Do other people have trouble reading the pH?

[mwpow3ll]

What pH level would you call this? It doesn't match any of the colors and in the 5+ years of owning this color tester (Taylor K2006), it never has matched.

Is everyone's like this or is mine just screwed for some reason?

 

[Flatag]

I put a white piece of card stock behind the tester. It makes it eaiser to read but looking at your picture I'd say your pH is too high. My Taylor tester always matches unless the pH is too high.

 

[mwpow3ll]

I'm confused... it's not deep purple or deep red, it's more orange.

This is a brand new pool, so there is hardly little to no chemicals. Just the startup chemicals and liquid chlorine / dry acid

FC: 4.6
TA: 70-80
CH: 200
CYA: 30

 

[mknauss]

What are 'start up' chemicals?

Do use a clear sky or a white sheet as the background.

Assume your pH is 7.8 in PoolMath and lower it to 7.4 with muriatic acid.

 

[jblizzle]

You sure you used the right reagents for that block? There are different reagents for the different comparator blocks.
Try fewer drops and see if the color matches are easier.

 

[taylortechnologies]

what is the lot # and expiration date for the r-0004? Do you have the temperature of water sample, chlorine, TA, CH and CYA readings? Will get back to you with what's happening once we get that info.

 

[mwpow3ll]

Don't know what 'startup' chemicals were added, I didn't start the pool. the Pool builder did... I just took over, but they must have added chlorine and stabilizer at some point among other things, because I didn't add stabilizer.

FC: 4.6
TA: 70-80
CH: 200
CYA: 30

Lot# B1066 02/2017

I've gone back all the way to 2012 on Amazon and still don't see when I ordered it. I didn't own a pool in 2012, so this is odd.

It's apparently expired, but it stays inside all year in a closet under the stairs at a temp no higher than 80 degrees. It's a pretty large bottle... and I've barely used it. It would suck if that was the culprit.

I am using the recommended 5 drops per 44ml

 

[jblizzle]

The number of drops is not very important. Many find better matches by using 4 drops I think. But, I would recommend a new bottle if more than 1-2 years old.

 

[Dirk]

Mr. taylortechnologies won't condone this first one, but this is my MO:

I use four drops, not five.

I use fresh reagents (come on, man, don't make me say it!!)

I test and view results indoors, under neutral temperature LED light, with a white background behind the comparator.

If this is a brand new, plaster-based finish, your pH will very likely read off the chart. That could be every day. You need to test it every day, for quite a while. You'll very likely need to add MA everyday, for quite a while, maybe even twice a day for these first few weeks.

I'd say one or more of the above will offer you a solution...

PS: dry acid is not a great choice, long term. Muriatic acid is preferred by most here.

 

[ping]

I would say the reagent is bad. When the color stops matching any on the block it is a good indicator that the reagent is no good. I've never had any pH reagent remain good for 2 years and it is the first reagent to go bad. Make sure you get the correct reagent for the block you are using as Jason mentioned. There are multiple blocks and the reagent must be matched to the block you are using, you need R-0004 not the R-0014 reagent.

 

[mwpow3ll]

I am using R-0004 and not R-0014.

5 Drops using R-0004

4 drops using R-0004

I don't see how either can be accurate. not to mention, my TA is already somewhere between 70 and 80... adding any more acid will kill the TA even more

 

[Dirk]

TA will find its happy place once you stabilize your pH. pH is by far the more important consideration. Get the pH in range, worry about TA later (if at all). Mine lives in the 60s and 70s. I don't worry about it, or do anything to adjust it. My pH is around 7.7. I dose acid every day.

Regarding fixing your testing error, I can't add anything I haven't already. I'm not even sure what I'm looking at in those pics, or what they're supposed to reveal.

You've already been given all the advice you need to fix the testing and the pH. How can we help?

 

[mwpow3ll]

I just wanted to show that 4 drops of R-0004 in 44ml gives me a very different result than 5 drops of R-0004 in 44 ml of pool water set against a white background.

One is ultraviolet / purple beyond belief and the other is Orangy red.

I'm having a hard time believing the pH is that far out of wack considering I added 8 lbs of dry acid over the last two days trying to bring the TA / pH down. yesterday it seemed a lot yellower, giving me the thought that it was around 7.2 but today its above 8? no way... not with 70-80 TA.

I guess I will try and find a replacement R-0004.

 

[mknauss]

Go to Walmart or Home Depot and get a cheap two way test ( TC and pH). See what that shows.

 

[Dirk]

Yes way. The more you force pH down, the faster it'll pop right back up, especially in a new pool. I can't site the science behind that, but I watched that very thing happen in my pool.

Plus, it's pretty likely you've got some weak or bad reagent, so you don't really know what your pH has been, or what it's been doing.

Are you sampling correctly? 18" below the surface, after all chemicals are well mixed in, away from skimmer and returns, into well rinsed sampling containers and testing containers? We're not making rocket fuel, here, but good testing procedures can be important.

 

[mwpow3ll]

I am sampling about 15 inches or so, about as deep as my arm will reach without getting the shirt sleave wet, away from skimmer and returns, before any chemicals are dumped I do a full work-up then add, and I rinse the comparator with pool water after each use.

Never thought I'd trust a pH strip test, but it says about 7.8; therefore, I'm gonna guess the R-0004 is bad.

 

[jblizzle]

There is no way that fewer drops would make the sample purple. Something else is afoot.

 

[taylortechnologies]

Your reagent expired over 1 1/2 years ago, please get a fresh R-0004.

 

[duraleigh]

I have never seen EITHER reagent produce those colors (R-0004 or R-0014). That just doesn't look like taylor chemistry. That doesn't even look like phenol red (it's the base chemical for that test)

Something is very screwy. I would suggest the same as mknauss.......start over.

 

[mwpow3ll]

I've done the test several times over multiple days; same results. It is phenol red (R-0004) from taylor and not R-0014