Sorry; I was trying not to be aggressive. Honestly, it never occurred to me that anyone would buy the TF100, without having come from TroubleFreePools.com (TFP). And we've had a problem several times this year with people trying to run threads at both places, when there aren't enough experts to go around as it is, much less to handle two copies of the same question.

To give you a very brief version of the 'back story', I had a variety of problems that came to a head at the end of 2006 and resulted in my abandoning kit sales and the PoolForum site for 4 years. During that time, PoolForum members could use the forum, but no one new could join. TroubleFreePool was started during that time by people from here, to create an open forum. Also one of the guys began selling a copy of my kit as the TF100. I can't really complain since I'm no longer selling the my kits, but I don't promote it either.

Anyhow, the TF100 is a functional clone of my (discontinued) kit, and TFP is a pool forum that also teaches the ideas I first published on PoolSolutions. There's not exactly competition, since they are also teaching the "BBB Method", and since there are WAY more pool owners than there are people who can explain 'BBB'. Still, I do feel kinda weird about TFP.

I have no problem with you having one; I just assumed that since you'd bought one, you were active at TFP -- usually (but apparently not always!) that's true.

Regarding CYA levels, take the little sample bottle for the CYA test, and do the 50:50 mix of pool water and CYA reagent. Then set a clear OTO test block on a piece of white paper with a 1/8" round black dot on it. Align it, so you can see the dot THROUGH the block. Mix the 50:50 dropper bottle, wait 1 minute, mix again, wait 1 minute and then add the mix to the OTO block till you can no longer distinguish the dot from the white paper. Check the depth of soluion. If you've filled the block full, and the solution is clear, you have 0 CYA. If the solution is hazy, but you can still see the dot, you have 10 - 20 ppm. If the dot disappears, with 2" of water, you have around 40 ppm. If the dot disappears with 1" of water you have 60 - 90 ppm. If the dot disappears with less than 1/2" of water, you have over 100 ppm of CYA.

Again, I'm sorry that I came across aggressively; that was not my intention.