JasonLion said:
You are looking for a color change, not a specific blue. The pictures on the Taylor page linked to above are the ideal colors, but they aren't always that clear and obvious.
It wouldn't surprise me if the level was over 400. Pool store test results can sometimes be wildly wrong.
It went to clear pretty quickly, but blue it did not. I did 50 drops and still nothing.
Now the TF-100 kit direction and the PDF from here by PaulR differ a bit.
TF-100:
Calcium Hardness test - Too much CH in all pools is harmful........vinyl, fiberglass or masonry. It can cause cloudiness in your water or scaling onto pool surfaces. Too little CH only affects masonry pools as it can leach calcium from the walls or grout. CH readings in the 200-300 range are considered ideal.
1. Rinse and fill the clear plastic cylinder to the 25ml mark
2. Add 20 drops of R-0010 and mix. Then, add 5 drops of R-0011L and mix. Red indicates the presence of Calcium.
3. Add R-0012, one drop at a time, ‘til color changes to blue. Multiply number of drops times 10. NOTE: If the pool water contains copper, add two drops of R-0012 PRIOR to adding R-0011L and continue. Count the two drops in your R-0012 total. Record.
PaulR:
Calcium Hardness Test
Use quantities in [brackets] if CH is very high
(>400) and you have trouble getting a clear transition to the blue endpoint.
1) Rinse and fill sample tube to 25ml [10ml] mark.
2) Add 20 drops [10 drops] R-0010; swirl to mix.
3) Add 5 drops [3 drops] R-0011L; swirl to mix.
Solution turns red to indicate calcium is present.
4) Add R-0012 one drop at a time, swirling continuously, 2-3 sec between drops. Repeat until color changes to blue (and stops changing).
5) The last drop that caused a change is the drop count. Multiply #drops by 10 [25] to get CH