Taylor 2006 vs Pool store test

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bk406

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Dec 3, 2009
2,684
Central Massachusetts
Thought some might get a kick out of this. I recently had to replace about 2/3 of my water (longer story, had a leak). Anyway, now I'm having to rebalance my water. I am pretty close, but I actaully had to go to the local pool store and get some calcium. For fun, I took a sample of water to have htem test it to see what they would get. Now, I have used them in the past and their results are not great anyway. They just opened, so maybe the equipment hasnt been calibrated. It's LaMotte system if anybody is interested. This is what I got with my kit vs their's.

Taylor Pool store
FC 15 (I'm shocking) >4

TA 80 7

pH 7.2 (Measured before
shock) 7.4

CYA 40 0

CH 20 0

I was most suprised by the TA number they gave me (CYA too, really). I'd hate to be a person that actually relied on their numbers to balance the water :shock:
Edit: this didnt format correctly. The second number is the pool store, the 1st is my Taylor kit
 
This is what concerns me....It it incompetence or greed? When it's greed I have a theory. They will give you the correct pH and FC levels because they figure most people have at least the test strips and can compare. The rest of the tests? Well.....they do make money selling chemicals after all....

I have been doing my own testing for the past year or so (and this board has helped me a ton). This was after a "misread" at the local pool store really screwed up my pool. Just for fun, last weekend I took a sample back to the store (which it seems when I do go there for non-chemical purchases the staff is never the same) and to another store whom I now trust. pH and FC right on the money. TA was off by a factor of 2, CH off by a factor of 3 and the CYA was off by a factor of at least 2. Advice given to me...drain your pool and buy this list of chemicals from us and that is the only way we can get your pool back on track....At the pool store I trust, numbers were very close to mine in all tests....

Just makes you go Hmmmmmm. They can read pH, FC and Salt levels correctly but TA, CYA and CH they suddenly have a problem? I guess every industry has its bad apples...
 
I am confident that the vast majority of pool store employees are acting in good faith. But many of them are not properly trained and can't possibly be expected to give good advice. I wonder sometimes if the chains set that up on purpose or if they simply can't retain employees that have proper training.
 
Well, this place, i'm really sure, is not a greedy bunch. They just dont know how to set up their equipment I dont think. I have taken water in there a few times last year and they were not too far off on pH, CH, and CYA. Their TA and FC test are always really bad.
Now, in my experience, you want to see greedy? Go to a pool store that handles Biogaurd, then you see greedy.
 
JasonLion said:
I am confident that the vast majority of pool store employees are acting in good faith. But many of them are not properly trained and can't possibly be expected to give good advice. I wonder sometimes if the chains set that up on purpose or if they simply can't retain employees that have proper training.
Click to expand...

I will say this about the store I no longer frequent. On the water analysis form they give back, the directions are exactly the same as those in the TF-100 for each test. Funny how my pH, FAC, TAC and salt are exactly the same as theirs but the CH, TA and CYA are all off by a factor of 2 and the other local store is right on my home test numbers...I'm just saying :eek:
 
Being a BBB newbie I was wondering about things like this as well.
I did some checking and part of it, it seems, is that when I do my checking it is in the full sun outside
The PS guy does his checking under flouresent light. I wonder if this has something to do with part of it.
It is really subjective it seems. The ability to see color is a bit different in everyone.
 
The color of the light could affect the pH test, the intensity would affect the CYA test. The way Taylor does the other tests, you just need enough light to see the color change clearly, so I don't think those would be affected.
--paulr
 

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In a lot of pool stores, they dont use a drop kit, so it doesnt matter what kind of light they use. Some stores use strip based methods with a color reader, others use methods that measure color in a plastic container thats read by a machine. My local Leslies uses a taylor 2006 drop kit and is really accurate, believe it or not.
 
bk406 said:
In a lot of pool stores, they dont use a drop kit, so it doesnt matter what kind of light they use. Some stores use strip based methods with a color reader, others use methods that measure color in a plastic container thats read by a machine. My local Leslies uses a taylor 2006 drop kit and is really accurate, believe it or not.
Click to expand...

I believe it... That's why I can't believe with half the tests they are dead on my numbers and half they are way off....

Oh well, guess I really should not worry now that I am no longer dependent...lol
 
Ok, I can be a bit anal and this discrepancy in a portion of my tests was driving me nuts. After going back to the store in question, I think I have the answer.... Drop size. I watched the clerk test the water again and this time I watched and counted as she did the test. In my eyes, the drops out of her reagent bottles were larger than my drops from the TF test kit at home...bigger drops = less drops = different reading....
 
Thanks, I was concerned your drops had the issue. So you know, the dropper tips on all the Reagents are easily interchangeable if the bottles are the same size. (both the TF-100 and the K-2006, K-2005)

If you ever suspected a faulty dropper tip, you could simply exchange it with another in your kit (rinse them both well first) and see if the problem follows the dropper tip. Holding the bottle firmly, you simply push the top of the dropper tip over to the side and it will pop out. It replaces by simply pressing it back snugly into the bottle.
 
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