I think my DPD is bad but it looks fine?

[LizkVA]

So I've been trying to check my levels and the last week all of a sudden I'm getting no color change. I have a k-2006 which says if there's no color change keep adding more powder but I added a ton and it never changed. I added more chlorine and retried and it keeps refusing to turn pink.

Now my DPD powder is white, no clumps, not brown not purple, nothing. I got a new kit for this summer ( I checked the date when I got it) and it was working just fine no more than 10days ago. I store the kit inside our house. I took my water to Leslie's and the chlorine is at 2.8. our PH is high but I added soda ash a few days ago bc it was reading low which apparently was wrong too. This is my third year taking care of the pool thanks to this forum and I'm so confused. Everything online about bad powder says it changes to gray or purple if it's bad. So I'm confused if something else is out of whack and messing with it or it's bad?

 

[V___25]

This might sound stupid but I had a similar issue a few weeks ago. The water didn't change to pink hardly at all the first time, then the second and third times, it changed pink but I had 2 completely different values.

I cleaned the mixing/testing vial really well, as well as the powder spoon, dried everything. Then before I did the test again, I rinsed the testing vial with pool water and kind of shook the pool water around in it and did not dry it out so there was no towel residue. My powder wasn't clumped but I did give it a good stir and shake in the bottle to get it moved around. That seems to have helped.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

when in doubt, use your simple DPD comparitor block to confirm if it changes to any amount of yellow?? The exact amount isn't going to be ideal, but it confirms the presence of chlorine, not the amount.

Maddie

 

[mgtfp]

If you don't have the yellow OTO test to check TC, have you tried adding R-0003 after adding the DPD powder to check if all your chlorine is CC?

 

[LizkVA]

I don't know what the comparator block is, is that the OTO test? I don't have that.

 

[LizkVA]

If you don't have the yellow OTO test to check TC, have you tried adding R-0003 after adding the DPD powder to check if all your chlorine is CC?

I have not but after the results from the pool store I didn't think that was possible. I will try it though

 

[JamesW]

Try testing your tap water.

 

[LizkVA]

This might sound stupid but I had a similar issue a few weeks ago. The water didn't change to pink hardly at all the first time, then the second and third times, it changed pink but I had 2 completely different values.

I cleaned the mixing/testing vial really well, as well as the powder spoon, dried everything. Then before I did the test again, I rinsed the testing vial with pool water and kind of shook the pool water around in it and did not dry it out so there was no towel residue. My powder wasn't clumped but I did give it a good stir and shake in the bottle to get it moved around. That seems to have helped.

So I went out this morning after cleaning everything really well and shaking up the powder. I don't really know if this is what helped or pure dumb luck of the galaxy but it's finally working and I'm getting the same readings as the pool store. Crazy!! Thanks

 

[mgtfp]

I don't really know if this is what helped or pure dumb luck of the galaxy but it's finally working and I'm getting the same readings as the pool store.

It's the other way round: It's pure dumb luck of the galaxy that the pool store's result matches yours