R-0014 Phenol Red

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flylegacy500

flylegacy500

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Jan 5, 2017
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Merritt Island, FL
What's the difference between these two PH testers shown in the picture? I was was using the one on the right but it was almost a year old so I switched to the one on the left. My readings are much higher with the sureCHECK (left one). Both came from TFTestkits. Did I order the wrong one at some point?

99103
 
flylegacy500 said:
What's the difference between these two PH testers shown in the picture? I was was using the one on the right but it was almost a year old so I switched to the one on the left. My readings are much higher with the sureCHECK (left one). Both came from TFTestkits. Did I order the wrong one at some point?
Click to expand...
What is the expiration date on them?
They are both R-0014

:Additional Info:
A quick Google search shows that expired or "bad" Phenol Red, can turn either yellow or purple and/or stain the bottle it's in. Based on that info, both of yours "look" good (can't see color of the right bottle reagent), BUT @moore887's is bad :D
 
splashpad said:
...
:Additional Info:
A quick Google search shows that expired or "bad" Phenol Red, can turn either yellow or purple and/or stain the bottle it's in. Based on that info, both of yours "look" good (can't see color of the right bottle reagent)...
Click to expand...
I take that back, if you look at the bottom of the right one, you can see it is decidedly darker than the left one, "almost" purple-ish

flylegacy500 said:
Left 04/20
Right 05/19
Click to expand...
That's about right then.
 
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My comparitor from the TFT kit purchased back in 2017 is a K-1000 Basic Residential Pool & Spa Test Kit (OT). Acid use is our pool has always been very prediticable after curing, so my gut feeling is something just isn't right with this bottle after running several different tests for about two weeks now. It's just not behaving like my last 4 or 5 bottles have always tested.

After using the new bottle, I added acid three days in a row with almost no bump down from 7.8. I'm going to pick up a new bottle from the local pool store tomorrow since they are so cheap just to compare. Could the acid be old since it's from mid 2018 and was first opened in December?
 
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flylegacy500 said:
My comparitor from the TFT kit purchased back in 2017 is a K-1000 Basic Residential Pool & Spa Test Kit (OT). Acid use is our pool has always been very prediticable after curing, so my gut feeling is something just isn't right with this bottle after running several different tests for about two weeks now. It's just not behaving like my last 4 or 5 bottles have always tested.

After using the new bottle, I added acid three days in a row with almost no bump down from 7.8. I'm going to pick up a new bottle from the local pool store tomorrow since they are so cheap just to compare. Could the acid be old since it's from mid 2018 and was first opened in December?
Click to expand...
Can you run the acid demand test?
 

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flylegacy500 said:
After using the new bottle, I added acid three days in a row with almost no bump down from 7.8. I'm going to pick up a new bottle from the local pool store tomorrow since they are so cheap just to compare. Could the acid be old since it's from mid 2018 and was first opened in December?
Click to expand...
Is it full strength MA?
MA in general does not "go bad", though it could lose potency if the cap was not closed properly.
 
Texas Splash said:
Not all comparators are created equal, therefore the viewing blocks can be different.
Click to expand...
But R-0014 should be R-0014, they can't swap with R-0004 (officially)


The only info I can't find, is when Phenol Red goes bad, does it give high or low reading?
I could just find how it looks, "A quick Google search shows that expired or "bad" Phenol Red, can turn either yellow or purple and/or stain the bottle it's in"
 
R-0014 is R-0014 despite whether it says it is for the surecheck comparator or residential series. You can not use R-0004 and R-0014 interchangeably. They are both phenol red, but in different concentrations. @flylegacy500 the only thing I can think of is that the one close to a year old may not be giving accurate results. Although, typically I do find the phenol red does last a little bit longer than a year. What is the expiration date on the older bottle of R-0014?
 
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In the interest of science, or more like it was driving me bonkers, I decided to pick up a fresh bottle of R-0014 today from the local pool store. Like the new one in my earlier picture, it also was the sureCheck variety and had an expiration of 10/20. I ran two tests with all three bottles and the one bought today matches my old one exactly, so I have determined I just had a bad replacement bottle suspecting that the calibrated orifice might be bad since it appears to drop in more solution than the other two. Thanks everyone for your help.
 
OTPirate has answered the question but I'll chime in on the last post.........the orifice is not particularly precise and doesn't do what many think it does......this answer includes EVERY dropper tip bottle in your test kits.....all of them.

It is the conical shape of the dropper tip that determines your drop size. The drop should fall (from gravity) off your tip.........not be pushed out through the orifice. Once the conical dropper tip can no longer hold the weight of the drop, a VERY uniform drop falls from the tip.

So, even though it is seemingly logical, the size of the orifice has virtually nothing to do with the drop size.
 
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