PS234 First Test results... Am I doing this correctly?

[leejp]

FC=39PPM (Yikes!!!)

• added a level scoop of DPD powder, not a rounded scoop correct?
• DPD #2 solution dropper bottle is VERY difficult to control! I get much smaller drops in rapid succession. The small drops come so fast that it's very hard to count the drops. I ran the test twice and tried to vary how I was squeezing the bottle, no luck. Is this supposed to be this difficult? I can't imagine EVER getting accurate results with this.

CC=1.5PPM

• I do smell a bit of chlorine so this is probably correct.
• The DPD #2 solution dropper bottle is easy to control (as with other dropper bottles in the kit) and drops look consistent in size with the other drop test kits I've had

PH = 7.5

ALK=120

• color goes from green to purple to red, normal?

CAL = 50

• color change is almost instantaneous

CYA ~ 20

• I can barely see the dot with all the solution in the tube. This is about what I expected since I opened to 0 CYA this year (according to guess strips). I've added but it's been quite cold here in the Northease and I suspect it'll be a while to dissolve.

Alll in all pretty straightforward but I'm really worried about the FC reading. I actually hope there's something wrong with my dropper bottle (what do I do if this is the case?)... again, the drops are MUCH smaller than from any other bottle in the kit.

[Watermom]

On your chlorine test, did you multiply each drop x .5? I thought perhaps you might have multiplied by 1 by accident. (Hopefully you did multiply by 1 which would make your cl level really only half as high as you report which wouldn't be nearly as damaging to your liner.)

[leejp]

Yes I did multiply by 0.5...

I think my reading may be incorrect because i have a defective DPD #2 dropper bottle. It's unlike any other one in the kit and I can't get a controlled drop. The drops are much smaller (1/2-1/3 the size of other bottles in the kit) and come in rapid succession. I'm not sure what to do at this point. Do I have a defective bottle?

[estermer]

I recieved my kit today and noticed the exact same thing with that dropper. It's very hard and the little drops come out very fast.

[korinian]

I had the same problem with the tip in my dropper. I spoke to Ben and he sent me another tip. The new tip took care of the problem. It works fine now.

[leejp]

I had the same problem with the tip in my dropper. I spoke to Ben and he sent me another tip. The new tip took care of the problem. It works fine now.

How do I do that (I don't have a phone) #)? eMail (he seems quite busy now filling test kit orders).

[korinian]

I sent him a PM through Poolforum.

[dhale1]

I had the same problem and after consulting with Ben it turned out the tip was dirty. I took a tissue and cleaned the tip and it has worked fine since. I'm not implying that this will work for everyone but it's worth a try.

[leejp]

I had the same problem and after consulting with Ben it turned out the tip was dirty. I took a tissue and cleaned the tip and it has worked fine since. I'm not implying that this will work for everyone but it's worth a try.

I sent Ben a PM. While I'm waiting for him to respond, I'll try what you suggest. I hope he's paying attention to this thread because it seems that several folks have had this issue.

[PoolDoc]

I'm going to send out an email to all kit owners later today, but we've just confirmed that we have sent out kits with a bunch of bad tips. Korinian and Waterbear noticed this first (THANKS K & W!), and I sent them new tips, and started testing all the tips here. At this point, we've tested hundreds of the tips, and are only shipping kits with tested tips. But, the problem is more complex than I first thought. I'll explain what I know below, but let me get to the bottom line, first.

First, WIPE your TIPS with a CLEAN tissue before each use. This will solve the problem most of the time.

Second, contact me, and include your mailing address, if you have tips that still make small drops even after wiping. We'll mail you hand-selected tips. But it appears that MOST or ALL of the tips we currently have need to be wiped every time. (What a pain!) This does not apply to the Taylor bottles in the PS200 kit.

Third, I'm going to send out all new tips, purchased directly from the manufacturer, to all PS234 owners, just as soon as I have them.

Here's what else you need to know:

1. Drop size is NOT controlled by the tips, but by surface tension. You want the largest drop possible. A messed up tip will ALWAYS produce drops that are too small.
2. Any dropper tip can be contaminated with dried chemicals, OR with a static charge, OR possibly with something we don't understand right now.
3. Wiping the contaminated tip with a clean tissue will almost always produce an improvement in drop size. In our testing here, 95% of 'messed up' tips would produce normal sized drops, if carefully wiped first.
4. About 5% of the tips we've tested have orifices (holes) that are too LARGE. This makes it hard -- but not impossible -- to produce proper drops, since the liquid tends to squirt out, rather than produce drops. Squeezing very slowly and gently (along with tip wiping) seems to work, though.
5. We've also found 3 or 4 tips with 'burrs' or rough places on the ends. These tips will produce undersize drops, no matter what.

I'm working frantically to better understand the difference between 'good' tips and 'bad' ones. There's more to it than what I've explained above, but there doesn't seem to be any general guide to understanding drop formation and tip design, so I'm having to puzzle things out.

I will send hand-selected tips, from our current stock, to anyone who has a tip that won't produce correct drops after wiping.


IMPORTANT: the tips we send this way will *STILL* need to be wiped! Wiping once doesn't solve the problem: even with the tips with burrs or oversize orifices removed, the tips we currently have are *way* too prone to needing wiping. I don't know why this is, but it appears it has something to do with the way the tip was made.

We're currently planning to send all new tips to EVERYONE with a PS234, and possibly, some of the PS233's made last year. Before I can do so, however, I have to FIND and GET new tips that are better.

I spent much of the day Thursday researching tips, and received some samples Friday. I've got to do some more testing today, but I expect to place an order with a manufacturer for 45,000 tips on Monday. 45,000 is *way* more than I need, but it's the minimum that will allow me to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Right now, it looks like the tips I'll be getting, will be coming from Canada. I'm not sure what delivery time will be, so I can't tell you when I'll send them out.

I'll be sending out a general email to kit owners later today, and will post that email here, after I send it.

Ben
"PoolDoc"