Test arrived, questions already!

[grrltraveler]

I did the TA test and after about 20 drops, my test was not turning to "red" it was still decidedly pink and I wondered if perhaps my pink is another man's red.

Then I hit my CH test and after 45 drops the same thing happened. I can't tell if my sample is "blue" or clear with a blue tint, hence I think I don't know what I'm looking for and should keep going... looking for blue blue or what.

Can any of you help me out here?

This is my first test and I don't want to waste a whole bottle of drops if I'm at blue or red already.

Anne

 

[JasonLion]

The exact shade of red/pink and light blue/sky blue/royal blue does not matter. On the CH test you do need to watch out for purple, but aside from that you are going for: anything of about the right color that doesn't change when you add one more drop (and that final drop which doesn't change the color doesn't count).

 

[mynewpool]

Also when you are doing the TA test, make sure after every 2-3 drops you wipe the tip off to prevent build up of static. Becuase the TA you wont to try to get the same size drop each time. I usually wipe mine off with a cloth after each drop just to be sure.

Also when doing the CH you can test using a 10 ml sample to save on reagants.

So do the following for CH to save

Do 10 ml sample

Use 10 drops of R-0010

Use 3 drops of R-0011l

Then when you add the drops of R-0012 you will multiply this by 25 instead of 10. That will help save on reagants for that test.

 

[grrltraveler]

Thanks, I added 5 more drops and it definitely looked blue after that. I appreciate the tip for using less reagent!

I'll have to do the TA again, I kept adding drops for it to look "red" and don't know where it actually turned. I did wipe the bottle per the instructions. Didn't know about the static thing.

 

[Johnny B]

I appreciate the tip for using less reagent!

.

It is possible to save on CYA reagent by using the CYA mixing bottle & view tube from a WalMart HTH 6-way kit but still use the reagents from the TF Test Kit. This will only measure down to 30, instead of 20 using the TF Test Kit components, and it is a narrower tube that is more difficult to look into. But it allows you to do about twice as many tests with the supplied reagent.

If you are using the large view tube and know that your CYA level is at least 50, you can use half as much pool water and half as much R-0013 to save on reagent.


Save reagents with the CH test by:
For the Calcium Hardness test you can use a 10 mL sample, 10 drops of R-0010, 3 drops of R-0011L, and each drop of R-0012 then counts as (multiply by) 25 (instead of 10)ppm. This is handy if your hardness is somewhat high, plus it saves on reagents.