Just put in our fiberglass pool about a month ago. I got the Taylor 2006-k. The pool came with the general Chlorine and Ph test kit (oto?). Well I think my simple test kit is either old or defective. My taylor results are consistent with FC being 3.0 and Ph being 7.2. The simple test kit shows solid gold like an 8? and the Ph is through the roof as well. Thought I would use it inbetween the Taylor tests but seems like is way off. Anyone ever experience this? On a sidenote was at Leslies the other day for some Cya and saw they carried Taylor refills. The DPD they carried was in liquid form not the powder I have. Is there any difference between the powder and the liquid DPD? Thanks.
Bad Chlorine/PH test?
- Thread starter lsbarkley
- Start date
Double check the drop count required on the simple kit. Some use only three drops of reagent.
If you can't find the reagents you need locally for the K-2006 you can order them directly from Taylor by phone or online.lsbarkley said:
Okay...re-did the test for Taylor 2006-k and the pool supplied Oto test kit. Same result. Taylor #s....Chlorine FC=2.8 CC=0 pH=7.2. The oto test...Chlorine = very high...pH=very high...it is a 4 drop test for each. I keep kits indoors in a dark closet. here is the pic of the test result.
based solely on the color I would put your TC from the OTO test around 6-8 and the pH test is about 7.-7.6. The OTO test is color intensity dependant but the pH test is only color dependant. It looks like a red with just a hint of orange which would be about 7.5-7.6. The problem is the comparator block you have. It's one of the cheap ones that isn't worth the plastic it's made out of. If you want to get a good OTO/pH tester get a Taylor K-1000! OTO is a bullet proof test for TC. It will not match exactly with a DPD or FAS-DPD test but should be within about 1-2 ppm of an FAS-DPD test for the total of your FC and CC. When you do the FAS-DPD test are you using the 10 ml or 25 ml sample? With a 10 ml sample each drop of titrant is equal to .5 ppm chlorine and with a 25 ml samle it will be .2 ppm chlorine. Since you posted 2.8 ppm that would be 14 drops with a 25 ml sample. If you are using a 10 ml sample then your FC is actually 7 ppm! The color shown by your OTO test is about where I would expect it to be with a 7 ppm chlorine level.
pH test with phenol red can be done with just the color (don't worry about how deep or pale the color is, just the actual color):
above 8.2 purple
8.0-8.2 purplish red
7.8 pinkish red with a hint of purple
7.6 red
7.4-7.5 red with an orange cast
7.2 orange
7.0 yellow orange
6.8 and below yellow
You can use the pH test on your taylor kit along with the acid and base demand reagents to see the different colors. Add the acid demand reagent and watch the color change as you add each drop until you turn yellow.and then add the base demand reagent and watch the color change until you turn purple.
pH test with phenol red can be done with just the color (don't worry about how deep or pale the color is, just the actual color):
above 8.2 purple
8.0-8.2 purplish red
7.8 pinkish red with a hint of purple
7.6 red
7.4-7.5 red with an orange cast
7.2 orange
7.0 yellow orange
6.8 and below yellow
You can use the pH test on your taylor kit along with the acid and base demand reagents to see the different colors. Add the acid demand reagent and watch the color change as you add each drop until you turn yellow.and then add the base demand reagent and watch the color change until you turn purple.
Thanks for the replies. Yes I use 25ml for testing FC. 14 drops is exactly what I had. Is worth purchasing the Taylor K-1000? Savings? Advantages? Also...my calcium hardness is 60ppm...should i increase. My pool manu. said not to bother as long as i keep my other levels in check. If I do raise it does calcium hardness affect other levels?
try testing with the 10 ml sample and see what you get. The only advantage to the k-1000 over what you have is a much better comparator block(and a pH indicator that will work in chlorine levels up to about 15 ppm without giving a false high result). The advantage of OTO testing is for a quick daily chlorine test. Even though it only tests TC it will tell you if there is chlorine in the water.
What make of fiberglass pool do you have? Jury seems to be out on whether calcium is needed or not from everything I have beena able to find. There is some research that indicates highef levels of calcium might help prevent metal staining or leachign of manganese from the gelcoat but nothing is conclusive. My FG manufacturer (SanJuan) recommends 200-400 ppm calcium hardness.
What make of fiberglass pool do you have? Jury seems to be out on whether calcium is needed or not from everything I have beena able to find. There is some research that indicates highef levels of calcium might help prevent metal staining or leachign of manganese from the gelcoat but nothing is conclusive. My FG manufacturer (SanJuan) recommends 200-400 ppm calcium hardness.
I purchased from waterworldpools.com. They have been wonderful. Maybe I will increase my calcium hardness go and buy some and add it. If it doesnt hurt might as well. I will try the 10ml sample on Monday...and post my results. I will look into the k-1000. Thanks.
Ls
Ls
I like that photo of your test results.
A pic is worth a thousand words.
I think I'll try that, next time.
A pic is worth a thousand words.
I think I'll try that, next time.
Waterbear....i finally retested using both Taylor 2006 (using the 10ml sample line) and my "free" oto test kit. The pH shows up the same on each but my chlorine was 2.0 on my Taylor and same as the picture again on the OTO. Maybe the reagent is bad? You said something the plasic tube that it came with was bad...how so?...just curious. Just wanted to get back to you.
The picture you showed certainly looks like a much higher TC reading than 2 ppm. The only thing I can think of is that you are not getting good drop size from the titration test. Taylor recommends wiping the tip of the dropper bottle before each drop with a wet tissue to discharge static (static can make the drops smaller), holding the bottle straight and not tilted and letting the drop form on it's own instead of squeezing it out.
The other possiblility is that your 2 way tester is not a good one. I use a Taylor K-1000 OTO/pH tester and have found the results are very close to the FAS-DPD test.
A colormetric test is only as good as the color comparator it comes with. If the color block colors don't match up with the colors produced by the reagent then it's useless. The last possibility is that the reagent that came with it is too concentrated for the color comparator and using the number of drops that they say to use is actually producing a darker color. Once again a good reason to get a good one like the Taylor. It's really inexpensive. Based on the color depth of the pH test (it's much more intense than the colors on the comparator) I say that the instructions have you using too many drops. I would junk it and get a different one.
The other possiblility is that your 2 way tester is not a good one. I use a Taylor K-1000 OTO/pH tester and have found the results are very close to the FAS-DPD test.
A colormetric test is only as good as the color comparator it comes with. If the color block colors don't match up with the colors produced by the reagent then it's useless. The last possibility is that the reagent that came with it is too concentrated for the color comparator and using the number of drops that they say to use is actually producing a darker color. Once again a good reason to get a good one like the Taylor. It's really inexpensive. Based on the color depth of the pH test (it's much more intense than the colors on the comparator) I say that the instructions have you using too many drops. I would junk it and get a different one.