OK I've got some kinda strange results to report...
For the first time since I got the TF Test Kit, my wife went to our PB's store today to take water samples. She wanted to get their take on where we were with our spa, and took water from the spa and also the pool.
So a few questions came up, I'm just not sure exactly how the TF kit works in different circumstances, so please bear with me...
1. The Pool -- Good news, the Baquacil test shows 3 ppm vs. their recommended 30 - 50 ppm, so I think my conversion to BBB is almost done. Here's how I stacked up vs. them on the other things they tested:
- TA: Them - 140 ppm / TF results - 140 ppm
- pH: Them - 7.4 / TF results - 7.1 or possibly 7.2
- Calcium Hardness Them - 94 ppm / TF results - 180 ppm (*This was the biggest discrepancy with the Pool results)
2. The Spa -- Whereas the pool was about 61 degrees, the Spa was 100 degrees...does this affect the results?
Here's how the spa tests worked out:
- FC: Them - .4 ppm / TF results - I took 2 tests in different parts of the spa, one showed 2 ppm and the second showed 3.5 ppm
- CC: Them - 5.0 ppm / TF results - Again, 2 tests that I took, one showed 1 ppm, the second showed .5 ppm (WAY off from their results)
Then I took the QuickTest, it showed 1.0 TC (yes, TC) and 7.2 pH...weird, I know...
- pH: Them - 7.1 / TF results - I got 7.1 or possibly 7.2
- Hardness: Them - 100 ppm / TF results - I got 140 or maybe slightly higher
- Alkalinity: Them - 30 ppm / TF results - I got 50 or maybe 60
These were the only things tested that I could cross-test...as you can see, the pool results were pretty close, except the Calcium Hardness was off; but for the SPA, I was off on FC, CC, Hardness and Alkalinity...
So, my initial questions are, does the temperature of the water matter? Is the TF Kit okay for spas, or did I assume wrongly that it would work with spas (I understand that I should have asked)...
And is it typical to disagree this much with PB results? I trust the TF Kit, especially on Pool results (I LOVE the ease of use), but just want an idea of what to do to get the best results ... should I maybe test from 2 different areas of the pool (or the spa), and then average them, just to be sure?
The reason I'm concerned is that the PB, of course, had many different chemical additions that they recommended I make to get everything in balance (in the pool and the spa) according to their results.
Thanks again for any help
For the first time since I got the TF Test Kit, my wife went to our PB's store today to take water samples. She wanted to get their take on where we were with our spa, and took water from the spa and also the pool.
So a few questions came up, I'm just not sure exactly how the TF kit works in different circumstances, so please bear with me...
1. The Pool -- Good news, the Baquacil test shows 3 ppm vs. their recommended 30 - 50 ppm, so I think my conversion to BBB is almost done. Here's how I stacked up vs. them on the other things they tested:
- TA: Them - 140 ppm / TF results - 140 ppm
- pH: Them - 7.4 / TF results - 7.1 or possibly 7.2
- Calcium Hardness Them - 94 ppm / TF results - 180 ppm (*This was the biggest discrepancy with the Pool results)
2. The Spa -- Whereas the pool was about 61 degrees, the Spa was 100 degrees...does this affect the results?
Here's how the spa tests worked out:
- FC: Them - .4 ppm / TF results - I took 2 tests in different parts of the spa, one showed 2 ppm and the second showed 3.5 ppm
- CC: Them - 5.0 ppm / TF results - Again, 2 tests that I took, one showed 1 ppm, the second showed .5 ppm (WAY off from their results)
Then I took the QuickTest, it showed 1.0 TC (yes, TC) and 7.2 pH...weird, I know...
- pH: Them - 7.1 / TF results - I got 7.1 or possibly 7.2
- Hardness: Them - 100 ppm / TF results - I got 140 or maybe slightly higher
- Alkalinity: Them - 30 ppm / TF results - I got 50 or maybe 60
These were the only things tested that I could cross-test...as you can see, the pool results were pretty close, except the Calcium Hardness was off; but for the SPA, I was off on FC, CC, Hardness and Alkalinity...
So, my initial questions are, does the temperature of the water matter? Is the TF Kit okay for spas, or did I assume wrongly that it would work with spas (I understand that I should have asked)...
And is it typical to disagree this much with PB results? I trust the TF Kit, especially on Pool results (I LOVE the ease of use), but just want an idea of what to do to get the best results ... should I maybe test from 2 different areas of the pool (or the spa), and then average them, just to be sure?
The reason I'm concerned is that the PB, of course, had many different chemical additions that they recommended I make to get everything in balance (in the pool and the spa) according to their results.
Thanks again for any help
