ColorQ...sad faces

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

shakenbake

0
LifeTime Supporter
Aug 9, 2010
204
Austin, TX
Man, I'm really bummed. I've been using a ColorQ Pro 7 for a few months as I put my new pool online and just found out today that it's giving me bogus readings. They may be consistent, but they are waaaaaay off.

It says my PH is 7.3, it's really 8.4 (ouch)
It says my FC is 1, it's really 3.2
It says my CH is 150, it's really 130
It says my ALK is 150, it's really 100

Ironically, the reason I now know this is that I installed a PH probe today (chemlink system), and the initial reading was 8.5. I thought the PH was 7.3, so I figured the probe was DOA. Before I RMA'd it, I got the water tested by the pool store.....and woah...glad I did that.

Amazing that it's so poor. I saw several threads here that recommended the unit (thought peppered with skeptics who I should have listened to).

So now I'm looking for a better test kit... :)
 
Butterfly said:
So now I'm looking for a better test kit...
Click to expand...
Whaaaa?

Most around here love and recommend the TF100 and the Taylor 2006, both great kits!. But, the TF100 is a better bang for the buck. :wink:

We have a Test Kit comparrison in Pool School, too.
Click to expand...

The choice is easy...but a week from my doorstep. Do I just buy direct from TFTestkits? Discount codes or anything?
 
Just as a note, my ColorQ works well and all the readings are pretty consistent with my TF100 kit. I do tests once a week with the TF100 and about every other day with the ColorQ. pH is always very consistent, Alkalinity is consistent. FC is a little low on the ColorQ, CYA is dead on most of the time and CH is always low on the ColorQ. Been testing with both for over 4 months. Sorry to hear you are having problems. I consistently clean all the tubes with water and follow the instructions pretty religiously with the ColorQ.
 
XsAllOverIt said:
Just as a note, my ColorQ works well and all the readings are pretty consistent with my TF100 kit. I do tests once a week with the TF100 and about every other day with the ColorQ. pH is always very consistent, Alkalinity is consistent. FC is a little low on the ColorQ, CYA is dead on most of the time and CH is always low on the ColorQ. Been testing with both for over 4 months. Sorry to hear you are having problems. I consistently clean all the tubes with water and follow the instructions pretty religiously with the ColorQ.
Click to expand...

Do you have the tablet or liquid version?
 
No, the great majority of ColorQs in the world, both tablet and liquid, give far better results then you are getting. Your PH error is dramatic, while normally the ColorQ is quite good on PH. Either your unit, or the tablets, must be defective in some way.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I have a ColorQ pro 11 and just purchased new regents. These go bad after a couple of years. Look at the Lamotte web site. All the regents-tabs and liquids have x dates or codes. Also with the tabs I expect more varance due to mixing.

Anyway I plan on getting another test kit TH- or Taylor just to double check. Only got bogus numbers from the pool store.
 
Here are results from last night using both a LaMotte ColorQ and a TFT100 tester:

TFT100
FCL - 8.5 CC - 0.5 TC - 9.0 ALY - 70 CH - 220 CYA - 52 pH - 7.4 Salt - 3720 (Strip)
ColorQ
FCL - 5.34 TC - 5.34 ALY - 45 CH - 180 CYA - 49 pH - 7.5

My chlorine is always higher with the TFT, ALY is always higher and CH is always higher, but from all my results (I record all of them), the results are always consistent, so I use the ColorQ quite regularly and the TFT100 periodically as a confirmation, since the ColorQ is a 5-minute test for me.
 
Tested today with both systems, several times each (average).

Chemlink: ORP = 350, PH = 7.5 (calibrated)
TF100 = FC 2, PH 7.5, TA 120, CH 310
ColorQ = FC 1.5, PH 6.6, TA 90, CH 200

Since the readings are consistently low, I think the measurement unit is bad on my colorQ

It was faster to use the TF kit to get all 4 readings. The ColorQ offers more precision, but that is little use unless the accuracy is better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply