Do test kit chemicals go bad?

[bostonpool]

Hi folks:

Just curious if any of the drop chemicals in the test kits can go bad / expire?

Mine are 2 years old (this is their second season) and they still work and change colors, etc, when expected. But the colors aren't as "vivid" as last year, etc.

Thoughts?

FYI I've got the TF Drop kit.

 

[duraleigh]

The chances are they are still good. If they were stored indoors in a climate controlled environment they are probably good.

However, Even one bad test result can cause you to spend more unnecessary money that the cost of a total refill set. after two years I would toss them all and start over.

 

[Donldson]

All liquid chemicals go bad at some point. Generally if kept in a temperature controlled environment a TF-100 will last about 2 years, though candidly I have stretched them to 3 seasons before with no issues. If kept outside in the heat or experience severe temperature swings (some people have stored theirs in their fridge thinking that would extend the life, only to shorten it) then 1 season is all you should expect.

Different chemicals go bad faster or slower and for different reasons. For instance powder is more susceptible to moisture than any of the other ones (which is another reason storing in the fridge and then taking it out to the warm humid air is a very bad idea) while heat affects the dyes more than the other chemicals. The most stable chemical is the CYA reagent melamine. Melamine is extremely stable and can last many years when stored properly.

 

[poolFL]

I'm not sure about the liquid kits. But every strip test like phosphates and the other ones I've tried all have an experation date on bottom of the bottle. All seem to be around 1.5-2 years by the time I bought it.

 

[Donldson]

I'm not sure about the liquid kits. But every strip test like phosphates and the other ones I've tried all have an experation date on bottom of the bottle. All seem to be around 1.5-2 years by the time I bought it.

I wouldn't worry about the expiration date on a bottle of test strips. They are so unreliable right out of the packaging that they couldn't possibly get less trustworthy after expiration.

 

[poolFL]

I wouldn't worry about the expiration date on a bottle of test strips. They are so unreliable right out of the packaging that they couldn't possibly get less trustworthy after expiration.

I just haven't seen anything but test strips for certain tests like borates. I thought even this site recommended certain strips for certain tests like borates. Maybe they aren't reliable, but there's nothing else?