CYA Testing - Not doing it right

[BrettClearChoiceLabs]

Testing stage two is complete, the new reagent is reading correctly across a range of ppm levels using the scale on our CYA tubes and other things. There's only one more set of tests to go which I'm running today and then I'll be able to start sending out replacements.

I don't have a time machine to test this reagent in another months time this week, but given the wholesaler has been making it for a couple years I'll trust them just this once LOL

 

[riley00dog]

I was just about to order, but heard of the issues with the cya reagents. I'm in no hurry as my concrete only went in today (I hope) so will wait until you've finished your testing. Sounds like you have been able to source a suitable substitute though which is great! Good on you for getting onto it so quickly and keeping people informed. That's what a great Australian business is all about [emoji4]

 

[BrettClearChoiceLabs]

I've sent reagents out to people now, I'd ask anyone who gets the new reagent to test their pool a couple times with it, just to make sure the tests are working for them.

Thanks everyone as well for their kind words. It's a right royal pain in the butt to have reagents and standards failing. Every other test we have has behaved itself which is good. I've tested the new reagent several times against standards we have here, and pool water, and using different specific CYA PPM amounts. The only issue I can think of, is that if their formula clouds the water at different rates, it could lead to the scale on our CYA viewing tubes being incorrect. So their cloudiness for 75ppm might be the same as our cloudiness at 50ppm. I've accounted for this by making standards at many varying ppm levels and they all test correctly, but putting the product out there in the field is somewhat nerve wracking.

The problem over summer was that the CYA reagent and the standard both developed failures over time. So we had perfectly good products which degraded differently for different clients. Or tested fine, and then failed after some weeks. Adding to that, when the standard failed we didn't pick up on that immediately and so we were trying to diagnose reagent problems using a faulty measuring stick. It's this multiple simultaneous problems that made it so hard to fix, especially in a timely manner for customers.

It's an understatement to say our customers are awesome though, I've had so many positive emails from people during this period. I think it's the DIY chemistry mindset, they understand that things can go wrong with the tests and it takes some work to bring it back into line. Fingers crossed this is now solved and we can all get back to spending more time lazing about in the water.

 

[AusJohn]

Testing stage two is complete, the new reagent is reading correctly across a range of ppm levels using the scale on our CYA tubes and other things. There's only one more set of tests to go which I'm running today and then I'll be able to start sending out replacements.

I don't have a time machine to test this reagent in another months time this week, but given the wholesaler has been making it for a couple years I'll trust them just this once LOL

You don't need a time machine, an oven will do. Chemical reaction rates increase with temperature, doubling every 10 degrees. Heat it up an extra 30 degrees over ambient and you can test 12 month stability in six weeks. This approach obviously breaks down if your sample decomposes at a low temperature but as CYA has a melting point of around 330 degrees I don't think that would be a problem for you.