Just a string. which would be fine except there is nothing on the railing that would help to retain the cover. For all the quality with this pool the cover is a hard miss.Is it the kind with the string or with the clips?
Okay I bought the TF-100. It came in while I was out of town, so I tested the pool when I came back. It has a (Crud!) cover on it so it's basically "closed". Here are the results:
12ppm FC
0ppm CC
80 TA
All good. FC is higher than it needs to be I think but it's certainly not too high. 0ppm CC makes sense with a lid on.
Then, PH. I have several methods available to me for testing ph:
8.2 ph using taylor kit
7.5 using hydroponic reagent
7.8 using hannah ph tester
7.0 using test strip
Boy that is QUITE the range isn't it? I trust the hannah ph tester out of all of these.
But all this testing really drives home the idea to me that the test strips are TOTALLY FINE, _if_ you understand how to read them. Do I regret buying the fancy pants chemistry set? No, but it isn't instilling confidence. It's just another data point. Can you have sparkling water with a TF-100? Absolutely! But you can have sparkling water with a test strip too!
Alright, now let's talk CYA. I did the Taylor test and filled the entire vial before hitting the endpoint. Which, according to this taylor kit means I am WELL BELOW 20ppm. Well now how the heck is that possible if I added 1lb to my pool which is 5k gallons?
The test strip is showing zero as well, but I have NEVER registered a CYA reading on a strip, ever, even after dumping 2/3 of a gallon in my old 4k gallon pool.
Interesting...