Does anyone else have a problem reading the results on the daily chlorine/pH test kit included in the Tf-100 kit? Maybe I'm partially colorblind, but I have a very difficult time differentiating between the shades of yellow and red.
Chlorine and pH test kit....TF-100
- Thread starter pmsmith2032
- Start date
It is common to have some trouble with the PH kit. Using a sunlit white background helps as does practice.
Thanks. Are there any other relaible tests (such as strips etc) that can be substitued for the daily test? I feel like I'm going blind trying to read the one I have now!
With a little practice (and remember you don't have to be "perfect"), the OTO test is almost ALWAYS more reliable than the strips Stick with it for a while.
When I first started, the OTO chlorine test was much harder for me then the pH. What I started doing was eliminating the shades that were too yellow or not yellow enough. In other words, I eliminated the extremes......the shades I knew it was not. That left me usually only with a couple of choices left which is normally good enough. Now, I can get it right virtually every time.
There are many other OTO comparator blocks available but Taylor's has seemed to always get the best results by most folks here on the forum. I simply could not trust test strips.
When I first started, the OTO chlorine test was much harder for me then the pH. What I started doing was eliminating the shades that were too yellow or not yellow enough. In other words, I eliminated the extremes......the shades I knew it was not. That left me usually only with a couple of choices left which is normally good enough. Now, I can get it right virtually every time.
There are many other OTO comparator blocks available but Taylor's has seemed to always get the best results by most folks here on the forum. I simply could not trust test strips.
I don't even use the Chlorine test with that thing. I always do the drop test (using the powder) - I can't read it the colors, like you, and it's such a small range on the reading block that it's essentially useless. I only use that little device for the PH test.
Yes. The chlorine test is especially useless to me.
For the pH test, I have fopund that holding the test block at arm's length with something white in the distant background (in my case, usually a white plastic patio chair) then squinting so the numbers are unreadable makes the color differences noticeable. I can usually even tell if it's closer to 7.5 or 7.2 that way. Try it.
For the pH test, I have fopund that holding the test block at arm's length with something white in the distant background (in my case, usually a white plastic patio chair) then squinting so the numbers are unreadable makes the color differences noticeable. I can usually even tell if it's closer to 7.5 or 7.2 that way. Try it.
pmsmith2032 said:
If you think about the pH test as trying to match the "yellow-ness" or "magenta-ness" it seems to help. You aren't trying to match the shade or tint, just the hue.
You can also slightly vary the number of drops you add, so long as your FC level isn't too high where you might need all 5 drops to neutralize the chlorine. I find that in my K-2006 pH test the color matches better with 3 or 4 drops than with 5 (if you need more saturation instead, then 6 or 7 drops will do that), though as was stated above it's the hue that is to match, not the saturation or lightness.