Taylor K-1766 test kit results way off

[Black Diamond]

Long story short, I bought an eSeasongear Salt-3050 meter and their 3000ppm calibration fluid, as I was looking for a reliable tester for my new saltwater pool. The meter runs a little higher (100-200 ppm) than my AquaLink system and about 200ppm higher versus local pool store tests. My Aqualink actually had to get recalibrated shortly after pool startup because it was off (low) by about 600ppm.

I figured I'd order a Taylor K-1766 test kit to compare against my meter, since Taylor is considered the gold standard in testing. Two tests produced 4400ppm and 3800ppm. These are clearly way off. The dates on the reagents are good. I'm surprised and disappointed. I'll be returning the kit.

I definitely followed directions and the first change to a creamy light red was when I stopped counting.

Has anyone else had similar results with this kit?

Thanks!

 

[Jimrahbe]

BD,

Sorry, but I don't understand your post title.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[HermanTX]

Long story short, I bought an eSeasongear Salt-3050 meter and their 3000ppm calibration fluid, as I was looking for a reliable tester for my new saltwater pool. The meter runs a little higher (100-200 ppm) than my AquaLink system and about 200ppm higher versus local pool store tests. My Aqualink actually had to get recalibrated shortly after pool startup because it was off (low) by about 600ppm.

I figured I'd order a Taylor K-1766 test kit to compare against my meter, since Taylor is considered the gold standard in testing. Two tests produced 4400ppm and 3800ppm. These are clearly way off. The dates on the reagents are good. I'm surprised and disappointed. I'll be returning the kit.

I definitely followed directions and the first change to a creamy light red was when I stopped counting.

Has anyone else had similar results with this kit?

Thanks!

My results with a Taylor 1766 kit has been great. I go to the Salmon color as noted on the instructions. You may want to try again.

 

[Jimrahbe]

BD,

It was you and not the Taylor 1766 kit.

What kind of results did you get? I suspect that you used a 25 ml sample when it should be 10 ml. The instructions are written in a way that makes that very easy to happen.

You are not the first one.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[generessler]

My Taylor kit has always been totally consistent and within 100 ppm of my AquaPure SWG's sensor, which is now 2 years old. It's probably the easiest test to get consistent results from due to the stark color change. Something isn't right about your report. Any chance the tube (or Speed Stir pellet if you use one) weren't clean?

 

[pjt]

I definitely followed directions and the first change to a creamy light red was when I stopped counting.

Are you manually stirring or do you have a SpeedStir?

The titration tipping point to a salmon color is very obvious.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I’d trust the K1766 results over the meter or your SWG any day. You’re assuming because your meter was calibrated with a standard that that is the same thing as measuring sodium chloride content … it is not. Your SWG and TDS meter are proxy measurements - electrical conductivity is assumed to be linear to sodium chloride concentration. That might be true for a very small range around the calibration point of a standard but it typically fails when trying to measure a large range in pool water.

The K-1766 test is literally measuring chloride (Cl-) ion concentration. Every drop of titrating reagent removes a given amount of chloride. There is absolutely no other ions involved in the reaction and so the test is only measuring chloride. Therefore the number of drops needed to remove all of the chloride ions is absolutely proportional to the salt content. It’s an analytical chemistry test that has been around for well over hundred years before the invention of the light bulb. It is, in the world of wet chemistry, considered a “gold standard” of analytical tests.

So, while I’m certainly a fan of modern technology, electronic probes in this instance are almost always wrong. Now it is possible that your reagents were comprised during shipping but you can test that easily by buying a sodium chloride standard and using the kit to measure that. If it turns out to be close, your kit is fine and your meter is bad.

Never believe an SWG readout either, they are worse than TDS meters.

 

[HermanTX]

I’d trust the K1766 results over the meter or your SWG any day. You’re assuming because your meter was calibrated with a standard that that is the same thing as measuring sodium chloride content … it is not. Your SWG and TDS meter are proxy measurements - electrical conductivity is assumed to be linear to sodium chloride concentration. That might be true for a very small range around the calibration point of a standard but it typically fails when trying to measure a large range in pool water.

The K-1766 test is literally measuring chloride (Cl-) ion concentration. Every drop of titrating reagent removes a given amount of chloride. There is absolutely no other ions involved in the reaction and so the test is only measuring chloride. Therefore the number of drops needed to remove all of the chloride ions is absolutely proportional to the salt content. It’s an analytical chemistry test that has been around for well over hundred years before the invention of the light bulb. It is, in the world of wet chemistry, considered a “gold standard” of analytical tests.

So, while I’m certainly a fan of modern technology, electronic probes in this instance are almost always wrong. Now it is possible that your reagents were comprised during shipping but you can test that easily by buying a sodium chloride standard and using the kit to measure that. If it turns out to be close, your kit is fine and your meter is bad.

Never believe an SWG readout either, they are worse than TDS meters.

Probably the best overview of the salt test that I have seen. Thanks @JoyfulNoise

 

[gingrbredman]

I was looking for a reliable tester for my new saltwater pool

Just echoing what was mentioned above, but the Taylor Salt test is by far the most reliable method for testing salt levels in the water.

Of all the tests that I do on a daily or weekly basis, the salt test is one of the easiest to perform, and surely one of the easiest to interpret.

The titration tipping point to a salmon color is very obvious.

And very quick once it does it. It's not like a shade of color change, like sometimes with the TA test, once it is done, bam! its changed color and there is no doubt the test is complete.

And once you get your results and understand your pool chemistry, you really should not have to test this daily, or even really every week. Salt levels do not swing as much as chlorine, or PH. I test my salt probably every three weeks but it changes very little over the course of the season.

So, while I’m certainly a fan of modern technology, electronic probes in this instance are almost always wrong

I too am a fan of the new tech, but for this test, the probe is not only not as reliable, but for the time and effort on calibration, storage, etc., when the Taylor salt test is SO EASY, why even bother with the gadgets for this test?

I'd lean towards returning the meter rather than the Taylor test.

 

[Black Diamond]

Thank you for your replies. I appreciate the feedback. Although the expiration dates are at least a year out, I think I may have a bad reagent.

1) The pool is only several months old, and there have been 10-12 fourty pound bags of salt added (18,000 gallon pool), so that equates to somewhere between 3000-3200 ppm of salt. The results from two K-1766 tests were 4400 and 3600 ppm.

2) I watched several videos on administering and reading the tests, so I know I am performing the tests correctly.

3) As I add drops, despite swirling, clumps of silver begin to accumulate at the bottom. I assuming this is normal?

4) I noticed when I add the 15th or 16th drop, the solution looks like it will change to the salmony red color, but quickly disappears once I swirl the solution reverting back to the whitish appearance.

I will try two more tests this afternoon and report back.

Thank you!

 

[pjt]

Thank you for your replies. I appreciate the feedback. Although the expiration dates are at least a year out, I think I may have a bad reagent.

1) The pool is only several months old, and there have been 10-12 fourty pound bags of salt added (18,000 gallon pool), so that equates to somewhere between 3000-3200 ppm of salt. The results from two K-1766 tests were 4400 and 3600 ppm.

2) I watched several videos on administering and reading the tests, so I know I am performing the tests correctly.

3) As I add drops, despite swirling, clumps of silver begin to accumulate at the bottom. I assuming this is normal?

4) I noticed when I add the 15th or 16th drop, the solution looks like it will change to the salmony red color, but quickly disappears once I swirl the solution reverting back to the whitish appearance.

I will try two more tests this afternoon and report back.

Thank you!

Get a SpeedStir. Your testing (both with the K-1766 and routine test kit) will be much faster, more accurate, and consistent.

Amazon.com

 

[irvingtho]

Thank you for your replies. I appreciate the feedback. Although the expiration dates are at least a year out, I think I may have a bad reagent.

1) The pool is only several months old, and there have been 10-12 fourty pound bags of salt added (18,000 gallon pool), so that equates to somewhere between 3000-3200 ppm of salt. The results from two K-1766 tests were 4400 and 3600 ppm.

2) I watched several videos on administering and reading the tests, so I know I am performing the tests correctly.

3) As I add drops, despite swirling, clumps of silver begin to accumulate at the bottom. I assuming this is normal?

4) I noticed when I add the 15th or 16th drop, the solution looks like it will change to the salmony red color, but quickly disappears once I swirl the solution reverting back to the whitish appearance.

I will try two more tests this afternoon and report back.

Thank you!

Are you using a 25 ml or 10 ml sample?

 

[Black Diamond]

10 ml. I ran another test this afternoon, and got a reading of 3600ppm again. I decided to keep the kit as another reference point, but it seems like it's running high by 300-350ppm.

 

[Bperry]

10 ml. I ran another test this afternoon, and got a reading of 3600ppm again. I decided to keep the kit as another reference point, but it seems like it's running high by 300-350ppm.

Accuracy tolerance is +\- 200ppm. Depending on how accurate your pool size is, even 2000 gallons less puts 12 bags at 3600ppm. Add in any sodium added from chlorine, sweat, etc and it looks like it’s right in the range.

 

[proavia]

A speedstir will make the salt test - and all your other drop tests much more accurate and repeatable.

The variances you are experiencing are due to inconsistent testing methods - mainly manually swirling/mixing.

 

[Lake Placid]

How have you been chlorinating over the last several months? How much chlorinating agent have you applied? Salt is a residual byproduct to some degree or another when chorinating. It’s highly probable your 12 bags added 3200 ppm salt to a pool that already contained 400 ppm or more of salt due to chlorination by other means.

 

[MichaelT20]

Did you test your salt level before adding the salt? My pool is also new and when they added my salt I expected more bags then they used. They informed me my salt was already around 500 - I had assumed it would be zero.

Your discrepancy might be that you had a bit of salt in your pool already when the bags were added that you didn’t account for?