Water testing for dummies

For two years, I have dutifully packed up my PS233 and gone out to sit by the pool and run all my tests. (when I'm doing the full test...not daily)

I pour in the 10ml for Cl, then the 25ml for Alk andCH, and then the CYA test. getting up and down from my nice seat and dumping and refilling. When it's raining...that's unpleasant.

I come home from a trip and my wife is at the kitchen table doing the following....She took a 16oz paper cup out to the pool, filled it with water and then came into the kitchen. Sitting comfortably indoors, she opened the PS233 and then took a 300ml syringe (needleless) and sucked in water from the cup.

She then took that water and, dead accurately, filled the tubes for each test from the syringe. No mess, perfectly accurate, and no getting up and down to refill from the pool.

Tests complete, she dumped all the water in the sink and looked at me with a smile.......(naturally, I told her I was about to think of that procedure myself :D )

I'm sure you smart folks are already doing something similarly convenient, but it was a real epiphany for me. I had to post to demonstrate how easy it is to overlook the obvious. :) :)

Um, sorry Dave, but I've done that for years when the weather is rotten--cold, hot, rainy, T-storm brewing....
;)
I just grab a stainless steel bucket of water about half full and use that. When it's really hot, I'll do that, then go sit under the umbrella to run the tests, nicely in the shade.

The syringe idea, though is a really good one!

The PS234 kit came with a handy pool sample bottle that has a flip top lid (like a shampoo bottle) that makes it very convenient to squirt just enough water into the tubes. The pool store had given me one too for bringing in a water sample (that says Baquacil on it). They work great.

Peter

I've been doing this with a dropper for some time with my drop test kits (PS234S on order). I sit inside with the following...

sample water bottle
dropper
waste water container
shop towel
bright white background (for reading results... piece of paper does fine)

it's a better, more controlled environment with consistent lighting. At the end of each test I log it into my PC spreadsheet (I'm trying to get better control over my pool water chemistry this year).

What I find still a bit cumbersome still is rinsing the test tubes between each test and at the end. Oh... since I'm on septic (no sewers in our development), I can't dump the waste down the sink. Instead I dump it on my patio where I don't want things growing between the pavers.

I've always used one of those plastic bottles with a narrow spout that is used to apply hair color (guess it's because I'm still a licensed Barber and Cosmetologist and have a lot around;)) The ones with the black tip by Clairol work really great because the opening in the tip is very narrow and you have very precise control of how much water comes out. (you can find them at a beauty supply store and sometimes in drugstores) My brother uses one of those red plastic ketchup squeeze bottles that you fill yourself (like you see sometimes in restaurants). It works great also. I do my water testing in the garage right next to the utility sink on the counter so I can just pour everything down the drain when I'm finished. I'm on septic also but I don't think the tiny quantities are going to have any effect on the system. A LOT more DPD goes down the drain if you wash hair color off your head in the shower! (DPD is also one of the dyes used in permenant haircolor along with other deriviatives of phenylene diamine) As a side note, some of the water test kits for my aquariums came with syringes for dispensing the water when you test to make it easier to get an accurate sample.

So for two years now you folks have been withholding valuable info. Thanks!! My wife is still basking while Mr. Sheepish is out cleaning the pool!! :D :D

Don't feel bad... at least you learned! I used a turkey baster for the last 3 years then went inside to perform all the tests. I always felt like a scientist filling those glass tubes!! Now with my new PS234 Ben has included a bottle so I'll give my turkey baster to my husband for his garage gunk. :p

I use a paper cup and a medicine dispensing syringe that we have overrunning our house, the one Walgreens give you when you have a sick child. I bring it in to my computer desk and am undisturbed while I do my testing. Quick, fast, and neat.

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Originally Posted by duraleigh

So for two years now you folks have been withholding valuable info. Thanks!! My wife is still basking while Mr. Sheepish is out cleaning the pool!!

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Be sure to tell her thanks, the check just cleared!;)

Actually, it's more like not telling you "Don't hit a beehive with a baseball bat". :eek: Seemed kinda obvious.:rolleyes:

Just playin' with ya!:D

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Originally Posted by duraleigh

For two years, I have dutifully packed up my PS233 and gone out to sit by the pool and run all my tests. (when I'm doing the full test...not daily)

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Dave,

I am so glad you posted this! I had been doing the same thing as you, but after I read this, I got out a squirt bottle and a dropper and started doing my testing at the kitchen table. It's so much easier! I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner...

Thanks!
Nicole