Hi Tammy,

Here is a good thread to look at from the "Testing and Adjusting Pool Water Chemistry" section:

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=1113

ppm means parts per million and it is just a way of telling you how much of a given substance (chlorine, calcium etc) is in your water.

After you read the above thread, if you have further questions post them in that same thread and someone will help you out.

I would suggest you make your own note card (or electronic equivalent) with the specific information you need (like pH range should be between 7.3 and 7.8 etc.) so you have a handy reference whenever you need it.

Peter