Salt Water Test

[b_veselka]

I am about to order my TFT100 kit. I see the option for salt testing. Should I go with the strips or the drops?

 

[mknauss]

In your area I recommend the K1766 (drops). You get lots of rain and that effects the salt content. So you will be adding salt more often.

Take care.

 

[b_veselka]

Thanks!!

 

[Saturn94]

I’ve had good results with the strips. I always get a result that’s within about 100-200ppm of what the SWCG reads. I understand the drop test is suppose to be more accurate, but IMO the increased accuracy isn’t necessary in this case, unless to satisfy one’s need to feel their getting the most accurate result.

PS - We get plenty of rain here as well.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I’ve used both and the drops are better. The reagents are very stable and so a K-1766 kit will last many, many seasons. I’ve accurately tested both municipal water (NaCl content of ~160ppm) as well as my pool water (NaCl ~4000ppm). Also, the chemistry is such that it is only sensitive to chloride ions, so there’s almost no possibility of anything interfering with the test results. Strips are to easily compromised and rely on a proxy method (capillary action) to determine salinity. Problem is, anything can affect capillarity including high CH and so the strips will typically be accurate only to with 400ppm of the actual value. One can certainly dial in an SWG to make that work using strips but diagnosing a failing SWG can only be done accurately when one knows the true chloride ion content irrespective of anything else in solution.

As you can tell, I’m a fan of the drop test

 

[Dodger]

Strips are to easily compromised and rely on a proxy method (capillary action) to determine salinity. Problem is, anything can affect capillarity including high CH and so the strips will typically be accurate only to with 400ppm of the actual value.