First time pool owner - any automated chemical analysis

[jason1977]

Hello, first time pool owner in Canada . Opened the pool , and use the strips to determine chemistry etc. My question is, are there any automated machines either to test water or better yet already attached to the pool equipment that would tell me the ppms etc. I have salt water with aqualink setup, and vsp. Thank you

 

[ajw22]

In our view test strips are worthless.

The best test kits are the TF100 Test Kits or Taylor K-2006C.

Pool Test Kits - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jason,

No automated system can test and dispense chemicals better that you can. You would think an automated system would work better, but in the long run they are more work than doing it yourself. Kind of like self-driving cars... they work great right up to the point of the crash...

Since you have a SWCG, I am puzzled that you asked, as a saltwater pool is "almost" hands off as they come. 10 or 15 minutes a week and you are done..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Newdude]

Hey Jason. Another member (@MostlyCanuck) found a reasonably cheaper way to get a good kit shipped to Canada here :

Help with Tf-100 / tftestkits.net for Canadians

Hi all Just joined this forum - blown away by the quality of content. In the process of building my first pool and went on tftestkits.net to get a TF-100. I am in Canada and since tftestkits.net do not ship over the border, I purchased a mailbox redirection service at the border to import the...

www.troublefreepool.com

I hope it works for you also

 

[jason1977]

Jason,

No automated system can test and dispense chemicals better that you can. You would think an automated system would work better, but in the long run they are more work than doing it yourself. Kind of like self-driving cars... they work great right up to the point of the crash...

Since you have a SWCG, I am puzzled that you asked, as a saltwater pool is "almost" hands off as they come. 10 or 15 minutes a week and you are done..

Thanks,

Jim R.

I guess my question is more around a digital read out of the chemicals. I've used the strips and the a liquid one. Where you Match the colors. Just wondering if there are any good testers that read out a digital # , so you know exactly what ppm you have.

 

[IceShadow]

The dropper tests recommended upthread aren't color matching (except for the pH). You start with a sample of water, add a powder to make it turn pink, then add drops of a reagent, swirling as you do, until it goes clear. When it goes clear you divide the number of drops by a set number (depending on how large of a sample you started with), and that gives you your FC level. It's really easy to use and more than accurate enough for our needs.

I do use a WaterGuru and it seems to agree with the liquid drops, but I have that so that I don't need to test as often. I still use the liquid drops once a week or so as a backup to make sure the WaterGuru isn't reading wrong, as a lot of those automated devices are prone to some inaccuracy.

 

[Donldson]

Just wondering if there are any good testers that read out a digital # , so you know exactly what ppm you have.

Don't confuse precision and accuracy. Just because a digital meter shows a bunch of digits doesn't mean it is as precise as it appears and never means it is accurate.

 

[jason1977]

The dropper tests recommended upthread aren't color matching (except for the pH). You start with a sample of water, add a powder to make it turn pink, then add drops of a reagent, swirling as you do, until it goes clear. When it goes clear you divide the number of drops by a set number (depending on how large of a sample you started with), and that gives you your FC level. It's really easy to use and more than accurate enough for our needs.

I do use a WaterGuru and it seems to agree with the liquid drops, but I have that so that I don't need to test as often. I still use the liquid drops once a week or so as a backup to make sure the WaterGuru isn't reading wrong, as a lot of those automated devices are prone to some inaccuracy.

Awesome thank you. I'll look into into the dropper testers. I just was looking for something away from the strips etc.

 

[Todrick]

Awesome thank you. I'll look into into the dropper testers. I just was looking for something away from the strips etc.

i went through this exact process a couple months back...

Really wish there was a reliable accurate digital solution... I have a smart home and would love to have that data at a glance on my phone or from Google home...

in the end I bought the kits suggested here, and learned the process... I'm still learning... but... am now comfortable enough that I fired my pool guy (who hilariously uses test strips) last week.

It's not difficult, even for me right now, who is obsessively testing FC and PH daily... and everything about once every 7-10 days while I slowly repair the imbalances the pool guy caused.

And honestly, I like checking on my pool visually at least once a day, whether I'm swimming or not.... you CAN actually see a difference in appearance when your pool is happy.

ALSO, if you want quality record keeping and information... get the PoolMath app created by this website... and better yet, toss a few bucks at the ridiculously good buy that is the annual subscription. (the subscription allows you to save logs, and if you want, share them... click on my profile and you'll be able to view all my test logs and notes)