just to comment on your pH test. pH cannot accurately be done with high chlorine levels because it actually converts some or all of the phenol red indicator to chlorophenol red which tests for a much lower ph range (4.6 to 6.8). If your chlorine levels are high and your pH is testing high or off scall all you really know is that your pH is above 6.8! The taylor reagent for pH (and some others but not all) have a chlorine neutralizer built in that will work up to about 15 ppm chlorine. The only way to get an accurate test with high chlorine levels is with a properly calibrated pH meter or wait for the levels to drop and then test pH. The taylor is giving you more accurate results than your mini kit because of the reagent.
As far as your different results from the pool stores on FC and CC... DPD tests that many pool stores use can and will bleach out at levels of FC above about 10 ppm. FAS-DPD tests such as in the K-2006 do not have this problem until chlorine levels get very high. Some test strips will bleach out,some won't ....depends on the chemistries they are using in their reagents.

I would believe the results of FAS-DPD titration tests for chlorine and would believe the Taylor pH reagent as being the most accurate when the chlorine levels are high although it will still read higher than the actual pH until the levels of chlorine drop to below 15 ppm.


As far as the ALK results, these can vary a bit with Ph and some of the computer softeware makes this correction. IF the pH results are not accurate because of the interferance the calcualtions will be wrong. There is also an 'adjusted ALK' reading that many software programs give that compensates for the amount of CYA in the water and the pH of the water. This can introduce even more error if the pH results are bogus becuase of the chlorine interference.
Hope this helps clear things up a bit.