I hate being Color Blind - Strange Test Results

[tabjraxa]

Janet,

I had much the same result with the TA test when I did it at home. But I didn't know what it meant.

Put in the 2 then the 5 drops and the water turned a strange color ... the Leslie's guy described it as gray/black ... thus the reason he said the TA was low.

Does this color mean anything to you?

Thanks,
T.

[tabjraxa]

Oh ... side question:

I have a Fiberglass Pool.

And, should I divert the water away from the Heater while this TA is goofy and the PH is low?

Thanks,
T.

[aylad]

The TA test should go from green to red or sometimes blue to yellow (have you used any non-chlorine shock?) so I'm not sure that gray means there is low TA. Did you add any of the reagent to see if there was a color change from the gray? I don't mean to insult you, but have you checked to make sure that you're adding the right reagents and how old are they? Have you tried checking the TA of your fill water to see if you get the same result?

I've never had it turn gray or black, but I'm still not convinced that just means the TA is low......

And yes, if you can divert the water away from the heater, I would until you get the pH and TA straightened out.........

Janet

[tabjraxa]

Janet,

Don't worry about my ego ... I've been color-blind all my life ... so I'm kinda used to these questions.

As for the testing ... I did the test last eve, with new reagents, and the wate turned the same color as they did in the store when he tested them today.

But, I'm going to go home and try again. I'll also try to test the tap water to see what happens there.

Check back in an hour or so ... I'll have new results. I didn't trust the results either, thus my reasons for asking here.

Thanks for your help ...
T.

[aylad]

I'll check back in a little bit--the kids are headed to the pool now......I'll be interested in seeing what your tap water does vs. your pool water....

Janet