Answers to several questions...
I probably will remove the high precision test reference; I'm not sure why I even put it in, really.
Good idea to note about interrupted tests.
"Hold up to white wall" is probably the simplest in this case. At almost every location, the test kits, logs, and a disposal drain are on a table in the pump room; a room which is equipped with Daylight bulbs to provide better color readings. These rooms all have at least one section of wall which is free of equipment and white. The locations which do not have this setup are locations where the testers know how to use the kit (having had their own pool before moving into a condominium).
Yes, I know I am mixing units. This is on purpose, because:
- The 16 pools and hot tubs I operate (and several more I assist with) range in age from 4 to 40 years old. At many locations, equipment such as flowmeters and pressure gauges only display US measurements. Replacement isn't required, and actually the ones that only display US are the expensive digital ones - and I really don't feel like referring to a conversion chart! If it wasn't for this, I would probably have everything in metric. I keep my logs and procedures the same across all locations to avoid confusing myself or others. And yes, I know pressure gauges are cheap to replace, but the larger, easy to read ones are generally only available in psi, especially the nice liquid filled ones that hold the needle still.
- CYA, FC, TC, and TA are freely read as mg/L rather than ppm if you prefer
- Chemical and liquid measurements are metric because all chemical instructions are in metric. Same goes in the Taylor instructions. Bioguard products are used at all locations. I and the helpers (an assistant, and the random strata people) find it easier to do all measurements in grams, record it in grams, and use a per-product weight to volume conversion chart I made up (attached, but needs updating for smaller amounts at one strata with a tiny hot tub). We mostly use a set of large kitchen measure spoons - I got some cheap plastic ones at the dollar store, which are the only ones the chemicals don't stick to. Powders stick to the expensive ones. I never needed the chart myself, I memorized the amounts long ago (Burnout 200g per cup, LoNSlo 330g per cup, etc) and am good enough at math to figure out how much I need easily. But when I got an assistant with a poor memory and slow math skills, I had to make these up, and now they are useful for the strata people as well.
The required testing is pH/FC/CC twice daily, and CYA/TA weekly. I do TA 2-3 times a week, usually. They do not care about CH, TDS, or anything else - that's up to operator. I don't have a TDS reader, so that is done whenever the water goes in for testing at the pool store. (Generally every 2-3 weeks, or whenever I feel there is a need to check the things I can't.) The evening testers are ONLY doing pH/FC/CC - the detailed sheets for TA and CYA are there (or going to be there) in case they phone me with a problem and I want them to check those; also to ensure the assistant I have (who currently handles a few of the easier to maintain pools about 90% on his own) does it properly - I sometimes wonder.
The "adjustment sheets" aren't done yet, and have to be made specific for each location (for varying pool/spa sizes). This was just the first bit of work I did. The sheets are what will cover the "knowing what to do with the results" part - certain absolute basic items will be covered - changing the chlorine feeder or (rarely) salt generator settings, adding pucks, adding pH decreaser or increaser in pre-set amounts, etc.
I actually removed water clarity (and water level) from the log a long time ago, finding it pointless to log. My pool maintenance routines keep the pools crystal clear for 49 days out of 50, and ever-so-slightly-cloudy for the other day. About once a year the water the water may get foggy enough that it might be possible that someone with severe eyesight problems could not completely make out the main drain. In other words, the water isn't crystal clear, but the main drain and any debris on the bottom is still easily seen at 5' deep. And I clear that up within a day or two. Only once in the last two years (at only one location) has the water ever actually gotten truly cloudy...and that was something nasty that we found out was brought back in someone's shorts from South America - ten triple-shocks of cal-hypo over 3 days had zero effect and zero FC. I had to drain the pool and acid wash it. The water makes the users very happy, of course!
One recent statement from a strata council: "For the last ten years our outdoor pool has been closed at least three times every summer - a week at a time - for algae or other problems, even with the salt system... and it's only open from late May to September! How did you manage to keep it open and clean all summer!?" Really makes me wonder what the old maintenance people were doing...
Also, for those who will look down on the pool store testing - I am working on changes. Up until this year, all testing was done with test strips, all supplies, chemicals, and parts came from one overpriced pool store, and water tests were done on a weekly basis at the pool store (in part so that problems with the pool could be blamed on them because "they said everything was fine" - WTF!). Big wastes of time and money, as far as I'm concerned - especially with how inaccurate their testing seems to be! I now use K-2006 kits, do not rely on or trust pool store tests, source parts and supplies from several suppliers, and am working on a report to convince the owner of the company to drop the sole-supplier and pool store testing model, let me order chemicals in bulk and split them up, and get me the tools I need (TDS meter, salt strips for the one pool still using an SWG that doesn't display the salt level, borate strips, etc). As I figure it, I can do it all myself, add a profit margin for the company (currently zero), and still save the stratas 20-30% on their chemical and parts costs.
Oh, I just realized the attached sheet is WRONG - it is an in-progress copy, apparently I forgot to save the final! Many of the numbers are incorrect on this sheet. Don't use it. Makes for a good example, though.
