’s definitely best for you and your pool?
Accurate testing. Simple. Accurate. Fast.
All pools use chemicals. But the best pools use only the right amount of the right chemicals.
Clear Choice Labs test kits let you know what your pool levels are with industry leading accuracy. So you can add the right amount of chemicals, and no more, to your pool. Buy one now and get started on the best pool you’ve ever had!

Thanks for reading, don’t hesitate to email if you have any questions!
-Brett