TF-100 replacement chemicals

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J

joe39don

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Jun 5, 2015
5
Iselin New Jersey
I have a question regarding a jump in TA using 2014 chemicals and 2015 chemicals. I received replacement chemicals for my TF-100 kit yesterday. I ran the the usual tests today: TC,FC,CC,TA,pH with the new chemicals.

New chemicals readings:
TC: 5.0
FC: 0
CC: 5.0
TA: 170
pH: 7.2

I was surprised at the jump in the TA. I then ran the same tests using the same sample water I used for the new chemical readings.

Old chemicals readings:
TC: 3.5
FC: 0
CC: 3.5
TA: 100
pH: 7.3

Out of frustration I used a 5 test strip and the TA indication favored the old chemical reading of about 100.

Is there a problem with the new chemicals, namely R-0007, R-0008, and R-0009?

Please advise.

15 foot round above pool
6300 gal
Hayward EC-40 DE filter pump
 
Last edited:
Welcome to TFP!

While I can't explain the old readings, the problem is with the old reagents most likely. This is assuming the new ones are fresher of course. Where did you purchase the new ones?
 
This sounds like a known problem. I will quote Duraleigh from an archived post:

Yes, the drop size matters....you are being very observant and that's a good thing!:D

Here's the deal (and this ONLY applies to R-0009....none of the other reagents)......

When you buy very fresh R-0009, it is often possible for a static charge to develop between the liquid and the dropper tip.

When this occurs, the drop (instead of falling off the dropper tip from gravity) actually "jumps" off the tip before it is fully formed and the subsequent drops size is smaller than a normal drop.

The end result is your TA test will read high.

Wiping the tip with a damp cloth or paper towel in between drops always eliminates this issue so I cannot understand why that didn't correct your problem.

The issue always goes away after just a few weeks at most so it only occurs when your R-0009 is very new and fresh.
Click to expand...
 
jblizzle said:
I agree with Donldson on this one ... static in the R009 TA bottle.
Did you wipe the tip after each drop?
Click to expand...

No. As Donaldson pointed out in his above post, I did not think this was important since I didn't do that with my 2014 TFTest kit chemicals. I will try this method ad see what the results are. It seems that the only abberation is with the TA chems, especially R-0009. I will post my results later. Thanks for all the advice I received from the above posters.
 
And that TA test is the ONLY one that is affected by the static problem. My new kit did the same thing ... the R-0009 was practically jumping off the tip so the drops were too small.

The static will go away after a few tests.
 
I just finished doing my tests again.

New readings:
FC: 5.0
CC: 0
TC: 5.0
TA: 130
pH: 7.3

The TC reading did lower from 170 to 130 after wiping the tip of the R-0009 bottle after each drop. All other values remained the same.

So my problem was not following the plastic instructions card supplied with the TF-100 kit where it specifically says to wipe the tip of the R-009 bottle after each drop.

Anyway, I have a better feeling about these chemicals after proving to myself that after all fails, read the instructions.

Thanks, again, for all your help.
 
Well, I have always maintained that instructions are for sissies, anyway! :laughblue::laughblue:

Wish I could predict the exact time that will go away but it doesn't take long. It's a nuisance and many forget it but at least it lets you know the reagents are VERY fresh.

Another tip about drops and this applies to EVERY drop test in the kit. Always hold the dropper tip perfectly vertical. You want the drop to reach it's maximum size before falling off the tip. It's not a huge deal but I seem to get a better test when I am careful with this.
 

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duraleigh said:
Well, I have always maintained that instructions are for sissies, anyway! :laughblue::laughblue:

Wish I could predict the exact time that will go away but it doesn't take long. It's a nuisance and many forget it but at least it lets you know the reagents are VERY fresh.

Another tip about drops and this applies to EVERY drop test in the kit. Always hold the dropper tip perfectly vertical. You want the drop to reach it's maximum size before falling off the tip. It's not a huge deal but I seem to get a better test when I am careful with this.
Click to expand...

I think that's a great point. If you hold the dropper of any kind anyway horizontal you run the risk of it sticking to the side and not dropping off. Vertical is the way to go for sure.
 
Just as an aside for anyone putting Boric Acid into your pool. I bought 15 pounds of 100% Boric Acid from Tranquility Products through Amazon.com at an average cost of $3 a pound. What arrived was not granular but powder form. To get around the BA floating on the top of the water, I divided the lot into 5 pound portions and put it in a bucket and added water slowly to soak the BA. I used a stick to swirl it around and slowly added it directly to the skimmer, looking to make sure it didn't cake up the filter. It took about an hour to complete the task but I got it all in without blocking the filter. An hour later I checked my pH and it went from 7.3 to 7.2. I'll wait until tomorrow to check the boron using LaMotte Boron strips. I know other posters encountered this problm so I'm sharing how I got around this problem. Also, while adding water to the BA in the bucket, not all of it dissolved right away. I added to the fillter what was suspended in water and repeated adding water and adding to the pool until all the BA was in. It took about 5 water refreshes in the bucket to get each 5 pound portion in the pool. Skimmer prressure barely budged.
 
joe39don said:
Just as an aside for anyone putting Boric Acid into your pool. I bought 15 pounds of 100% Boric Acid from Tranquility Products through Amazon.com at an average cost of $3 a pound. What arrived was not granular but powder form. To get around the BA floating on the top of the water, I divided the lot into 5 pound portions and put it in a bucket and added water slowly to soak the BA. I used a stick to swirl it around and slowly added it directly to the skimmer, looking to make sure it didn't cake up the filter. It took about an hour to complete the task but I got it all in without blocking the filter. An hour later I checked my pH and it went from 7.3 to 7.2. I'll wait until tomorrow to check the boron using LaMotte Boron strips. I know other posters encountered this problm so I'm sharing how I got around this problem. Also, while adding water to the BA in the bucket, not all of it dissolved right away. I added to the fillter what was suspended in water and repeated adding water and adding to the pool until all the BA was in. It took about 5 water refreshes in the bucket to get each 5 pound portion in the pool. Skimmer prressure barely budged.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised adding water to BA in a bucket worked for you. I tried that one time and the BA instantly turned into a big solid rock! Ever since then I always broadcast it in the pool. Any BA that floats on the surface dissolves pretty quickly (with the water circulating).

I've read many times on PF (not sure about here) that BA should be added to the skimmer, but after what I experienced I'm too scared to take a chance of clogging up the skimmer/pipes.
 

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