Obtaining Borate drop test reagents

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C

cascader

0
LifeTime Supporter
Dec 28, 2009
10
Central MA
Hi -

The web page for Piscines Apollo indicates they won't ship their borate test to the US. I know the lamotte test strip could be used, but I'd like to use a drop based version if possible. It seems like it could be replicated with mannitol and Bromthymol blue. Does anyone have a suggestion for where to obtain these reagents in the USA? Do they have specific concentrations? Is the amount of mannitol critical (spoon size)?
 
S-0009 is Bromothymol blue indicator dye while S-0010 is powdered mannitol. Neither are listed as hazardous materials so I don't know what restrictions they are referring to, but they do say here the following:

**Because of US postal restrictions, we are no longer able to ship this product to the USA**
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I've written to them about it so we'll see what they say.
 
Thanks for the quick replies - didn't know about the Taylor test. The instructions aren't online, so I don't know how easy it is to perform, relatively.

I'm also curious about the postal reg issue, thanks for inquiring.

I like the idea of reusing k-200x reagents for economy.
 
Richard320 said:
Taylor has a test kit http://www.taylortechnologies.com/produ ... KitID=2583

The numbering is different, but they do sell two different reagent refills, also.
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That's a kit for a colorimeter. The Taylor K-1541 is the drop-based test kit but it is very expensive and too sensitive for what is needed to measure to within 10 ppm. The Taylor test measures within 0.2 or 0.5 ppm so would take a lot of reagent for testing 50 ppm (the instructions only go up to 5-15 ppm).

I got a response from Apollo Pools and apparently someone told them they couldn't ship liquids via USPS, but that isn't true. I've sent them the requirements from USPS. For their small non-hazardous non-flammable < 4 fluid ounce liquid volumes it just requires screw-top bottles which they are using and an exterior label of "Fragile:Liquid" and identifying the liquid contents. We'll see what they say. They only stopped shipping to the U.S. a couple of months ago after someone warned them not to send liquids via USPS.
 
Since we are on the topic of the borate drop test, I cannot get the sample to turn yellow after adding S-009 reagent. I follow the instructions but the addition of S-009 doesn't cause the sample to turn yellow. That said, I can continue on following the instructions and everything else works fine, sample turns yellow with the powder, and I get the expected result. But do we have any ideas why I don't get yellow early on as the instructions indicate I should?

Thanks.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
 
I got the kit and it was useful - I had thought using "capfuls" of gentle spa was inaccurate, and retrospectively, indeed it was. I will use a scale going forward. I am happy with the test kit. On a slightly related note, you can add me to the list of folks who saw a non trivial pH rise after adding Gentle Spa.

HofstraJet - Sorry, I don't know the answer as to why your test doesn't turn yellow until you add the powder.
 

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