May 19, 2013
We're on "Pool Patrol" again. This week we headed to the West Water Park in Kinston. The staffers test their water twice a day. The results? Both our home test kit and the pool's liquid kit showed a chlorine level of 1.0. Now that's on the low end of the legal requirement, but still considered healthy.
The Pool Patrol's next stop was the Comfort Inn in Kinston. Owner Nilesh Patel says the pool gets the most use on the weekends, and that's when it gets the most of his attention. Patel tested his pool with his kit. The pH was low. So is this pool unsafe?
We asked our pool expert about pH. Our expert told us pH is what makes the water comfortable. If the pH is off, it can make your skin dry; it can make your eyes burn. But this slightly low level of pH won't make you sick.
Experts say it's easier to control chlorine levels inside without the sun burning away the chemicals. So we took our test indoors to the Greenville Aquatics and Fitness Center. And even though they're indoors, the staff here shows us records of their diligence with testing chemical levels, which adds up to eight times a day, higher than most places the pool patrol has visited. That computer constantly tests the levels of chlorine and pH in the pool. So does it work? Our strips say, yes.
