leftover test water (TF-Pro)

[ramblinwreck001]

Hi folks, recently closed on a home with a pool, and have been using the TF-Pro test kit with Smart Stir to monitor/balance the water, so far so good.

I have some rather basic questions about the testing process.. Some relevant background is that due to some health reasons I'm especially cautious and careful about chemical exposure. I'm not afraid of working with them, but I do want to make sure I'm using the right equipment and doing it the right way. With that context, here are my questions:

1. How safe is the leftover test water for all the tests in the TF-Pro kit? On one hand, I've seen some folks here post it's safe to send down the kitchen sink drain or pour in the yard (what I've been doing). Reason for the question is that I understand the R-0600 reagent is a carcinogen when ingested. Now (a) I realize it's extremely diluted in the OTO test and (b) I'm not drinking it , but seems like I shouldn't be sending that solution into the city sewer.. Do any of the other tests (FAS/DPD, CH, TA, CYA) have similar concerns?

2. Question about the Smart Stir magnetic "pill" or "bean" -- when I'm done with a test, how do I remove the pill/bean from the vial without getting the used solution everywhere or dropping the pill? Seems like I either have to pour the solution on my hand to catch the pill which I don't want to do (see above health context), or else dump the vial and pick up the pill from wherever it lands. For those of you with Smart Stir, how do do this? Maybe I could use a coffee filter or old skimmer basket for this?

More questions to come soon!

Thanks
Chris

 

[HermanTX]

I suggest you where gloves, the type used in doctors offices. Easy to slip on and no worries about any fluid on your hands when picking up the magnetic stirrer.
Have you read the MSDS sheets on each of the reagents? They can be found on the Taylor website. That will tell you more about health concerns.

 

[dleonard1122]

I dump everything into our kitchen sink. The smart stir bean ends up sticking to the metal sink, and then I just wash it off with water from the facuet.

 

[reggiehammond]

I hold my finger over the vial when I dump into sink and rinse. Then I dump the bean onto a towel, paper towel the outside and inside of the vial, and put back into kit. Not something I worry about, at all.

I also recommend just tossing the R-0600 OTO portion. It's fairly useless in TFP methods, the FAS-DPD test is only one to use for FC measurement.

 

[BDY]

Dump into hand while sink is running and rinse all. If outside by pool rinse in pool. The amount of reagent versus the dilution effect of water is minimal……. We dump worse things down our drain everyday just through washing and cleaning and such

Imho

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The stir bar (that’s it’s official name) is magnetic. So get a simple kitchen fridge magnet and drag it up the side of the test tube to remove it or hold it in place while you rinse. You can buy a stir bar retriever off Amazon if you want but it seems a bit overkill to me.

 

[jmastron]

Everything goes down the sink drain here; I use my hands to filter the stir bar out, and rinse/wash them right away. I worry about a lot of things in life, but I don't personally worry about brief skin contact with tiny amounts of test chemicals (or muriatic acid when adding that) as long as I'm washing up fairly soon.

I definitely wouldn't dump on the lawn, in the pool, or anywhere that heads to the storm drain system. Again, tiny amounts, but the sanitary sewer system is designed to filter out all sorts of icky things, the rest are not. Around here, the county actually recommends draining pools themselves to the sanitary sewer system (via a cleanout etc) vs the storm sewer. In my house, there's a pipe going to a ditch that goes to a creek to the river. But this was from the 60s; I doubt it's allowed today, and once I switched to a cartridge filter I only use that drain for winter rain level reduction, when the creeks have LOTS of additional water to dilute it.

Also agree with not bothering with the R-600; IMO it's much simpler and consistent to use one test (FAS-DPD) always. I think TFtestkits mainly included the OTO because it came with the pH test kit -- the K2006 only has FAS-DPD, for example.

 

[JamesW]

Just get a cheap plastic strainer to catch the pill and then rinse it in the strainer.

 

[RLP]

If outside by pool rinse in pool. The amount of reagent versus the dilution effect of water is minimal…….

It has been stated here not to dispose of used test reagents in the pool.

 

[wireform]

Leave the "stir bar" in the vial and let rinse water overflow for just a tiny bit knowing all the liquid is clean water then.....

 

[BDY]

It has been stated here not to dispose of used test reagents in the pool.

Sorry i was unclear… i dispose in the bushes and rinse in the pool