Australian Test Kit

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Hawknz

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Nov 30, 2015
44
Mardella, Western Australia
Hello All,

Thanks for the website, I'm new here,

I've read quite a few threads, mostly old ones dating back a couple of years, about test kits available in Australia.

From what I read, the TF 100 is not available here, correct?

If this is the case, what is the test kit that is the most recommended for Aussie users and where to purchase? I currently am using the cheap 4in1 from the local pool shop, but I appear to be getting mixed results based on what the poolshop testing tells me....

Sorry to rehash old information, I couldn't find any recent (2015) discussions about this....

Thanks in advance
 
Welcome Hawknz

There are some new kids on the block in Australia -Clear Choice Labs who are getting some good raps. I have a Taylors K2006 but Clear Choice Labs does a complete kit, modelled on the Taylors kit and their chemicals are fully compatible with Taylors. Best thing is that they do free postage which is the prohibitive aspect of ordering a kit from the US.

I have ordered some refills from these guys and have been extremely impressed with their customer service. The website is http://www.clearchoice.labs.com.au.
 
Jezza said:
Welcome Hawknz

There are some new kids on the block in Australia -Clear Choice Labs who are getting some good raps. I have a Taylors K2006 but Clear Choice Labs does a complete kit, modelled on the Taylors kit and their chemicals are fully compatible with Taylors. Best thing is that they do free postage which is the prohibitive aspect of ordering a kit from the US.

I have ordered some refills from these guys and have been extremely impressed with their customer service. The website is http://www.clearchoice.labs.com.au.
Click to expand...



Hey Jezza,

I see your in Bunbury, down the road from me (a little drive :) )

Yes I have seen clearchoicelabs website and yeah it does seem promising, however I couldn't find any reviews from others until your post, looks like I might give this one ago. I see they have a "Total Pool Water Testing Kit" for $180 which appears to have everything needed including FAS-DPD, would you recommend this one? I also see they do refills etc which is handy for us,

Thanks for your info
 
Yes the Total Water testing kit has everything you would need including the Salt test which isn't something you normally get with the K2006. Most importantly is has the elusive FAS DPD test which is absolutely essential for management of chlorine levels.

You also get a lot more tests out of their kits than you would with the K2006.

I have some reservations with their pH tests as it only goes up in 0.5 intervals and I personally like a lot more accuracy than that (i.e.- 0.2 intervals) -although that's not to say that its not accurate for what it is. I have run out of Taylors pH phenol red so I have just been using the Aussie test kit for that test which when I have compared to Taylors pH test beforehand it reads the same.

The best thing is that it is always easy to order refills and have them delivered in good time!
 
Jezza said:
Yes the Total Water testing kit has everything you would need including the Salt test which isn't something you normally get with the K2006. Most importantly is has the elusive FAS DPD test which is absolutely essential for management of chlorine levels.

You also get a lot more tests out of their kits than you would with the K2006.

I have some reservations with their pH tests as it only goes up in 0.5 intervals and I personally like a lot more accuracy than that (i.e.- 0.2 intervals) -although that's not to say that its not accurate for what it is. I have run out of Taylors pH phenol red so I have just been using the Aussie test kit for that test which when I have compared to Taylors pH test beforehand it reads the same.

The best thing is that it is always easy to order refills and have them delivered in good time!
Click to expand...

Thanks Jezza

I've taken the plunge and ordered the Total Water Testing Kit (Salt) from clearchoicelabs. Free express post too which is great, should have it in a day or 2 max, cant wait :)
 
Lettuce know how you go with the clearchoice option, I think they make their own reagents and may be different strengths to the Taylor? I had limited interaction with them but service was great for what I did have. I got the Taylor k2006C sent from poolvacparts and while it took ages to arrive (Taylor were behind in their orders) it's a very good kit so they are a good option down under.
 

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Jezza said:
Welcome Hawknz

There are some new kids on the block in Australia -Clear Choice Labs who are getting some good raps. I have a Taylors K2006 but Clear Choice Labs does a complete kit, modelled on the Taylors kit and their chemicals are fully compatible with Taylors. Best thing is that they do free postage which is the prohibitive aspect of ordering a kit from the US.

I have ordered some refills from these guys and have been extremely impressed with their customer service. The website is http://www.clearchoice.labs.com.au.
Click to expand...

That link didn't work for me, try Clear Choice Labs | Simple. Accurate. Fast.
Their kits look good but I'm not a fan of the colourmetric type tests. Titrations are much better with a definate end point. I recall a question a long time ago asking about the end point. Do you use the first sign of change, the next drop with a definate change or the third drop where the colour has completly changed? A three drop diffence can be significant - up to 60ppm in some cases. I think it should be the first sign of change as long as the entire solution shows a sign of change.

I dougt it it really means much but I wonder if the Ca test is Ca hardness or total hardness which includes the Mg portion. After talking with LaMotte the Ca hardness test in my ColourQ was confirmed as a total hardness test which is not an issue with pools as the dominate ion will be Ca but it means the test can be used for a home aquaria or aquaculture aplication where total hardness is required.

I've had that Watermaid hydrometer for a few years now. I compared it with a 3000ppm standard to my cheap tds meter that I got when I bought my ColourQ and the cheap tds meter was slightly closer. I thought it interesting that a local pool shop was even less accurate with an expensive tds meter - a lack of calibration I guess. I tried to get a glass type hydrometer with a 1.000 - 1.010 range but no luck. I still have an old sea water refactometer which with a range of 1.000 - 1.100 is totally useless, even with seawater.
 
The titration tests used by Taylor and in the TF-100 reach their endpoint when the last drop you add results in no further color change. You simply subtract that drop from your total.
 
Clearchoicelabs test results - info & advise welcome

Moderator Note:The two related threads have been merged together here as one thread




Hi All,

For those following my other thread about my decision to purchase the Total Pool Water Testing Kit, Salt Water | Clear Choice Labs total pool test kit, which is relevant to Aussies who may be interested, the kit finally arrived today and I have spent an hour using it and here's what I've discovered


Firstly I'll post my water testing results from the local shop, which were tested 4 days ago

FC - 6.25

TC - 6.66

pH - 7.6

TA - 101

CH - 165

CYA - 45

Salt- 5380


Disclaimer: after these test results I did add baking soda to raise TA & small amount of Calcium to raise CH as suggested by Mr Pool Shop dude.


Using the clearchoicelabs test kit today, results as follows:

FC: 6.5

CC: 0.5

pH: 7.8? - this is unreliable, more below

CYA: 42

TA: 180

CH: 210

Salt: 12000 - ?



Firstly I found the kit reasonably straight forward, the majority of the results seems to be in keeping with previous, also given I added stuff after the original.
However I found their pH test very unreliable. They supply a "Standard" sample with the kit which says its 7.2 (interesting they supplied a sample at 7.2 when viewing tube increments are 0.5). I couldn't match the colours to an exact color match on the viewing tube, infact my sample was very similar in color to that of the standard (slightly different) but there was no corresponding color on the tube, at a guess I would say it was 7.8, it wasn't 8.0 color, nor was it 7.5 , the other limitation was the increments only go up by 0.5. Given the poolshop sample 4 days ago was 7.6, I can only assume it is someone near here.

The salt test, well I don't know how to explain such a dramatic difference here other to say that the "Standard" sample they supplied at 4000ppm seems right in the watermaid testing device.


Any advise or thoughts on the results here?,
 
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Re: Clearchoicelabs test results - info & advise welcome

The results are fairly comparable all things considered.

The salt reading from your clearchoice testing doesn't seems right to me. Have you checked that you followed the procedure as outlined by them. I have never used that particular test so can't really comment but I would retest that salt reading. Otherwise as it is a very new range it might be worth contacting them for advice and feedback. If your SWG seems to be happy that is the most important thing. (i.e. no warning lights about low salt level etc). Recommended salt levels also vary between manufacturers and this is the most important thing to consider when gauging what your salt level should be.

Your numbers are pretty good although it is a little unfortunate that the pool store told you to add some baking soda to raise the TA, as it was pretty good where it was. Don't put in any more as it will probably be best to bring it back down again to stabilise your pH. Your CH level seems pretty good where it is at so I wouldn't be in any great rush to add any more calcium at this stage.

The ph test is a bit of a worry (once again speaking from the point of view that I have no experience with this specific test). I would buy a cheap Aussie Gold test kit from Clarke Rubber just for the pH reading which I am using and have compared to Taylors pH test. It seems to compare very well with the Taylor pH test.

Check out the recommended levels for a fibreglass pool with a SWG in Pool School to get a feel for where all your levels should be.
 
Re: Clearchoicelabs test results - info & advise welcome

Keeping all your info in one thread is helpful to everyone and not so confusing, Most readers will not take the trouble to go search for your other thread to get the background information that is often important,

In short, keep your posts under one thread whenever possible.
 
Re: Clearchoicelabs test results - info & advise welcome

Hi Jezza,


Furthermore I contacted clearchoicelabs to provide feedback about my experience with the pH test and salt test. They responded very quickly to apologize and advise me that others have experienced the same issue, therefore they are going to be pulling their pH kit until it can be rectified and accuracy improved, they offered a refund for the pH kit component which I was happy with.
They also provided a simple solution to the salt hydrometer reading, air bubbles in the water which cause the meter to go higher than it should, this was easily fixed, now i'm back down to an acceptable level 5800ppm
I have an aussiegold kit, which is what I was using prior, as you say, I'll just use the pH test here

I am very impressed with their customer service, it has been exemplary. I also made a couple of suggestions to improve their kits (tube holder, dropper for the CYA test) which they are receptive of.

So overall I'm quite pleased with my purchase and experience with this up & coming Aussie company.
 
It appears from the limited MSDS's on their website that they are trying to replicate the same chemistry as the Taylor reagents. It is a little troubling that they did not get the phenol red pH test right considering it's a fairly well-known chemistry but at least they made good on their error. You want phenol red indicator for pool water but it should either have a blend of chlorine neutralizers in it that react in a pH-neutral way or they should supply another solution to dechlorinate the water prior to pH testing. Chlorine can react with the phenol red indicator to give a false high purple color.

The buoyancy test for salt is an interesting method but not terribly accurate. It's going to measure all the dissolved solids in the water and their buoyancy effects. The Taylor K-1766 uses Mohr's Method (argentometric method) to determine the chloride ion (Cl-) concentration and therefore gives you the variable that matters most for SWG's, chloride concentration. The argentometric method uses a potassium chromate indicator with silver nitrate titration drops. If you can find a test like that in Australia, it would be a much better determination of salt levels. I previously used test strips for salt that work by capillary action to determine salt level but, again, many things can interfere with water's capillarity and so it was always off by hundreds of ppm.
 
Been on a similar journey as Hawknz in looking for an Aussie kit, but with the benefit that i don't get my pool for a couple more weeks (just in time for christmas).
Clear choice ae definitely on my list, although when I looked I don't think there was much saving buying the test kit including the salt test as opposed to just the test kit and maybe buying the salt test separately at a later date.
I was worried about ph accuracy and it's good to see they have responded to feedback.
I guess I'll need to take the plunge in the next few days so I have a kit available for the day we move, and hopefully accurate FAS-DPD and CYA can be had to help me start my TFP learning curve.
I will, with certainty, be back
;-)
 
Crmdgnly said:
Been on a similar journey as Hawknz in looking for an Aussie kit, but with the benefit that i don't get my pool for a couple more weeks (just in time for christmas).
Clear choice ae definitely on my list, although when I looked I don't think there was much saving buying the test kit including the salt test as opposed to just the test kit and maybe buying the salt test separately at a later date.
I was worried about ph accuracy and it's good to see they have responded to feedback.
I guess I'll need to take the plunge in the next few days so I have a kit available for the day we move, and hopefully accurate FAS-DPD and CYA can be had to help me start my TFP learning curve.
I will, with certainty, be back
;-)
Click to expand...

Hey Crmdgnly,

Let me know what you go with, I believe you can get the Taylor test kits in Australia albeit a bit more expensive and I'm not sure about refills. apart from the issue with the pH, I am happy with the rest of the kit provided by clearchoicelabs . Its FAD-DPD and CYA are reliable as are the rest. They are a new company which have fantastic customer service.
I may soon get the Taylor kit for a comparison, but for now this kit is doing its job. I am simply using the pH test from the 4n1 test kits from the pool shops to do the pH, not entirely accurate but I've found it to be as good as the poolshop pH.

Good Luck for your pool install!
 
Hi folks,

Without wanting to hi-jack this thread I thought I'd offer my experience over the last 2 days researching test kit availability in Australia.

My research has lead me to 2 kits to choose from:
1. TF-100
2. Taylors K2006
In my case I have a SWG so am also looking at the Taylors K-1766 Salt kit.
I have also been convinced by many here that I *need* a Speedstir as well !

As many who have gone before me have already discovered, it is very difficult to get either of these kits in Australia.

There are some online retailers in the US who will ship the Taylors gear to Australia. The going rate at the moment appears to be roughly $US40 - $US55

Another option I am currently exploring is utilising one of the many "freight forwarding" type companies that allow you to ship purchased items to a US address and they will then forward the packages on to you anywhere in the world. Initial analysis of this approach seems to indicate that it might be a more economical approach. Additionally it opens up the prospect of us being able to get the TF-100 kits as well which are currently very very difficult to get here unless you have local contacts in the US. Potentially there are some economies of scale here that all of us Aussies might be able to exploit, but I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, just my 2c worth !!

Sal
 
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