I’m having trouble interpreting the results of the calcium and CYA tests. When I did the calcium test, I used a 10 ml sample, using the directions on this site, instead of the 25 ml sample like suggested on my Taylor K-2006 kit. After 3 drops, it turned purple, and then after 4 drops it turned blue. I added one more drop which did not change the color (and neither did the 6th drop). Does this mean that I have a level of 100 since it turned blue after 4 drops, or do I need to retest because it turned purple after the 3rd drop? I realize that test strips are inaccurate but my test strip shows a level of 200, so I want to make sure I'm doing this test correctly before I add any calcium to my pool since I'm only wanting to bump it up to 220 to protect my tile grout.
I'm also having trouble interpreting the results of my CYA test. When I opened up my pool I had a CYA of 0, as confirmed by my Taylor K-2006 test and a local pool store that also uses a Taylor test. I added enough stabililizer on two separate occasions to get me to a level of 70, and tested before adding the stabilizer so I could make sure I added the correct amount, using pool math. When I tested my CYA today, the water got very cloudy at 70, but I could still make out the dot. The dot wasn't difficult to see until it reached 50, and it didn't completely disappear until I got to 30. I don't see how 50 could be accurate, since I added enough CYA to get me to 70. Should I assume that my level is 70, since that is when it got really cloudy, even though I could still make out the dot? I tested with my back to the sun and held it at waist level and retested several times and got the same result. I took a sample to a pool store that uses a Taylor test to confirm, and they said I had a level of 99 (which I know is not correct), so I have no way of verifying this result.
I'm also having trouble interpreting the results of my CYA test. When I opened up my pool I had a CYA of 0, as confirmed by my Taylor K-2006 test and a local pool store that also uses a Taylor test. I added enough stabililizer on two separate occasions to get me to a level of 70, and tested before adding the stabilizer so I could make sure I added the correct amount, using pool math. When I tested my CYA today, the water got very cloudy at 70, but I could still make out the dot. The dot wasn't difficult to see until it reached 50, and it didn't completely disappear until I got to 30. I don't see how 50 could be accurate, since I added enough CYA to get me to 70. Should I assume that my level is 70, since that is when it got really cloudy, even though I could still make out the dot? I tested with my back to the sun and held it at waist level and retested several times and got the same result. I took a sample to a pool store that uses a Taylor test to confirm, and they said I had a level of 99 (which I know is not correct), so I have no way of verifying this result.
