ChlorineWhat your pool is
trying to tell you.
Sydney's only pool service that arrives with a calibrated test kit before it touches a chemical. We read the water first — then we treat it.
Serving · Mosman · Neutral Bay · Paddington · Woollahra · Vaucluse · Cremorne · Kirribilli · Double Bay
Symptom Reported
"The pool turned green overnight after three days of summer storms. We hadn't touched it."
Homeowner in Woollahra, concrete pool, 65,000L. Last professional service: 6 weeks prior. The February storms had deposited significant organic load — leaf matter, bird waste, and storm runoff — directly into the water.
On-site — Day 1 · 06:22 AEST
Initial Test Readings
Root Cause Identified
Post-storm phosphate spike driving algae bloom
Diagnostic Process
Phosphate Test
LaMotte ColorQ Pro confirmed 1,840 ppb — storm runoff had tripled the baseline phosphate load, providing the algae with unlimited food source.
Chlorine Demand Test
Chlorine demand of 8.4 ppm identified — indicating the pool would consume any added chlorine before it could sanitise. Standard shock would fail.
Treatment Protocol
Phosphate remover applied first. 24-hour wait. Then triple-shock with liquid chlorine at dusk. Filter run 24h continuous. Second test at 48h confirmed clear water.
Resolution Time
52h
Pool returned to swim-ready condition
Chemicals Used
3
Phosphate remover, liquid chlorine, pH down
Ongoing Schedule
7d
Weekly service during storm season
Symptom Reported
"The pool shop keeps telling me to add more salt. I've spent $800 this year and it's still not chlorinating."
Landlord managing an investment property in Cremorne. Salt chlorinator installed 2019, never professionally serviced. Tenants had complained about cloudy water for three months. The pool shop had tested salt levels — never the cell itself.
Cell electrode plates — 3.2mm calcium scale
Cell Diagnostic Results
Target 3,000–4,500
Expected 80–100%
On electrode plates
Effective rate
Finding
Cell operating at 18% capacity due to calcium fouling. Adding salt was irrelevant — the cell couldn't process it.
Resolution Timeline
Day 1
Cell removed, acid wash (diluted HCl 4:1)
Scale dissolved
Day 1
Cell reinstalled, output tested at 94%
Cell restored
Day 3
Full water balance achieved
pH 7.3, FC 3.2
Ongoing
Quarterly cell inspection protocol
Landlord notified
The Sydney Pool Owner's Guide
48 pages covering every water chemistry scenario Sydney pools face — from post-storm recovery to salt cell maintenance, fibreglass pH management, and strata compliance documentation. Written from 12 years of field diagnostics, not pool shop theory.
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Symptom Reported
"Every pool company we've tried says add acid. The pH drops for a week, then climbs straight back up. Nobody can explain why."
Body corporate, Kirribilli strata complex — 8-storey building, 45,000L fibreglass pool, last resurfaced 2018. Three different contractors in two years. All treating symptoms, none investigating root cause.
Kirribilli strata pool · fibreglass shell · 45,000L
pH History — 5 Month Record
Fibreglass gel coat off-gassing
The 2018 resurfacing had used a gel coat with elevated calcium carbonate content. As the surface aged and micro-cracked, it continuously leached alkalinity into the water — counteracting every acid dose within 5–7 days. No amount of acid treatment would permanently resolve this without addressing the source.
Gel coat sealed with penetrating epoxy sealant — stops leaching at source
Total alkalinity recalibrated to 80 ppm lower baseline to compensate
CO₂ injection system installed — precise pH control without acid overcorrection
Monthly compliance reports generated for strata committee
pH Stable For
Without acid intervention
Cost vs. Ongoing Acid
Annual chemical spend
Compliance Reports
Strata committee docs
Contractors Before Us
Treating symptoms only
Get Your Free Water Analysis
We'll visit your property, run a full 8-parameter test, and give you a written diagnosis — no charge, no sales pressure. If we can't fix what we find, we'll tell you who can.
What We Test
Coverage Area
Eastern Suburbs · North Shore · Inner West
Technicians based in Mosman and Paddington. Most suburbs reached within 24h booking.