Start SLAMing without Chlorine FAS/DPD test (my experiences--YMMV)!

[1Sammy]

TF Testkits is a small, US based company. Within the USA, there are specific shipping laws that limit the shipment of chemicals and liquids to ground-based transportation methods. In many instances, some private shippers like UPS won’t even touch chemicals. When dealing with foreign shipments, there are export laws involved that must be followed with limits on what can be shipped outside the US by our government as well as import restrictions on what can be brought into a country (the EU controls import restrictions for France). The entire process can be complex and expensive and may require surface transportation (shipping). It would basically be cost-prohibitive.

Large corporation often have subsidiaries and/or offices in foreign countries and that can make shipping a lot less cumbersome and expensive.

What you say is true but not such as big a deal to deal with as you may think. Once set up it is as simple as shipping across the street from your US location. Not only Test Kits, but many a US company is afraid or something to even send a hand full of nails to Canada, lol.. Just paper work, and with PC shipping software, no big deal.

 

[jblizzle]

If tftestkits.net ships to Canada, they will lose the ability to buy from Taylor due to violating the exclusivity rights that exist in Canada for Taylor distribution. And the TF-100 would cease to exist.

Your problem is with Taylor and not tftestkits

 

[1Sammy]

If tftestkits.net ships to Canada, they will lose the ability to buy from Taylor due to violating the exclusivity rights that exist in Canada for Taylor distribution. And the TF-100 would cease to exist.

Your problem is with Taylor and not tftestkits

ha ha, there's the answer. Thanks.

 

[calinb]

Thanks for the post.
Your CYA was very likely zero. There’s no mystery to where CYA goes - it oxidizes from exposure to chlorine at a rate of about 5-10ppm per month depending on water temperature and UV exposure. During the hot months in the desert here, I’ve lost as much as 20ppm in a month. The second route is biological - there are algae and bacteria that can use CYA as a source of energy. CYA is consumed and converted to ammonia and then, if you are lucky, a different set of bacteria will convert the ammonia to nitrates and nitrogen gas. TFP gets plenty reports every year of winterized pools that are opened only to have a huge FC demand caused by ammonia formation. Once that happens, it’s often easier and cheaper to simply drain as much of the pool as possible, refill and SLAM.

Thanks for taking the time to explain the missing CYA mystery to me. Ammonia processing generally involves more than one type of bacteria too. Ammonia to nitrites is one bacterial step and then the nitrites get processes to nitrates is a second step. I know this from my years in the tropical fish hobby with several very small to large (125 gal.) tanks. Until an aquarium can process ammonia all the way to nitrates, we say the tank has not yet "cycled" (does not possess the quantity and / or types of bacteria necessary to avoid many frequent water changes to preclude dead and formerly expensive fish).

Good luck to you with your home and pool, sounds like you guys live in a nice far off location with a lot of peace and quiet.

Yes. Though we are still "on the grid," it's one of the most secluded and quiet places we found in the entire state of Idaho, and we looked at plenty of off-grid places too! We have gravity fed spring water (the water right goes back to 1908) but it's currently only producing 0.8 gpm. I've done a little spring redevelopment already and hope to do more to perhaps capture that much water again. A lot more water is running down the hillside only about 20 to 30 feet away from the currently producing springhead. Regardless, I need to figure out how to winterize this pool to reduce the likelihood of needing to drain it. If I was looking at ammonia with our limited spring, I think I'd consider spiking the pool with aquarium "quick start" bacteria first, which is pretty expensive but still much cheaper than paying for water tanker truck deliveries, and maybe installing activated carbon filters too.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

This link describes the underlying chemistry of the degradation of CYA by bacteria -

Degradation of Cyanuric Acid (CYA))

 

[Noah_Count]

I had a sort of issue with some of the people here when I first joined. I literally could not afford a TF-100 test kit. I was saving pennies in a cup to get it. It wasn't so much the cost as it was outlaying the money all at one time. My budget was that tight. I probably spent the money it cost in extra bleach but that was spending a few bucks at a time...not all at once. I don't think it was malicious in any way but some people seemed to get a bit ugly in their insistence I have the kit. Of course, to be fair, my reactions to them weren't always as pleasant as they could have been either. Long story short, yes you can do it without one but having had one long enough to be buying replacement reagents and such, it's just easier in the long run because you aren't "shooting in the dark". YMMV

 

[calinb]

.. but having had one long enough to be buying replacement reagents and such, it's just easier in the long run because you aren't "shooting in the dark". YMMV

Agreed. I used more bleach than necessary too but it was still within the realm of mustard algae treatment dosage (which wasn't my problem) and it did the trick for me. SLAM treatments are not a one size fits all maladies prescription and I think it's possible to sometimes err on the aggressive side in chlorine dosage and treatment and obtain a favorable result (or at least a result better than letting the green further take over one's pool while waiting for a TF-100 test kit to arrive). Now I have a TF-100 kit and, like you, I'll be buying more reagents for it as needed.