I have the TF-100 test kit that I use because I'm converting my pool. Iran out of the FAS/DPD chlroine test reagent (even though I ordered an extra one). I went to Leslie's and bought the R-0001 DPD reagent #1. I have a feeling that it's not the same thing even though the guy told me it was. Does anybody know about this? Will this reagent work?
Question about reagents
- Thread starter fortmyersmark
- Start date
No. That reagent is for the DPD test.....it's quite different.
You need exactly what's written on the bottle...R-0871. That's a valid Taylor number and some, but not all, pool stores carry it.
Of course, I have it in stock but shipping just one item makes it really pricey. I think you can find it locally if you call around and ask specifically for that Taylor number.
Wow! Two bottles of it? That is very fast consumption.
You need exactly what's written on the bottle...R-0871. That's a valid Taylor number and some, but not all, pool stores carry it.
Of course, I have it in stock but shipping just one item makes it really pricey. I think you can find it locally if you call around and ask specifically for that Taylor number.
Wow! Two bottles of it? That is very fast consumption.
Hey, thanks alot for replying and helping me out, duraleigh. I appreciate it.
The FC's have been staying high lately during my conversion, so every time I test, it takes 26-30 drops. I'm pretty sure I'm almost done.
Thanks again.
The FC's have been staying high lately during my conversion, so every time I test, it takes 26-30 drops. I'm pretty sure I'm almost done.
Thanks again.
fortmyersmark said:
So, sounds like you ought to be dilluting with at least 50% distilled water, if not more, then multiplying to get back to actual strength.
Lose some accuracy, gain some reagents.
Well I woke up to 14 ppm FC's. So I won't be testing too much longer at those levels, but please elaborate on that method or point me in the right direction to where I can read about it.
Testing FC with dilution does save on reagents, but it loses a significant amount of accuracy. Because of the loss of accuracy, dilution is not appropriate for doing an overnight FC loss test, but it is normally fine for checking that you are at shock level.
To test FC with dilution, you mix equal parts of pool water and chlorine free water (typically distilled water), do the chlorine test on the mixture, and then multiply the result by two. You can also mix two or three parts of chlorine free water to one part of pool water and then multiply the result buy three or four respectively. Just keep in mind that you reduce the precision of the test by the same factor when you do this.
To test FC with dilution, you mix equal parts of pool water and chlorine free water (typically distilled water), do the chlorine test on the mixture, and then multiply the result by two. You can also mix two or three parts of chlorine free water to one part of pool water and then multiply the result buy three or four respectively. Just keep in mind that you reduce the precision of the test by the same factor when you do this.
reebok
0
I haven't heard of anyone doing the dilution method for a fas-dpd test, as the primary reason for dilution is to make a test that only goes to 5ppm FC read higher levels such as during shocking. the fas-dpd eliminates the need to do this as it can read really high levels without dilution.
I assume the dilution method will work with the fas-dpd test. you would put in say 5ml of distilled water and 5ml pool water. then test like normal and multiply your FC reading by 2.
the crux of this site is good, reliable testing. this is why the fas-dpd test is harped on. so by purposely losing accuracy when it is unnecessary to lose accuracy, you're kind of going against good testing practices, though you are saving a few dollars on regents in the long run. I use the fas-dpd test daily because my target fc is 8ppm. the money I save by using the methods on this site is about $40/month at the lowest, and I'm guaranteed to not have algae (my opinion based on what I've read here and elsewhere). so to me following the recommendations on this site, including accurate testing as much as possible is worth the extra reagent, even if I was shocking.
there are methods like dilution to push someone through who doesn't have a good test kit and/or fas-dpd test. imo, if you have the fas-dpd test you should get your money's worth out of it by doing the most accurate testing available and not diluting. but you will have to find the happy medium that works best for you.
dang, Jason is up early today!
I assume the dilution method will work with the fas-dpd test. you would put in say 5ml of distilled water and 5ml pool water. then test like normal and multiply your FC reading by 2.
the crux of this site is good, reliable testing. this is why the fas-dpd test is harped on. so by purposely losing accuracy when it is unnecessary to lose accuracy, you're kind of going against good testing practices, though you are saving a few dollars on regents in the long run. I use the fas-dpd test daily because my target fc is 8ppm. the money I save by using the methods on this site is about $40/month at the lowest, and I'm guaranteed to not have algae (my opinion based on what I've read here and elsewhere). so to me following the recommendations on this site, including accurate testing as much as possible is worth the extra reagent, even if I was shocking.
there are methods like dilution to push someone through who doesn't have a good test kit and/or fas-dpd test. imo, if you have the fas-dpd test you should get your money's worth out of it by doing the most accurate testing available and not diluting. but you will have to find the happy medium that works best for you.
dang, Jason is up early today!
I also had a local Leslie's try to sell me that same reagent as "the same thing" as the R-0871. I had called them TWICE and read them the exact name and number of what I needed to ask if they had it before driving over there since it's quite a drive for me. The first time I called the guy just said, "Yeah, we have it." I decided I wanted him to actually go LOOK, so I called back, gave him the same info and asked him to please go physically check the shelf for it. He came back with the same answer: "Yeah, we have it." OK, so I drove all the way over there. They did NOT have it. They had the DPD reagent (R-0001) but not the FAS/DPD chlorine test reagent (R-0871). The salesman tried to tell me it was the same thing. When I argued with him that it was NOT the same thing, he went to get the manger. The manager reluctantly agreed with me that it wasn't the same thing. He said his employee "didn't know that." I said, "Well, shouldn't your employee KNOW that if he's going to work here?" He didn't seem to think so. I explained that I'd made a needless trip based on the information I'd been given and was understandably a bit upset about that. He just shrugged it off and kept on defending the employee, who he then said was "new." He offered to sell me a different test kit that he said would give me "the same results," which I knew wasn't true and told him so. Then, he said that they "never" stock the R-0871 because it "doesn't sell," but could order it for me and I could have it in a week or so. No, thanks. I went home and ordered it from TF Test Kits instead and had it my hands in 2 days (thanks!). I would never go back to that Leslie's for ANY reason. The manager was not customer friendly AT ALL. When I explained I'd been mislead and had made a long drive for no reason, he should have immediately began to try to make it up to me. But all he did was argue with me. That's horrible customer service. Sorry to rant! LOL But your post made me think about this experience and the rant just had to come out.fortmyersmark said:
Similar question here, we were sold Rainbow Solution #1 whihc says the following on the label: for Chlorine & Bromine test 0.1% Orthotolidine and 3.75% Hydrochloric acid. It seems to work about the same but does not seem to have the same one drop effect where it goes perfectly clear. Does anyone know if this is the same or close to R-0871?
I was reading the post by Waterwoman and my wife was looking over my shoulder and said she had the exact same experience at the local Leslie's.
It appears I have to do the FAS/DPD test daily since the other test is not good enough to tell the difference between a Chlorine level between 3 and 5.
I was reading the post by Waterwoman and my wife was looking over my shoulder and said she had the exact same experience at the local Leslie's.
It appears I have to do the FAS/DPD test daily since the other test is not good enough to tell the difference between a Chlorine level between 3 and 5.
reebok
0
Thanks for the quick reply, it was my pool builder who also sells chemicals and tests water that sold this to my wife. I'll call around tomorrow and see if I can find any Taylor R-0871. I was checking the Taylor website and they sell it in a 2 oz bottle so hopefully I can find some of that somewhere.
Anyone in Garland/North Dallas that knows of anyone that has any?
Anyone in Garland/North Dallas that knows of anyone that has any?
WaterWoman said:
Funny, I went to a local Leslie's looking for a DPD powder refill, and was told they don't stock it for the same reason.. it doesn't sell. Fortunately the lady was nice enough to spare me an alternate sales pitch. So I guess this is more proof that the enlightened pool owners hardly set foot in pool stores...? Or do most of you supplement FC testing with strips or another method during the week?
reebok
0
I don't know of any other place on the internet that has the information that this site does (not counting pool forum because I used to try to go to that site from google searches all the time and it was always dead). that said, there are millions of pools out there, and a relatively small small small amount of tfp users, and even then not everyone necessarily uses fas-dpd on a regular basis.
when the test strips came out (I think that was fairly recent) a lot of people probably started using those, or some probably continue with the OTO and ph tests maybe once a week at most.
when the test strips came out (I think that was fairly recent) a lot of people probably started using those, or some probably continue with the OTO and ph tests maybe once a week at most.
A lot of people have that problem. The OTO test is good in that it will never lie (bleach out) about whether you have chlorine or not, but it can be hard to nail it down to a precise level.Wes45 said:
Some people who are used to the way their pool behaves, chlorine-wise, will use the OTO as a quick "looks okay" check, and then use FAS-DPD once or twice a week to get a specific level. You can try training your eye by doing the FAS-DPD test first, to know what the level is really, then do the OTO test, look at it and say to yourself "that's what 4 looks like" or whatever your level is. (I'm trying this now; with both a pool and spa, doing two FAS-DPD tests daily is getting a little expensive.)
--paulr
WaterWoman said:
I was able to buy the R-0871 at my local Leslies. He did pull it from under the counter instead of the place they normally keep their reagents.
I discovered a good place to buy Taylor products in Garland - Sunbelt Pools, 10555 Plano Road, Dallas, TX 75238 Ph. 214.722.5083 I know the address says Dallas but they are a block or so south of Miller Road
I picked up a 2 oz bottle of Taylor R-0871 for $11.76 including tax, plus they understood what I was asking for.
PaulR - we both had the same idea of "calibrating our eyeballs". After performing the FAS-DPD test I sometimes use the yellow test and try to imagine how the yellow should look for a reading of 3 or 4 and I don't think I'll ever be able to tell the difference.
I picked up a 2 oz bottle of Taylor R-0871 for $11.76 including tax, plus they understood what I was asking for.
PaulR - we both had the same idea of "calibrating our eyeballs". After performing the FAS-DPD test I sometimes use the yellow test and try to imagine how the yellow should look for a reading of 3 or 4 and I don't think I'll ever be able to tell the difference.
I ordered reagents a few times from this web site "yourpoolparts.com". They have the larger size bottles which is a big savings if you test alot. The 2oz 0871 is currently $8.80 which is the lowest I've seen. There is a "shipping and handling" charge so I ordered a bunch of stuff at the same time. I am not affiliated with them, I just did some internet searching and found them to have lower prices on the taylor stuff. If someone has a better place I would love to get the site.
The best online price I have seen for the Taylor K-2006 test kit and for most of its reagents is Swimming Pool Supply Company (SPS). They sell the Taylor K-2006 kit for $55 and they sell the DPD titrant R-0871C 2 ounce reagent for $8.40 while their 16 ounce is $17.50 and 32 ounce is $26.50. Obviously, these latter sizes would only be useful if you were splitting with others or did testing for a living (this reagent doesn't last as long as others).
TF Test Kits is more economical for the TF100 since it has 36% more volume of reagents (number of tests) and costs $68 ($58 for TFP members). The refill set and individual kits are better bargains than SPS equivalents. It's only the individual refills where SPS seems to have lower pricing, but I haven't compared shipping costs and of course Dave seems to send things out via a transporter since orders arrive extremely quickly.
Richard
TF Test Kits is more economical for the TF100 since it has 36% more volume of reagents (number of tests) and costs $68 ($58 for TFP members). The refill set and individual kits are better bargains than SPS equivalents. It's only the individual refills where SPS seems to have lower pricing, but I haven't compared shipping costs and of course Dave seems to send things out via a transporter since orders arrive extremely quickly.
Richard
mickey4paws said:
That is exactly what happened to me. He also had the DPD powder under there.
One can now get a Taylor K-2006 online for $41.88 plus shipping at Amato Industries which is even less expensive than Swimming Pool Supply Company noted earlier. Remember that the TF100 from tftestkits.net has 36% more volume of reagents, but this low price for the K-2006 is roughly comparable to the lifetime member price for the TF100 on a per-test basis.