Update! My TF100 (and bonus pen style PH meter) just came yesterday and we are doing the final walk-through this evening. Thinking of grabbing some water from the pool to test, any cons of doing this as far as transporting the water goes?
any cons of doing this as far as transporting the water goes?
When I sold my house (and pool) last year I left them a 1/2 full TF-100, A link to this site, and 3 page printed Word doc of how to keep the pool maintained. I completely understand your seller adding chemicals the day before close. My pool water was more like a pet than a yard ornament. I wanted it to be perfectly healthy when I handed the keys over.
A couple months later I saw a couple of photos on facebook of my old pool. It was GREEN! It was all I could do to not go over there and fix it for them!
So, I have my TF100 test kit ready to go. I must admit, the directions are a little intimidating and I feel that I need some help getting started. Please feel free to share your experience with using it, any tips or tricks are welcome! I have literally never used any sort of testing kit before so please excuse my possibly stupid questions. Thank you!!
Grab some water samples and do the tests one by one. CL and PH are the most important so begin with them. Separate the vials and reagents and identify the ones for each test. Follow the Pool School - Extended Test Kit Directions If you don't have the Speedstir Magnetic Stirrer then swirl well between each drop. Take your time and count the drops.
With a new kit wipe the tip of the reagent for TA and CH before each drop. Hold the bottle vertically and let a full drop fall from the tip. Drop size matters in those tests.
CYA is the toughest test for many folks. You can squirt the mixture into the CYA tube until you think you don;t see the dot then put the mixture back into the bottle and do it again. Best to do the test outdoors in full sun and glance at the dot. When you don't see the dot at a glance you have your value. Round UP to the next line for your CYA value.
We got a pen type PH meter (to qualify for free shipping) - can I use this instead of the PH drop test or do you recommend to just stick with what was included in our kit?
See my thread on PH Meters
You can use it but you need to periodically check the calibration with standard solutions. You should occasionally check the meter with the drop test.
I found the inexpensive ATC meter holds calibration better then the Hanna meter. I have only found the ATC off by .1 in my calibrations.
The tests are easy to perform, just going one step at a time. What may look confusing to you is how the kit arrives- it isn't set up for each test parts together. I rearranged my kit, removing some dividers here and there, so that all the bottles for each test reside together. I also have them set up so that my first test is at the top left (FC/CC) and I just move down the box in order....View attachment 85673
Since taking that pic long ago the labels are all now color coded which makes it a lot easier to see what you need to use.
It just *looks* overwhelming, but its not. Trust me
Maddie
Sorry for the long delay, I have updated my signature and here are my results as of 10 minutes ago
FC 8.5
CC 0
pH 7.2
TA 100
CH 450
CYA 100 - the dot wasn't visible before it even hit the measurement mark for 100
20k | Vinyl IG | Hayward Sand Filter | TF100 | Public Water, No Restriction
Sorry for the long delay, I have updated my signature
Also, I really cant tell if you all can see my signature, I promise I updated it! But just in case you cant:
20k | Vinyl IG | Hayward Sand Filter | TF100 | Public Water, No Restriction