Can enzyme levels be measured?

Unfortunately there are no test kits that measure enzymes, at least that we know of.

We do not know of any way to measure enzyme levels (ppm). If such a test exists, please contact us.

It would be great to know what residual enzyme levels are, but we have learned to go by visual cues and feel. Sure, it sounds inaccurate, but it's surprisingly reliable, though imprecise. Fortunately, with CV-600/700 enzymes, precision dosing is not necessary.

How to tell if your pool has enough enzymes in it

We look for visual cues first. Do you see a scum line on the tile? Are there any oily slicks on the surface of the water? Do you see small clusters of bubbles that follow turbulence (like swimmers splashing, or a spa spillway)? If you have enough enzymes in your water, there should be no scum line, no oils visible on the water's surface, and some bubbles that last 5-10 seconds or more following turbulence.

We get it, it's not quantifiable. We know. We would love a test for enzymes if such a thing exists. But we can tell you that swimmers can feel the difference in water texture, taste and clarity.

An Orenda pool has a smooth, silky feel to the water. Almost slippery.

How to tell if your pool has too much enzyme in it

If bubbles stay for more than a minute after turbulence, you may have too much enzyme in residual. This is normal after the purge dose for a few days, but after a week, begin the weekly dose based on bather load and other organic demands (like droppings from trees). This too is only an estimation based on our field experience, but it should be close to what the water needs.

Think of bather load as the number of gallons per bather, per day. The lower the gallons per bather, the denser the bather load. And don't forget organics from trees and other factors. All of those contribute to the enzyme's workload.

Types of swimming pools and their bather loads

There are many types of swimming pools out there, with varying organic loads.

In the chart above, residential pools are private, and the bather load is generally minimal. A low-use pool may have a few bathers a week in it. A heavily-loaded residential pool may have dogs that use it, or lots of trees around that drop leaves and other organics into the water. Maybe a birthday party, or other high-use events.

Commercial pools vary in size and use, but most of them are generally hotel/motel/apartments/condos (HMAC). These, of course, can vary widely in bather loads. Commercial pools also include community summer pools, health & fitness clubs, YMCAs, high schools, and swim clubs that do not host many swim meets. Some of these pools can be very heavily loaded, like during swim team practice.

Commercial venues host swim meets or other events. They tend to be larger and have more robust infrastructure. Bigger filters, better turnover rates, nicer controllers, and more chemical automation. They also have far more severe bather loads, like swim meets with 1000+ swimmers over four days. Most of these venues are owned by Universities or municipalities.

Waterparks and swim schools have bather loads that are almost incomparable to other types of pools. Depending on the time of year, an outdoor waterpark can have thousands of people a day in multiple bodies of water, and you can count on sunscreen and tanning oils being on their bodies. Indoor waterparks tend to be smaller in size, but they operate year-round and for longer hours. Finally, swim schools may be in a league of their own. We work with swim schools that have well over 700 kids a week getting in just 30-40,000 gallons of water. Small water volume, insanely high bather load.

Fortunately, Orenda enzymes have proven to be able to handle all of these bather loads. Adjust your weekly enzyme dose to maintain excellent water clarity without too many bubbles trailing the swimmers.