CH test

[jojoman]

On the CH test my test sample turned clear at 15 drops which is 375. The chart says it should turn blue so I kept going. After getting to 21 drops I stopped. Should I have kept going until it turned blue or just try again?

FC 6
CC 0
TA 40(working to get it up some)
ph 7.5
CYA 45(moving up very slowly, don't want to over do it)
CH 375+???

 

[Patrick_B]

What color was it when you started?

That doesn't sound right, so re run it very carefully, double checking everything on the test.

 

[jojoman]

Put the drops in the turned the water red. I know the CH is highish, just how high is the part I don't know. The test strips showed it high but they ranged from 250 to the next step was 1000. Not much help if your high target is 400. Just got test kit(TF 100)Friday, so I am new to this. Watched the videos on youtube on how to do the test.

 

[jblizzle]

Can you please be more specific on how you are doing the test? Typing it out may help determine the problem.

Did you use 10ml or 25ml of water?
How many drops or which reagents did you put in and in what order?

I have never seen it go clear. Always go from the red-ish to a bright baby blue (the color changes happens in only a few drops at the end).

 

[jojoman]

Did the 10 ml test that is on the card. It was in the morning sun is the only other thing I can think of. Maybe I thought it was clear but it was blue. I know at 14 drops it changed to a very light red and at 15 drops it was clear(to me). Oh well, i'll just run the test again in the morning. Thanks guys.

 

[Patrick_B]

jojo, try adding a few extra drops of the color indicator to the test sample. You can do this with the TA test as well. It won't change the results of either test and this often helps a lot. Try a well lit area without direct sunlight on the tube. Well lit is good, but not direct Sunlight.

 

[jojoman]

Okay, thanks. I will try again in the morning with a few extra drops.

 

[Patrick_B]

Okay, thanks. I will try again in the morning with a few extra drops.

One more thing, and I should have mentioned it too, sorry. Place a white backdrop on the opposite side of the testing vial. This could be a sheet of paper, napkin, or whatever. This will help too.

 

[jojoman]

All right, did the test inside this morning with better results. On the 14th drop the water turned blue for a few seconds and the 15th drop made it stay blue. So i would think that means CH is just below 375 then, maybe? I would like to lower this somewhat. Has anybody use rain water captured from the roof? Is that a bad idea because of the stuff(chemicals) in roofing materials may leach into the rain water?

 

[jblizzle]

Always add until the last drop results in no more change and do not count that drop. Since it too 15 drops to stay blue, likely the 16th would have done nothing. So your CH is 375ppm.

They are at least a few members that do collect the rain off the roof ... some run it through a filter of some sort to collect any debris. I have considered it myself

 

[Richard320]

375 is nothing for CH. My pool has never been that low since I've owned it. All you need to do is keep TA and pH at the lower end of the acceptable range to keep CSI acceptable. It really doesn't get difficult until above 800.

I capture rainwater. Usually the first day is full of dust (remember rain is rare in SoCal) and after that it's not too bad. I direct it into the spa , which serves as a settling tank for any dirt that washes in. It's easy to filter that out. My asphalt shingles have been baked to a crisp for at least a decade, so I don;t worry about any oils. I've never seen a sheen.

 

[Patrick_B]

Glad you got it nailed down jojo. That isn't tough to deal with at all. Easy stuff right there.

 

[jojoman]

Thanks. Everything went smoother doing the test inside. Not that outside was bad weather or anything like that. Just had more control doing the test inside.

The wife watched me do the test and was taken with the Speedstir and how it worked. After watching it in action she could see why i wanted it and even said that it was a good add on to the TF-100 test kit.