Just an epilogue to yesterday's "pro" water testing and my own K-2006 test results. Yesterday I tested my TA after The Pool Store said I had a TA of 150 and Pinch-a-Penny said my TA was 140 (and who also said I should dump a LOT of muriatic acid in to bring down the TA). My K-2006 said I had a TA of 90. My OTO test kit also had a TA test I could perform, and it said I had a TA of 90.

So today I took another water sample (without having done anything to my water since yesterday) to a different Pinch-a-Penny on the southside of my town. Guess what? According to them, my TA was *too low* (75) and I was supposed to add alkalinity increaser to my pool!

What a bunch of bologne!

In the cases of drop-based Pinch-a-Penny, I observe them *hurriedly* working through their various tests, and that leads, I believe, to a lot of imprecision when it comes to rinsing out their tubes and correctly measuring the amount of water they poor into their tubes and jars. For one Pinch-a-Penny to test my TA at almost one-half of what the other Pinch-a-Penny determined is just plain ludicrous.

How happy I am that I can do my own water testing, saving me from regular weekly trips to the pool stores! I'm going to save a TON of money doing my own testing and carefully adding *only what's needed* to my pool, rather than blindly following the "expert" advice of the pool stores!