Why are Taylor test kits preferred?

[droidian]

Thanks and you are right about our Louisiana winter weather conditions. I'm not waiting on the SWCG, which by the way is a Goldline with a burnt varsistor, I am managing with MA and 6% bleach as needed, testing often with my Rainbow kit. One last question concerning the Rainbow kit which I would just as soon keep and replace the reagents but do I need to be concerned abut the test vials and the validity of the different color gradients? The colors look bright and crisp and while not stored in ideal temperature conditions the kit has been stored in a dark to very low light condition for the most part, but is that a concern? Speaking of the Goldline I have received a replacement varsistor and hope to get the replacement completed this weekend so I can get it up and running again. Great advice and thanks again!

[PoolDoc]

I'm not sure which kit, with which reagents, you have. OTO and cyanuric acid reagent should be fine. Phenol red, if it's not discolored, should be fine.

Don't know what else you have.

[droidian]

My kit has five bottles of reagent numbered 1 - 5. I test for chlorine, TA, pH, acid demand with it but no CYA, which I have been told by a pool store only needs to be tested for once a year. I am more concerned about the test vials and colors being accurate enough for comparison.

[aylad]

Hi, and welcome from a fellow Louisianian!!

Your CYA needs to tested once a year if you're not using any stabilized products (like dichor powder or trichlor tabs) and not adding any CYA itself--but if you're using any of those things, or if you have a lot of splashout or backwash frequently, it needs to be tested more often so you can make sure you're keeping the right amount of chlorine in the pool. I find that in our climate, a higher CYA than normal works better for me, but it requires testing at least once a month to maintain it at the levels I like.

[droidian]

Thanks Janet! What test kit do you use and what would be your recommendation for a new test kit? Thanks again for the kind welcome.

[Watermom]

I'm not Janet but ............ the kit we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C which has larger bottles of the reagents. If you get it through the link in my signature line below (or Ben's or Janet's), then the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale which helps keep us online. (Only order if the seller listed is Amato Industries. Some other sellers sometimes substitute the K-2005 which you do not want.)

Hope you enjoy being a part of our forum!

[aylad]

I second Watermom's advice. The kit I use is one that is no longer available from this site, but is essentially the same as the K-2006, and uses the same Taylor reagents. The best thing about the K-2006 kit is the ability to accurately measure high levels of chlorine, which is a requirement to either run a high- CYA pool or to clear up an algae bloom. That's why you don't want the K-2005-- it does not have that ability.)

Janet