Large crystals in FAS DPD Powder - Taylor says it's spoiled?

[seven7seven]

Hi everyone,

My Taylor 2006C and separate Taylor FAS-DPD top-up kit (powder and liquid) from Amazon (the only place that would ship to me) and different sellers both arrived with small AND large crystals in the powder. Some of the crystals are the size of the scoop itself.

I emailed Taylor and they said "The powder itself should be white or slightly off-white in color with the consistency of heavy talcum powder. Occasionally, it may be slightly heavier. If the powder has “chunks” in it or crystals, or has developed black dots or flecks, then the powder is no longer viable and was exposed to poor storage conditions. "

Reading on these forums its clear others have some crystals in their powder and this seems to be regarded as normal , but some of mine seem huge (the posts I read mentioning crystals didn't indicate their size).

Do you think my powder is still reliable to use?

I've done a bunch of tests with it (it's all I have) and the sample does turn pink when I add it (I have to scoop carefully to avoid getting any huge crystals as they won't dissolve) but Taylor's reply indicates otherwise?

Thanks!

 

[santacruzpool]

I am not an expert, but I think you should be OK - especially since you say are getting the good pink color - which is what you need to complete the test properly.

I had some a few years ago that eventually started to get clumpy and very dark gray - I was able to use it but it was pretty bad and made the test hard to do as it made the sample kind of murky. I was amazed when I got a new bottle of the DPD powder and how much easier it was to use compared to struggling with the darker stuff.

If yours is white/off white I expect it isn't spoiled - I seem to remember someone commenting in an older thread about larger crystals and pebbles forming in the bottle.

It does sound like you got a poorly handled bottle of the powder - I would return it if you can, and/or get a new bottle - tftestkits.net has always shipped my very fresh chemicals

 

[Arizonarob]

Seven, I get those from time to time and I just bust them up with the little spoon. Looking at your blue stick I can tell it’s been wet/moist as the powder has stuck to it.
That powder is very sensitive to moisture, so make sure that you keep that spoon clean and dry.

 

[duraleigh]

"...and the sample does turn pink when I add it " That's the answer. it is still good. Crush up the crystals if you like.

That said, there is no point limping along with old test stock that is causing you doubt. I would suggest you order fresh when you get a chance and keep it tightly sealed and indoors.

 

[ajw22]

That said, there is no point limping along with old test stock that is causing you doubt. I would suggest you order fresh when you get a chance and keep it tightly sealed indoors.

I think @seven7seven problem is the unreliable quaility of vendors on Amazon which he says is the only one who will ship to South Africa. Seems some vendors are trying to sell old chemicals on Amazon.

 

[seven7seven]

Thanks a lot everyone for the responses. I'm glad it is still usable.

Yes unfortunately TF Test kits can't ship to me so it's Amazon or nothing and only certain sellers on there ship to me and the shopping isn't cheap.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Honestly I side with Taylor on this. They recently (a year ago) changed the quality of their R-0870 from a coarse granular mix to a finely ground mix. All the latest R-0870 looks like talcum powder or powdered sugar, it does not look granular (like coarse sugar) as in previous years.

One way to checkmis this - does the label have an expiration date code on it??

About 2 years ago, Taylor started adding manufacturing date codes to their label in addition to lot numbers so the customer could know if the stock was old. If the label doesn’t have a manufacturing date on it, then you were sold something that is well over 2-3 years old.

 

[Arizonarob]

Well mine exp 7/19 and I got it from TFP last year. And I can tell you it’s definitely not a powder, same granular stuff as before.

 

[SacDave]

All mine seem have some small crystals I just use a 1/4" piece of wooden dowel to crush them up in the container.