I bought some of the BlueDevil phenol red (here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DP5CSKW/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_DMbuzb2SMA9E7) to save some money by getting a larger volume but using the standard 5 drops the test turns bright cherry red, even on my tap water. Could the reagent be bad or do I need to use less per test for some reason? I always assumed "Phenol Red" was all the same, but I guess not
PH test turning cherry red
- Thread starter petermie
- Start date
It's not. The pricier Taylor stuff has some other stuff in it to buffer it against FC, so you can use it accurately up to 10 FC. Beyond that, it goes almost purple. Yours probably doesn't have that magic ingredient whatever it is, so you get it right away.
Does it look like this?
When you go to buy the right stuff, be careful.... Taylor has 2 different pH reagents. R-004 and R-0014. Not interchangeable. Check your old bottle so you get the right one.
Does it look like this?
When you go to buy the right stuff, be careful.... Taylor has 2 different pH reagents. R-004 and R-0014. Not interchangeable. Check your old bottle so you get the right one.
That's annoying. I do get shades of pink with 1-3 drops and then at 4-5 it looks more like cherry koolaid or straight phenol red than 8.2+ pink. Here's a pic, but it's deeper red in real life
Thats my tap water though. I know we have harsh water here but I've never had it test off the scale before
My test kit looks like that and only callas for 4 drops.... maybe you are using too much?
Lesson learned the hard way I guess. Upon closer reading what I bought was Phenol Red #2, which is for a 5 way comparator. If I could figure out the volume in the 5 way comparator, and the number of drops used I should still be able use it in one of my extra TF kit vials for testing. Unfortunately I can't return it because my old drops lasted much longer than I thought they would and the return window has closed.
Just wanted to follow up on this, I wrote to the manufacturer and found that what I bought is equivalent to R-0004 which requires the bigger 44ml comparator. It turned out to be cheaper (and less wasteful) to get the compatible comparator than to get new R-0014 and now my PH test is working perfectly. The new comparator also turns out to be significantly easier for me to read as well so I guess it was a win-win in the end
Edit: in case anyone finds themselves in the same predicament, the comparator I got was "Taylor Technologies #9058 2000 Series, Chlorine & Bromine Fas-Dpd/Ph, 7.0-8.0"
Edit: in case anyone finds themselves in the same predicament, the comparator I got was "Taylor Technologies #9058 2000 Series, Chlorine & Bromine Fas-Dpd/Ph, 7.0-8.0"