Finally got my K-2006 and first test results!

[JediKnight]

Just got my Taylor K-2006 in (sorry TF-100 I hated your box, but might get some of your guts later) and the results are in. The only one I had a smidge of trouble with was the CYA test and the elusive dot. I did my best to glance for it at waist level and hope it's pretty close.

The pool was crystal clear mid-last week and is now a bit murky/cloudy when you look at the ladder/vac head at the bottom.

Temp- 83F
FC- 7.4
CC- 0.4
TC- 7.8
PH- 7.2
TA- 60
CYA- 50
CH-110

Everything seems to be in range according to the TFP e-book, but the CYA level is at the max of the recommended 30-50 (if I read I tested correctly) and the CC of 0.4 is concerning.

I'm baffled at the span of results compared to the OTO test I've been doing to try and maintain the chlorine levels while I waited for the Taylor kit to arrive. If the chlorine is a 7.4 shouldn't the OTO test be orange? As seen in the photo it looks like a 3 to me! The PH looks to be a 7.6 on the comparator. I was hoping to use the smaller OTO test daily to manage the chlorine and PH levels and the Taylor kit twice a week? That looks to be out of the question. The reagents aren't that old on the OTO kit, but were left in the sun for a day, would that effect it this greatly?

I've been using the Trichlor pucks because thats what we had a lot of, but will pull the floater as I don't want that CYA to climb any higher. We also have a 4lb tub of CalHypo that I'll use instead, since theres plenty of room for the CH to increase (would have been CH-0 if the pool store hadn't had us dump a pound of calcium into it).

Overall I found the Taylor K-2006 very easy to use and the instructions were clear and concise.

We are in the process of adding pea gravel to the base of the pool area to keep dirt and grass away from the pool walls and keep things tidy.

Any advice or tips from the pros in these parts is always appreciated and valued.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Precisely why I, and many others, don’t consider OTO to be useful at all. It’s a highly misleading test.

The Taylor K-1001 is a DPD color matching test that I have found to be very good for daily testing. The color matching comparator tracks accurately with the DPD-FAS titration Test. In fact, if you get the R-0001/R-0002 reagents with the #9056 “high range” comparator block, you can accurately test FC up to 10ppm. The graduations in color are a bit wide but when the DPD color matches 5ppm or 7.5ppm, it is exactly that, no wondering at all.

 

[JediKnight]

Oh, thank you! I'd noticed that Taylor had two "basic" tests, one with a pink chlorine comparator and one with the yellow. Now I know what the difference is! Agreed, the OTO numbers haven't moved all week, despite chlorine and acid additions. I'll pick up the Taylor K1001 next week to add to my K2006.

 

[Richard320]

No, the OTO won't be orange at only 7.4 FC. From my experience, blinding tweety-bird yellow is about 10. School bus (construction equipment) yellow is about 12-13. Hunter orange is around 18, up around 25 it starts to look pumpkin orange.

When you test FC & CC use only 10 ml water and one scoop of powder. Each drop then counts as .5. It sabes reagent and is precise enough for us.

If you're worried that the cloudiness is algae, run Overnight Chlorine Loss Test You can do it now that you have a proper test kit. If you fail, SLAM Process If you pass, read on

I find my pool gets cloudy if I get lax about brushing. Then when I do brush or when I get people swimming and brushing up against the walls, they stir the dust up and it looks cloudy. Brushing and filtering usuaulyy fixes it.

 

[JediKnight]

No, the OTO won't be orange at only 7.4 FC. From my experience, blinding tweety-bird yellow is about 10. School bus (construction equipment) yellow is about 12-13. Hunter orange is around 18, up around 25 it starts to look pumpkin orange.

When you test FC & CC use only 10 ml water and one scoop of powder. Each drop then counts as .5. It sabes reagent and is precise enough for us.

If you're worried that the cloudiness is algae, run Overnight Chlorine Loss Test You can do it now that you have a proper test kit. If you fail, SLAM Process If you pass, read on

I find my pool gets cloudy if I get lax about brushing. Then when I do brush or when I get people swimming and brushing up against the walls, they stir the dust up and it looks cloudy. Brushing and filtering usuaulyy fixes it.

So the comparator in the picture is worthless as far as the OTO test?

Oh, perhaps I screwed that up as I used 35ml but read somewhere that if it turns pink with one scoop to not bother adding two. I still used the .2 multiplier though.


I'm hoping the cloudiness is just due to us moving a LOT of dirt around the pool area while we installed a waterline and spigot and the border for the gravel that will be around the pool. I've kept the chlorine level at what I thought was a 3 all week according to the OTO test and up until this week the CYA level was very low. I believe it went from 8, to 23 (pool store test before i got my own test kit), to the now 50, again if I did the test correctly.

We started out with a mildly green pool and got it crystal clear, vacuuming up dirt and what I believe was a lot of dead algae multiple times a week for the last 3 or 4 weeks. I've been vacuuming almost every day due to the dirt round the pool being flung around and have brushed once a week or anytime I add any chemicals.

Yikes, the FC level for a SLAM with a CYA of 50 is a whopping 20 according to the CYA chart.

 

[Richard320]

One scoop of powder is usually enough whether 10 ml or 25 ml. The way to be sure is to swirl and mix it and then take a look. If there are any undissolved granules of the powder, you have enough. Even just one.

The OTO test is not useless once you have your pool under control. There will come a time when You will know what test results you will get before you even start testing. Then you can get slack and just look at the OTO to see if it looks normal, and then dump the normal amount of bleach in. For calculating does and doing Overnight Chlorine Loss Test you need the precision of the FAS-DPD tester. That's why we push the K2006 and the TF100. Nothing else comes close.

Don;t let 20 FC frighten you yet. You might pass the test and not need to SLAM. But if you do, even those massive amounts of chlorine will be small compared to what it takes if you don't get on it quick and it goes green on you.

 

[JediKnight]

Tested the pool this evening after work. I did my best to be quick with the DPD test as I just read the recent thread that timing matters with this test and I took my sweet time the first go around.

FC-4.4
CC- .2 but could be 0
PH-7

Since I'm uncertain about my CYA level being 40 or 50 I saw that a FC of 6 is an acceptable level for both CYA levels and aimed for that according to the pool calculator and added 1.6 ounces of 73% Cal-Hypo. The Tricolor floater was removed yesterday and about an inch of water was added, although it looks like it's since almost evaporated due to the high temps in NorCal we had today.

I waited the 30 min per the OCLT directions and retested the FC.

FC- 5.4
CC- 0-.2 (I am unsure as the water was very faintly tinged and one drop made it clear)

I can see why people have troubles with the CYA test. I repeated it twice and can't decide if it's 40 or 50. It was getting to be dusk, but I could still clearly see, held at waist level and tried to glance, even closed one eye and let it blur. Monday I recorded it as 50, but I don't know.

Once I get the CYA test mastered, how often does one need to test the CYA levels?

I'll be testing the FC in the morning at dawn to see if I pass the overnight test.

 

[mknauss]

Don’t stress over the CYA test. 50 is good.
Also. Use 10 ml test sample for FC. Each drop of reagent to clear is 0.5 ppm FC.

 

[JediKnight]

Thanks for the reply. Even though 50 CYA is the max recommended level for my little vinyl AG?
Should I switch to the 10 ml test in the morning, or keep that one at the 25 ml for consistency since I'm still getting the hang of all this, or they are equivalents with their respected multipliers?

 

[mknauss]

Erring on the high side for CYA means you err on the high side for FC. Better than being too low.

As you did your evening test with 25 ml, do your morning test that way. But then switch to the 10 ml. You will burn through the small amount of reagent in the basic K2006 very fast using the 25 ml test.

 

[JediKnight]

Copy that! I will update in the morning, hopefully with a passing grade for the overnight FC test.

 

[Larry21]

Don’t stress over the CYA test. 50 is good.
Also. Use 10 ml test sample for FC. Each drop of reagent to clear is 0.5 ppm FC.

Since I knew my FC was going to be very high, I did a 50/50 dilution with tap (well) water and used 10 ml of it. That way one drop is one ppm. I know it is not very accurate but saves on reagents. I did the same dilution for the CYA test and it showed the water to be way high at 160 ppm. This is from using trichlor tabs which worked fine but now I am stuck with the CYA residue.

 

[JediKnight]

Okay as of 6am my FC is 4.4
Last nights was 5.4 so ir seems I've lost 1ppm overnight? Which is it appears, acceptable?

There is some dirt that settled on the bottom that I'll vac up, but I'm certain that's from our "construction zone" and stirring up so much barren soil right next to the pool.

 

[JediKnight]

The pool looks clearer, than it was and the dirt settled so I can vacuum it up. Hopefully it's just dirt and not dead algae.

 

[mknauss]

If it vacuums up easily, it is probably dirt. If it 'poofs' away when you attempt to vacuum it, it is dead algae.

I would suggest taking the FC to SLAM level for a couple days and see if you can narrow the overnight loss.

 

[JediKnight]

If it vacuums up easily, it is probably dirt. If it 'poofs' away when you attempt to vacuum it, it is dead algae.

I would suggest taking the FC to SLAM level for a couple days and see if you can narrow the overnight loss.

I thought losing 1ppm or less was acceptable?

"If your FC level remained the same, or went down by 1.0 or less, the water is clean. There isn’t any living algae or other organic contamination in the pool."

 

[mknauss]

You are correct. Go with it then. See if things work out.

 

[JediKnight]

Well, I've found that experience trumps knowledge in most cases. If you believe I'm on the cusp of an algae party, I'd rather err on the safe side.

I have to patch a pinhole leak today in the liner thanks to a sharp rock, and do a bucket test. So if I SLAM, it will have to be after that.

 

[JediKnight]

Quick question, if my CC levels are so low ( one drop made a very clear and barely noticeable pink hue using the 25ml) wouldn't the overnight test show much more FC being consumed? How can even 1ppm of FC be used up at night if there's really isn't any CC?

I am definitely enjoying the pool chemistry learnings processes and knowing the "why" and not just the "do this".

 

[mknauss]

CC is burned off with UV from the sun. CC is not a good marker (on the low side) of the water chemistry.