Economy CYA and Borate test?

[CRobPool]

I have a a very small AGP (1800gal) and added 20 mule team borax/ muratic acid when I started pool in June using pool calculator. Also, used triclor tabs occasionally at start.
I test water daily for FC, RC and PH- all good; Also test TA weekly (adjusted with baking soda). The water has looked good; I add liquid chlorine daily. TA has dropped a bit due to rain (70, down from 90).
I was out of town for a week and added triclor tablet in floater before I left. Neighbor was supposed to help with liquid chlorine addition.
Today, on my return, water is not as sparkly as usual. PH down 7.2, Chlorine 3+, TA 70. I'm thinking my CYA is up due to the decreased PH

I'm curious about the CYA and Borate level since I'm really just guessing on getting it in range. I have dogs that swim and may drink water so I prefer to keep borate on the low side along with chlorine level.

My question, does anyone have a suggestion for a more economical way to test CYA and/or borates than purchasing the TF100 kit? Guess I'm looking for a more affordable test for my tiny pool to keep it looking as good as the bigger pools. Any suggestions for strips that might work?
Thanks

 

[Mdragger88]

For the borates - u can use strips although your pool math calculation should suffice- if u only put it in once it will have only gotten lower due to water exchange.
As for cya u can order the test separately both are available on tftestkits.net

TFTestkits.net

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tftestkits.net

 

[CRobPool]

Thank you - appreciate link!

 

[Teald024]

I'm thinking my CYA is up due to the decreased PH

Hello and Welcome to TFP!!

it is the trichlor tabs that increased your CYA. These tabs are acidic and will also drop your pH.

if you want to treat your pool as a seasonal pool, that is ok also. The HTH test kit with CYA test is another option, it’s not perfect (no FAS-DPD test) but it is decent for seasonal pools.

 

[CRobPool]

Thanks- I'll check in to HTH test kit for CYA as that's what I now use for testing chlorine, PH and TA.
In the mean time, I decided to add NaHCO3 to raise PH and TA based on the pool calculator numbers.

Funny that I had in-ground pool (now filled in) for 20 years in backyard when kids were young and had lots of neighbor friend swimmers. Back then, I shocked every week and ran tablets via chlorinater, on schedule. I learned to add extra shock with heavy bather load. Testing was infrequent but pool was nice except for bouts of mustard algae, which I'd vacuum to waste.

It's been good to learn more about testing based on numbers rather than just adding scheduled chemicals.

 

[Mdragger88]

I didn’t mention the hth kit because it only gives u enough for 2 cya tests & it costs about $23
The cya kit @TFTestkits is $17.50 & gives u enough for 16 tests. the cya regeant really will last almost indefinitely if stored properly.
also since you’re already using the other hth reagents & u don’t really need /want more of those.