Bought Wrong Kit...

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ccoyle

ccoyle

0
Jun 5, 2009
6
Went to Leslie's (even called first) to purchase the test kit recommended. When I got there they didn't have the exact same kit, but did have the DPD Chlorine Test Kit. Since I didn't have anything other than test strips at home, I bought this kit. Now as I am reading more about the kit I realize mine did not come with Titrants :cry: Is there a way to buy the Titrants and will it come with directions on how to use them?

When I tried (and I'm not sure I was successful) to test the water when I got home here are my newbie results:

FC 5
PH 7
CYA 90
TA 120

This just seems really weird. The pool is still green and have added 12 - 128oz bottles of bleach over the last 2 days (FC was at 0 when I started) and we'd just added 16 bags of punch the day before. Are my readings of because I've got the wrong kit or am I not testing right?
 
Hi ccoyle!

I can't answer your other questions, but I wanted to point out that you really need to get your FC up higher. According to the pool school chart, with a cya of 90, you are going to need a shock level of 35ppm of fc.

So assuming your test results are accurate, you are going to need to add a lot more bleach before you start to see the green go away. You will ad it and it will seem to disappear at first because it is oxidizing all the algae - keep adding it.

You didn't mention where you live, but I think most on this forum will say you need to lower your CYA. The only way to do this is to drain and replace some of your water. Don't do this yet until someone more experience than me chimes in.

Good luck!
 
Damian is right, you should consider a partial drain and refill to lower your CYA into a more practical range...

As for the kit, that's a fairly common story, happens often to noobs. You need to order the FAS-DPD test, for around $25 to supplement your kit. You can get that from the Taylor website or TFtestkits.net. That will allow you to test your FC up to 50ppm.
 
You can try diluting your pool water sample 50-50 with chlorine-free water (not straight tap, it usually has a bit of chlorine in it) to double the range of the test with some loss of accuracy. But getting the FAS-DPD test is the way to go.
--paulr
 
Why didn't you test the CH? Even though you have a vinyl pool it's important to know the CH level. If it's low it's not a problem but if it is high it can be!
Also, one of the reasons we don't recommend the DPD test is that it can bleach out and read low when the chlorine is at shock levels (as can strips).
Order the FAS-DPD add on as suggested and you will be fine!

Which Leslie's kit did you get? Does the comparator have a small tube for chlorine and CYA tests and a large tube for all the other tests? If it does there are dilution marks on the chlorine side. One for a 1:1 dilution and one for a 1:4 dilution and the instructions for doing so are on the lid in the small print in the chlorine testing section. If you do not have that comparator you really have the wrong kit (it's one of the cheap "home" testkits that Taylor makes and Leslies rebrands) and I would really recommend getting either a TF100 or a Talylor K-2006!
 
Thanks for the info. I realized I didn't write down all my numbers. I just retested and think I'm getting the hang of it:

TC 1
FC 1 (I added more per the pool calc.)
PH 7
TH 280
TA 50
CYA 60 (I think I did this wrong last night - also read on the algae page that this may not be accurate due to the algae problem.)

I'll order the additional kit part I need, glad to know I'm not the only one who does this. The pool actually is looking less green and a little blue.

Thanks to everyone for your patience with us noobs! :party:
 
I too am a noobe here and ran into the same problem of not purchasing the correct test kit at Leslie's. It did not have the titration test materials for testing higher levels of chlorine. I did go back to the store and they gave me the part numbers for the items to order off their web site as they did not have any in the store.

81331 DPD Powder $6.99
81349 FAS-DPD Titrating Reagent, 2.0 oz. $12.39

After I placed the order on their web site I realized that I was charged a $7.99 "handling fee". So beware, even though they quote "free shipping" they hit you with that handling fee.
 
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