Overview
Use Water Quality rulesets to apply the correct limits to each pool, spa or water attraction. When requirements differ between sites or regions, organize your rules and Location Groups so that each Location matches the intended rule.
This article explains how Mobaro picks a rule, which structure fits which situation, and how to organize Location Groups and names so the setup stays manageable.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Rulesets: Super Users only. Location Groups: Super Users or a Role with Location Groups › Create or Modify. |
Where | Configuration › Checklists tab (rulesets); Location Groups in the Backend menu |
Works on | Backend (web) to set up; rules are applied in the Mobile app |
Availability | Early access — contact Mobaro Support to request access. |
🚀 Early access: Water Quality is an early-access feature and may not be enabled for your account. Contact Mobaro Support to request access. Until it's enabled, the ruleset table and the Water Quality Question element don't appear.
How Mobaro picks a rule
A ruleset holds one or more Rules, each with its own limits and an optional Limit to (Location Groups) list. When staff perform a Checklist, Mobaro uses the first rule in the list that either has no Location Groups or has a Location Group containing the Checklist's Location. Rules stay in the order they were added and can't be dragged into a new order, so add a rule with no Location Groups last — placed first, it catches every Location.
A rule limited to a Location Group also matches Locations in groups nested inside it, so one parent group — say Water Park — covers everything below it.
A rule can list several Location Groups.
If a Location is in groups used by two rules, the rule added first wins.
To move a rule to the end, remove it and add it again — you'll need to re-enter its name, Location Groups and limits.
Limits can't be lower than 0.
🛑 Critical: If no rule matches a Location, readings there aren't checked against any limits, and nothing warns you. Make sure every Location is covered — for example, end the ruleset with a rule that has no Location Groups.
One question, one ruleset
Each Water Quality Question links to exactly one ruleset. That's the key to structuring: if one Checklist is used at sites with different limits, all those limits must live as rules in the same ruleset, targeted by Location Group. Separate rulesets mean separate Water Quality Questions — usually separate Checklists.
Choose a structure
Situation | Structure |
One site, same limits everywhere | One ruleset with a single rule and no Location Groups. |
One site, pools and spas differ | One ruleset. A rule per water type, each limited to its Location Group (Spas, Pools), then a catch-all rule with no Location Groups last. |
Several sites, same regulation | One ruleset, with rules per water type. Add a site-specific rule only where a site's limits really differ, and place it before the general rule for that water type. |
Sites under different regulations | Either one ruleset with rules per region (limited to region groups) so one Checklist works everywhere, or a ruleset per region with a Checklist per region. |
Start with one ruleset and split only when a separate Checklist per region is what you want anyway — for example, because the regulations also require different checks.
Organize your Location Groups
Group Locations by what drives the limits — water type or regulation — not by who manages them. See How to create Location Groups.
Keep each Location in only one of the groups your rules use, so the result never depends on rule order.
When you add a pool, add its Location to the right group — the matching rule then applies automatically.
Location Groups also control access, so changing a group's Locations can change what its members see.
Name and document rulesets
Name rulesets and rules after what they cover, and add the standard where it helps — for example Resort Pools – Florida DOH and a rule called Spas. Record the source of each limit outside Mobaro: rulesets have no history, and unticking a parameter discards its limits when you save.
Rulesets can't be copied or duplicated, and each belongs to one organization. To reuse limits elsewhere, create a new ruleset and re-enter them. After copying a Checklist to another organization, select a ruleset from that organization on each Water Quality Question.
Review limits regularly
Revisit rulesets at least once a year and whenever a regulation changes. Because every linked Checklist uses the ruleset, one edit updates them all; submitted Results aren't recalculated. See Editing or deleting a water quality ruleset. Frequent Low or High readings on the Value Development By Water Quality Question widget can mean a treatment problem — or a limit that needs review with your water-treatment specialists.
Best practices
Plan the rule order before you build: specific rules first, the catch-all rule last.
Keep limits identical across sites unless a regulation requires otherwise — it simplifies training and reporting.
Where limits differ between sites, make sure staff know which values apply at theirs.
Test at a Location in every Location Group after each structural change. See Troubleshooting water quality setup issues.
Frequently asked questions
Should I create a new ruleset for every pool?
No. Use one ruleset with a rule per set of limits, and limit each rule to the Location Groups it covers. Pools with the same limits share a rule.
How do I add another pool to an existing water quality checklist?
Schedule the Checklist at the new pool's Location and make sure a rule covers it — add the Location to a Location Group a rule uses, or rely on a catch-all rule. See How to add water quality checks to a checklist.
Can I copy a ruleset to another organization, such as a training account?
No. Rulesets can't be copied. Create the ruleset in the other organization — which also needs Water Quality switched on — and re-enter the limits.
What if two health departments require different limits?
Give each department's Locations their own Location Group and rule. Keep them in one ruleset if one Checklist serves both; use separate rulesets only with separate Checklists.