My new house with a pool

[SBR_GUY]

I just purchased a house with a pool 10+yrs old.

Anyway My chemical levels are. Cl=2.5 , Alkalinity 165 , PH 7.5 give or take, after adding 2 quarts of acid over 2 days. I want to try the BBB method except my friend who is a pool guy came over and said HEY Pool RX is ticket and gave me one, so stupid me put it in.

So I am looking for some advice on what to do.

[PoolDoc]

1. Keep your chlorine levels above 2 ppm all the time.

2. Disconnect / remove the PoolRX -- it adds copper to your pool. You probably do NOT want to do that -- copper stains are a PAIN to remove, and there are better ways to deal with algae.

3. Order a K2006 kit -link below in my blue signature block. Accurate testing is the cornerstone of easy pool care -- and test strips are anything but accurate.

[SBR_GUY]

1. Keep your chlorine levels above 2 ppm all the time.

2. Disconnect / remove the PoolRX -- it adds copper to your pool. You probably do NOT want to do that -- copper stains are a PAIN to remove, and there are better ways to deal with algae.

3. Order a K2006 kit -link below in my blue signature block. Accurate testing is the cornerstone of easy pool care -- and test strips are anything but accurate.

I have a DPD test kit (Taylor K-1004). It has been very windy here the past few days, so I checked my Cl and PH last night. The Cl was >2 and the PH was >8. I added a quart of acid. OH by the way my pool is about 15000gal and it is plaster with a jacuzi that overflows into the pool. The pool also has the pop up heads that are suppose to clean it (this works ok, but I still brush it and skim the tumbleweeds LOL).

[PoolDoc]

OK. You need to go get a cheap OTO kit.

The Taylor DPD drops only read to about 5 ppm Cl. But, at levels around 10 - 15 ppm Cl, the reading will begin to drop, and by 25 ppm, will read 0 ppm. In this same range, the phenol red will be converted to chlorophenol red -- a different indicator -- and will read high. Unlike DPD drops, OTO will NOT bleach out. If you get an OTO orange result (not shown on the test block) you need to disregard your pH reading, until your chlorine drops below 10 ppm.

There is another alternative. Diluting pool water with distilled (not: "bottled", "spring", "artesian well", etc) water will not change the pH enough to notice. Go to Walmart, get BOTH an OTO / phenol red kit (yellow/red drops) AND a gallon of distilled water. Mix pool water 50:50 with distilled water, and retest. Your DPD reading should drop by 1/2: if it goes UP, your chlorine is very high. Your pH reading should be unchanged: if it changes, trust the diluted reading more than the original reading.

The DPD-FAS test does not suffer these problems.

You need an OTO kit for quick and dirty readings, and a DPD-FAS kit for accurate ones.

[SBR_GUY]

OK. You need to go get a cheap OTO kit.

The Taylor DPD drops only read to about 5 ppm Cl. But, at levels around 10 - 15 ppm Cl, the reading will begin to drop, and by 25 ppm, will read 0 ppm. In this same range, the phenol red will be converted to chlorophenol red -- a different indicator -- and will read high. Unlike DPD drops, OTO will NOT bleach out. If you get an OTO orange result (not shown on the test block) you need to disregard your pH reading, until your chlorine drops below 10 ppm.

There is another alternative. Diluting pool water with distilled (not: "bottled", "spring", "artesian well", etc) water will not change the pH enough to notice. Go to Walmart, get BOTH an OTO / phenol red kit (yellow/red drops) AND a gallon of distilled water. Mix pool water 50:50 with distilled water, and retest. Your DPD reading should drop by 1/2: if it goes UP, your chlorine is very high. Your pH reading should be unchanged: if it changes, trust the diluted reading more than the original reading.

The DPD-FAS test does not suffer these problems.

You need an OTO kit for quick and dirty readings, and a DPD-FAS kit for accurate ones.

OK so if I get the DPD-FAS kit (Taylor K-2006c) I should be ok?? or should I still get the OTO? Sorry for all the questions, but I want to have a trouble free pool. OH also my TA is about 160ppm.

[PoolDoc]

Get the OTO, so you can have some reliable, if not super accurate, testing now. Later, the OTO will allow you to do very quick and easy testing (almost strip-like) in between K2006 full testing.

Oh. And don't over-test CYA: the K2006 is sort of short on CYA tests. This isn't a problem for experienced users, since they know CYA doesn't change rapidly or need to be tested every time. But new users sometimes blow through all the CYA tests in their first month, and have to buy refills.

[SBR_GUY]

Get the OTO, so you can have some reliable, if not super accurate, testing now. Later, the OTO will allow you to do very quick and easy testing (almost strip-like) in between K2006 full testing.

Oh. And don't over-test CYA: the K2006 is sort of short on CYA tests. This isn't a problem for experienced users, since they know CYA doesn't change rapidly or need to be tested every time. But new users sometimes blow through all the CYA tests in their first month, and have to buy refills.

I have not tested CYA yet, but i will this weekend or tonight. The privious owner was using chlorine tabs so im sure it has some CYA in it.

So which kit the K-1000 or the K-1003

[SBR_GUY]

Now I have acsess to a HACH DR/2400 spectrophotometer. I am going to borrow it tonight to test my Cl and use the HACH handheld meter to test my PH. :)

[PoolDoc]

That's fine.

But make sure you do a double buffer calibration on the pH meter. Regardless of their cost, pH meters are USELESS without calibration OR if they have old or plugged electrodes.

And keep in mind that if you use the HACH DPD method . . . it is subject to the EXACT same problems as the Taylor 1004.

If you have a spec, you probably can do accurate dilutions. Test with OTO drops first: a DARK yellow OTO result is probably out of range for the HACH; orange certainly is. If you get a dark yellow or orange result, do a 1:3 dilution with distilled water, and multiply the HACH result x4 .

[BigDave]

Don't let that gizmo stop you from ordering a K-2006. The FAS-DPD titration test will give you accurate, repeatable (useful) readings. Maybe you could do a comparison and let us know how well it works.

[SBR_GUY]

Don't let that gizmo stop you from ordering a K-2006. The FAS-DPD titration test will give you accurate, repeatable (useful) readings. Maybe you could do a comparison and let us know how well it works.

LOL. I was going to get the K-2006 anyway and then do the comparison test.

[SBR_GUY]

That's fine.

But make sure you do a double buffer calibration on the pH meter. Regardless of their cost, pH meters are USELESS without calibration OR if they have old or plugged electrodes.

And keep in mind that if you use the HACH DPD method . . . it is subject to the EXACT same problems as the Taylor 1004.

If you have a spec, you probably can do accurate dilutions. Test with OTO drops first: a DARK yellow OTO result is probably out of range for the HACH; orange certainly is. If you get a dark yellow or orange result, do a 1:3 dilution with distilled water, and multiply the HACH result x4 .

I calibrated it this morning using a 4PH, 7PH & 10PH buffer. It cal'ed to with in .02 of each other. This HACH will test to 10 Cl anything above that will be off scale high.
This is the HACH we have. http://www.equipcoservices.com/rentals/water_quality/spectrophotometers.html

I work as an Operator at a Power Plant and we make our own Demineralized water and Potable water plus we have to do our own Boiler water testing. We have lots of cool testing equipment. LOL

[PoolDoc]

Dave, given that somebody probably paid upwards of $2,000 for that thing . . . they might object to referring to it as a "gizmo".

But your point is correct. I fought that battle many times, with pool operators who struggled to accept the idea that they were going to calibrate an $8,000 pool controller with a $25 test kit. Spectrophotometer don't suffer the same sort of inherent 'drift' troubles controls or instruments using pH, ORP, or thin film electrodes -- but they are subject to a variety of other systemic errors. All too often, equipment operators fail to validate them, and then use them to generate useless or even dangerous results.

But, properly calibrated, such systems are capable of producing results almost as good as old-style buret titrations!

[BigDave]

... they might object to referring to it as a "gizmo".Fine. Sorry. Doohickey then.


... lots of cool testing equipment.And a Station Chemist as well I'd guess - convienient.

I owe you an apology SBR_GUY, I read your post too quickly and presumed that your poolRX friend had loaned you a strip reader (Hach makes 'em). My bad. We good?

Glad to hear you're ordering the K-2006, I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

[SBR_GUY]

fine. Sorry. Doohickey then.

And a station chemist as well i'd guess - convienient.

I owe you an apology sbr_guy, i read your post too quickly and presumed that your poolrx friend had loaned you a strip reader (hach makes 'em). My bad. We good?

Glad to hear you're ordering the k-2006, i'm sure you'll be happy with it.

lol. I never did like the strips. We do have those here at work also, but I refuse to use them.

OH and its NOT a doohickey its a Chingadera. LMAO

[SBR_GUY]

Don't let that gizmo stop you from ordering a K-2006. The FAS-DPD titration test will give you accurate, repeatable (useful) readings. Maybe you could do a comparison and let us know how well it works.

OK. I did my tests last night and here are the results. YES i added 1 chlorine tab (Trichloro-s-triazinetrione), when i get home im gonna test again and remove the tab and add liquid, we have 500 gallon totes of the stuff here at work.

HACH: .8 TC, .9 FC, .1 CC.
TAYLOR: 1-2 Cl, .5-1 CC, 7.7 PH, 120 TA.
ULTRAMETER II: 7.49 PH.

[SBR_GUY]

Get the OTO, so you can have some reliable, if not super accurate, testing now. Later, the OTO will allow you to do very quick and easy testing (almost strip-like) in between K2006 full testing.

Oh. And don't over-test CYA: the K2006 is sort of short on CYA tests. This isn't a problem for experienced users, since they know CYA doesn't change rapidly or need to be tested every time. But new users sometimes blow through all the CYA tests in their first month, and have to buy refills.

How do my reading look Doc.

HACH: .8 TC, .9 FC, .1 CC.
TAYLOR: 1-2 Cl, .5-1 CC, 7.7 PH, 120 TA.
ULTRAMETER II: 7.49 PH.

[nefretrameses]

I think that if you want to compare your Taylor results to an accurate tester of another type, you would use the 25 ml sample. This will give you a CL(FL and CC) reading in 0.2 ppm increments. I don't' get your reported "1-2 CL, .5 - 1 CC.

At any rate, how your FC reading looks depends ENTIRELY on your CYA. Post that reading

[SBR_GUY]

I think that if you want to compare your Taylor results to an accurate tester of another type, you would use the 25 ml sample. This will give you a CL(FL and CC) reading in 0.2 ppm increments. I don't' get your reported "1-2 CL, .5 - 1 CC.

At any rate, how your FC reading looks depends ENTIRELY on your CYA. Post that reading

The 1 - 2 Cl reading is based off the color chart in the Taylor test kits. The HACH spectrophotometer and the Ultrameter read down to .00 Also im not trying to be an ass, but read up on these testers then you will know more than you are commenting about. HACH D 2400 spectrophotometer and the Ultrameter II

As for the CYA I dont have a kit that reads that yet. Hope to make it to the store in the next few days to get one.


Taylor reads:
.5 - 1
1 - 2
ect.....