Pool Services

PPM vs ORP: How to Choose A Water Measurement Method

Did you know: The CDC recommends testing your pool or hot tub water’s chlorine and pH at least twice per day.

Maintaining healthy water balance is important for safe swimming, relaxing, workouts, and more, but it can be a challenge, especially for new pool and hot tub owners. Just as there are different chemicals to maintain the water, there are different ways to measure and treat the water. Parts per million (ppm) and Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) are the two common methods. Here is some background on how to choose the right measurement method:

Measuring by ppm rcan be done with reagent tests, water spin tests, or water test strips which must be manually dipped in the water at least twice per week, the CDC’s recommendation. Then, the data is used to calculate the amount (volume) of chemicals needed depending on the gallon capacity of the pool, hot tub, or swim spa.

Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) is the standard measurement for pool and hot tub water safety, it is mandated for commercial pools like those in local gyms, hotels, spas, etc. It provides a more detailed analysis of how the chemicals – chlorine, bromine, or salt – are doing their job to sanitize the water.  The ORP Sensor measures, in millivolts, the tendency of a chemical substance to oxidize or reduce another chemical substance. In this case, sanitizer. A high ORP shows that the sanitizer isn’t working effectively, and low ORP means that the chemicals can’t effectively clean the water.

Even pool technicians use tools to measure the water, and most homeowners need help, too. Now, they can get it from the pHin Smart Water Monitor which removes the calculations and guesswork from pool and hot tub water care. It measures the water’s temperature, sanitizer and pH over 1,000 times per week. pHin measures the ORP of the water, and uses an algorithm to analyze the water conditions and provide exact recommendations for dosing the water with the chemicals of the pool or hot tub owners’ choice.

Learn more about how pHin measures water here.

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