How to interprete Taylor Kit results

[mphare]

I bought my K2005 a week ago, so I'm still on the learning curve.

But what I get as readings are not inline with my pool store readings.

I get a pH of about 7.6, they got 8.2

I get a TA of about 150, they get the same

I get a CH of 500~600, they got 375.

I get a CYA of 70~80, they got 50

We both get a TC/FC of 5

I went ahead and put in some muriatic acid to lower pH. I constantly aerate, so I was going to lower it to 7.2-ish anyway so I could reduce my TA.

The CH test has me all bamboozled.
What they did at the pool store is to add the reagent until the water first begins to change from pink.. not until it completely changed to blue (which is why they get a lower reading than I do). But which is the correct method?

They have a different way to test CYA than comes with the K2005. They have a large-ish tube they mix in the reagent, and then move a sliding scale up and down to see when the dot disapears. The scale then show them the CYA level.

But I sometimes wonder if I'm still seeing the dot, or just think I'm seeing it because I know it's there.. I guess this will all come with time and experience.

[Watermom]

Trust your own readings. You are right about the Calcium hardness test. You are looking for the sample to completely turn blue. Definitely don't use any cal-hypo for your chlorine source. You don't want that reading to be any higher. Some people have cloudy water problems with it that high.

You're also right about the cya test being the most difficult to read and that the more times you do it, the easier it will get. Take a look at the chart at the following link. It shows needed chlorine levels based on your cya reading. Hope this helps you a little.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=365

[waterbear]

I work in a pool store (mostly testing water) and I can tell you that the test results you get are only as good as the person doing the test. I just took some water from my pool yesterday to be tested at a local competing pool store that is closer to my house than the one I work at (I had run out of CYA reagent and they carry it. The one I work at doesn't) and the young girl doing the tests was very sloppy. When she tested for FC I asked to see the comparator (I already knew what it was since I had just done it at home with the exact same Taylor comparator and reagents and it was also the same as my TC with an OTO test) and she read it 2 ppm lower than I did. Either my eyes are off or hers are! She also did the CH test until it just turned purple and got a lower reading than I did at home. This is ONE test that I really know how to do properly becuase I have been keeping saltwater reef aquariums for about 30 years now and that is a standard test for them! I KNOW I have more experience with that test then she does even if she had been doing it every day for the past few years! Watermom is right on the money when she said that the endpoint is a distinct blue.

The CYA test is a bit tricky until you get the knack. What I do is hold the tube at waist level in the shade as I add the mixture of reagent and water until the dot disappears. The tube with the sliding dot should give the same results if the test is done properly. Once again it is the procedure of the person doing the test that matters.

Bottom line is this....test your water yourself and believe your results. If you are not sure how to do a test you can get a lot of pointers here on the forum!

[waste]

I bought my K2005 a week ago, so I'm still on the learning curve.

But what I get as readings are not inline with my pool store readings.

I get a pH of about 7.6, they got 8.2

I get a TA of about 150, they get the same

I get a CH of 500~600, they got 375.

I get a CYA of 70~80, they got 50

We both get a TC/FC of 5

I went ahead and put in some muriatic acid to lower pH. I constantly aerate, so I was going to lower it to 7.2-ish anyway so I could reduce my TA.

The CH test has me all bamboozled.
What they did at the pool store is to add the reagent until the water first begins to change from pink.. not until it completely changed to blue (which is why they get a lower reading than I do). But which is the correct method?

They have a different way to test CYA than comes with the K2005. They have a large-ish tube they mix in the reagent, and then move a sliding scale up and down to see when the dot disapears. The scale then show them the CYA level.

But I sometimes wonder if I'm still seeing the dot, or just think I'm seeing it because I know it's there.. I guess this will all come with time and experience.

Mphare, I like the K2005, I've been using Taylor's complete high kit since 1990 for 'in field' testing - so I'm biased towards it. Everyone else here likes Ben's kit, which I believe is his private labled Taylor chems, so it has it's own topic here (makes perfect sense for the supplier of a test kit to have an area of his website devoted to his product, and is a heck of a lot more helpful than what you'd find on a 'Big Chem Co' website)

Anyway, you've got a couple ?'s, I've got some A's.
Re- cya test. I think the pool stores method may be a better indication of the actual #. When you or I do the test with the little squeeze bottle, we have to squirt it into the cl test chamber. When we'ree squirting, we are making lots of turbulence and entraining little air bubbles into the chamber, this makes the dot disappear quicker - solution; squirt until you lose the dot, then wait a couple of seconds and see if it reappears - if it does, slowly dribble the mixture down the side of the chamber until the dot goes away (repeat as necessary until the dot stays gone)

Re- calcium hardness test. You win this one, the test is not complete until the color change is permanent. Those little purple specks in the water aren't the endpoint, you may have to add 10+ more drops to get the entire sample to change to the end color (the higher the reading, the more 'in between' drops there are - for both CH and TA)

***Uncle Waste's Saturday Special (ask a ? and recieve a free tip)***

When you do the pH and cl test simultaniously, fill the comparator with water then hold the comparator by the cl side and shake out the pH side to the desired level (44 mL), add the 5 drops of phenol red (R-0004), rinse the cap in the pool and put it on the pH side(I find it easier to put the cap on 'backwards' - it seals just as well but is easier to play with). Then turn the comparator around and shake the cl side down to 9mL - add 5 R-0001 & 5 R-0002... etc. Once you've done the tests enough, you'll rarely have to 're-dip' because you splashed out too much water for the given test

It sounds to me that you've got a good grip on how to use the K-2005, should any other ?'s arise, give me a shout and I'll tell you what I can.

(FWIW- as soon as Ben's kits are ready for shipping, I'm going to be switching over to his, it's got wider range for cl & pH - watch for my 'learning curve' post on the kit's topic )

Congrats on the test kit, the pool and the desire to take good care of it, as evidenced by comming to the forum!

EDIT- When I started answering this, there were NO responses - I'm S-L-O-W

[KirstenHW]

Waste:
I have a Taylor K-2006 that I am looking for replacement reagents for today. What's the difference between the K-2005 & K-2006? How ciritical is it regarding Ben's kit having a wider range for Chlorine & pH and is it something to consider replacing my current kit for?

[Sherra]

Waste:
I have a Taylor K-2006 that I am looking for replacement reagents for today. What's the difference between the K-2005 & K-2006? How ciritical is it regarding Ben's kit having a wider range for Chlorine & pH and is it something to consider replacing my current kit for?

Maybe this will help answer a few of your questions....straight from Ben himself...
http://www.poolsolutions.com/kit/ps234_intro.html

[KirstenHW]

Thanks Sherra. I have a vinyl pool, no heater or chlorinators, so I won't be refilling on the calcium supplies. Along this line, Ben's reagent lifespan chart at http://www.poolsolutions.com/kit/ps2...gent_life.html has a row for the PH #1/ R-0004 (pH indicator phenol red) reagent, but makes no reference whatever to either the acid (R-0005) or base (R-0006) demand reagents. Anyone know what the expected life span on these are?

[waste]

Kirsten, good to see you participating in the forum. While I'm not sure as to the specific differences in the 2005 &2006 kits (I've only used the 2005), they may have played around with the reagents (my 2005 has reagents R0001 - R0013 inclussive - if your 2006 has some other number for any of the tests, that's the difference)
As for lifespan on the 0004 & 0005, it should be the same as the other 'clear' reagents in your kit. Of course care for the chems is key to getting good, reliable results - I personally keep my kit in a soft sided 'six pack' cooler to alieviate the temp extreams, keep it behind my seat to avoid direct sun and take it home when there's a chance of freezing in the fall, durring the winter it stays on a shelf in the hallway on the second floor of my condo. This may sound a bit excessive but if the reagents are no good, neither are the tests I perform, nor the dosing I do for my customers.
While we're on the subject, there was a post last year where someone had said that they 'had just bought new reagents, therefore knew they were good' - I pointed out that even if the dealer they bought the reagents from is honest and reputable (and not all are), how about whoever supplied the reagents to him? Unless you are buying direct from the source, you stand a chance of recieving 'bad' reagents.
Which brings me to your other ? (about why I'm going to replace my 2005 with Ben's kit and if yo should), the broader pH allows for quicker 'airation' to reduce alkalinity (you have to stay above the minimum on your pH test and being able to know that the ph is 7.0 speeds up the process - the 2005 has a bottom reading of 7.0, which could mean the pH is actually closer to 6.6). The ~ infinate cl readings allow more precise 'shocking' without messing with dilution to test. It is this and the 'trusting who sells you the reagents' that makes me want to switch to Ben's kit - if anybody here thinks that Ben would sell expired or otherwise 'bad' chems, they probably shouldn't be here. - Just MHO _ _ Waste

[waterbear]

The difference between the Taylor K-2005 and K-2006 is the K-2005 uses the DPD test for FC and TC (comparator block and prone to bleach out at high chlorine levels unless you dilute) while the K-2006 uses FAS-DPD for FC and CC (titration test...will not bleach out at high chlorine levels and much more accurate, same as in Ben's kit). The other tests in the kit are the same. As far as the acid and base demand tests...pretty much usless except maybe when acid starting a new plaster pool. The k-2006 has the same functionality of the PS234 except for the acid and base demand tests and includes an OTO test for chlorine and the pH comparator has a wider scale, which can come in useful. Ben's is just a better value for your dollar because he gives enough reagents to do more tests before you need to buy refills (escpecially CYA and the titrants!)