testing kit questions what to buy

[itybitybob]

I have become aware that I am doing this pool thing all wrong after looking at the pool school.
I am getting different readings from my testing kit, my testing strips, and testing at the leslies store. I am now going to get it right if I can.
I have been using Leslies 3 inch chlorine pucks in a floater, the amount dependent of my readings and the weather. Usually one puck at a time never more than two.
I also have been using Leslies ultra bright and Leslies perfect weekly each week for around a year or so. I now find that I have to much chlorine according to my test strips and Leslies store tests.
My testing kit tells my I don't have enough chlorine. I believe that the reason is that my kit chemicals are degraded because of age, although the #1 is only a year old.
I normally test once a week and add chemicals once a week. My pool is approximately 10,000 gallons. I run my roof mounted solar heater/filter pump eight hours a day and my cleaning pump five hours a day. My water is around two years old and always looks great.
Questions I would like answered is what testing kit would you recommend? I see that the Taylor K-2006 is mentioned in a lot of posts are their other kits that I should consider?
How often should I be testing? Is weekly not often enough? The pool school recommends liquid chlorine verses the pucks, Should I change to liquid after I use up my pucks? How much liquid chlorine should I expect to use in a week time? I also read that I may not need the Leslies ultra bright, should I discontinue it's use? What about the Perfect weekly?
Thanks for any advise you may give me. It is appreciated.

 

[OTPirate]

How often one tests depends on many factors. For example, if you are SLAMing your pool, you should test several times a day. Many members know their pool very well and hardly test at all. I test daily with a simple daily kit (Taylor K-1000) and then weekly on some of the other tests (TA, CH, eg). TFP recommends a kit with the FAS-DPD test in order to test Chlorine accurately at high levels. Read this :Pool School - Test Kits Compared
Good luck! You are at the right place!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! I can speak from personal experience when I say not only do I love my TF-100 test kit, but it has paid for itself many times over. You get all the reliability of the Taylor K-2006, but at a better value. Also consider the magnetic speedstir as it helps tremendously with FC, TA, and CH mixing. CH mixing will be very important for you in that area with hard water. The TF-100 also contains a "FAS-DPD" (powder & drops test) for accurate FC/CC testing. It's the absolute best way to test your FC each day.

Great to have you with us at TFP.

 

[triptyx]

Agreed on the TF-100. You'll save money in the long run and it has more of the reagents you need.

If you really want to go with the K2006-C, that's ok too - the key is having all of the tests needed to get a full picture of what your pool is doing. Spend what you're comfortable with.

 

[domct203]

I have become aware that I am doing this pool thing all wrong after looking at the pool school.
I am getting different readings from my testing kit, my testing strips, and testing at the leslies store. I am now going to get it right if I can.
I have been using Leslies 3 inch chlorine pucks in a floater, the amount dependent of my readings and the weather. Usually one puck at a time never more than two.
I also have been using Leslies ultra bright and Leslies perfect weekly each week for around a year or so. I now find that I have to much chlorine according to my test strips and Leslies store tests.
My testing kit tells my I don't have enough chlorine. I believe that the reason is that my kit chemicals are degraded because of age, although the #1 is only a year old.
I normally test once a week and add chemicals once a week. My pool is approximately 10,000 gallons. I run my roof mounted solar heater/filter pump eight hours a day and my cleaning pump five hours a day. My water is around two years old and always looks great.
Questions I would like answered is what testing kit would you recommend? I see that the Taylor K-2006 is mentioned in a lot of posts are their other kits that I should consider?
How often should I be testing? Is weekly not often enough? The pool school recommends liquid chlorine verses the pucks, Should I change to liquid after I use up my pucks? How much liquid chlorine should I expect to use in a week time? I also read that I may not need the Leslies ultra bright, should I discontinue it's use? What about the Perfect weekly?
Thanks for any advise you may give me. It is appreciated.

Welcome to TFP!

I am another vote for the TF-100 with Speed Stir magnetic stirrer as your best test kit value. It will contain all the tests you need for the daily maintenance of your pool. The Speed Stir will make testing much more repeatable, and super easy.

TFTestkits.net

Both of those Leslies products are clearifiers, with the Perfect adding a phosphate remover. In a properly maintained pool, neither is needed.

Also, those test strips are really useless. They are not accurate enough to properly maintain your pool. We have also seen, over and over, that pool $tore testing is unreliable as well. You would think that the 'professional store' would be concerned enough to do proper testing, unfortunately they do not, especially the bigger chain stores. If you have been regularly using tablets, your FC level is most likely too low, as the tablets add CYA (stabilizer), which does not evaporate, and as the CYA level rises, so must your FC level. Remember, the pool $tore is in the business to make money, which they do by selling product, i.e. chemicals. Nobody will care for your pool like you will.

I encourage you to have a read through Pool School, especially The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

Nice to have you with us.

 

[itybitybob]

This Is what I did. I bought the Taylor 2006 kit (Leslies 81329) Complete Fas-Dpd kit. I received it today and now I am completely confused. It came with DPD Reagent # 3, FAS-DPD Titrating Reagent, R-0870 DPD powder, R-0004 PH Indicator, R-0005 Acid Demand Regent, R-0006 base Demand Regent, Two R-0013 Cyanuric Acid Reagent, Bla Bla Bla. So it came with a book that tells you what these test and things do but the thing it doesn't tell me is how to do the tests. Where should I look \? on the lid the first Yellow block says to fill the comparator tube to the desired level. What how do I know the desired level? Is the R0870 powder used to replace Regents # one in my other kits? I sat out there with two Taylor basic kits and some test strips, I got three different readings on my chlorine test. I am beyond frustrated. Any help out there? Thanks

 

[Jezza]

The test instructions should be under the lid.

You can also look here for the Extended Test Instructions

Forget the book it will only confuse you as some of the information is contradictory to what we teach at TFP.

 

[kimkats]

we got ya! Here is your first job. Go throw the test strips in the trash pretty please :slidehalo:

All of the test are +/- so it is normal to get slightly different results. It is due to different pressure used to squeeze the bottles and drop size.

Like Jezza says only follow TFP directions.

After a while you will get it and be here to help others as they learn!

Kim

 

[needsajet]

+1 to all the answers above, and just to get you going:

For chlorine testing (FC) we use the 10 ml sample line, then add one dipper of R-0870 powder and swirl til it's an even pink. Then hold the R-0871 bottle vertical above the test tube, and gently squeeze a drop in. Let the drop fully form and fall off the tip. Swirl the sample to get it mixed. Keep adding drops and swirling between drops until the sample turns completely clear with no hint of pink. If that was 8 drops, divide by 2 and it's 4 ppm FC. If it was 2 drops, divide by 2 and it's 1 ppm FC. Each drop counts for 0.5 ppm FC.

You can use a larger sample size and 2 scoops of powder for "each drop = 0.2 ppm FC" (higher accuracy) which is why they say "desired level". But for TFP, fuggedaboutit. Accuracy of 0.5 is fine for everything we do, so we use the 10 ml sample size exclusively.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Darn, my advice would have been to return the K2006 kit and get the easier to use/understand/better buy for the $2 more it costs TF-100 kit.