Built a free tool that reads your pool test strip from a phone photo and tells you what to add

ADELAIDE, Australia - May 11, 2026 - PRLog -- Got tired of squinting at the bottle and either over-chlorinating or doing nothing. So I built this: take a phone photo of your test strip, it samples the pad colours, matches against calibrated swatches, and gives you a directional read on the 7 chemistries plus a dose-and-wait sequence.

Free preview shows what's off. Full report (exact readings, dose amounts, sequence, PDF) is $4.99 one-time — pays for the server and lets me keep it ad-free and signup-free.

Link: https://poolcheck.onrender.com

I'd really love feedback, especially from people whose strips it gets wrong — I'll calibrate against your photos.

Things I know don't work yet:
- Currently calibrated for AquaChek 7, Pentair, and a "Universal Baseline" for everything else. If you have a different strip, pick Universal Baseline — it's averaged across brands so it's ±10-15% accurate.
- Bright direct sunlight throws off the colour read; shade or indoor light is better.
- pH near the OK band (7.2-7.6) is the hardest call.

Not affiliated with any brand. I just got sick of being wrong about my own pool.