K-2006 Best Known Methods (bkms)

[Mark Davis]

Does anyone have a cheat-sheet? TIPs? Learnings over the years?

Do you test inside or out? I assume you scoop some water into a small container of some sort, then do all the testing inside?

Is there an optimal order to the tests for some reason?

The booklet that came with the thing is not very concise...it seems like it is going to be a time consuming process.

Saw this: http://www.rhtubs.com/store/labels/_taylor2006condensed.htm

Thanks, -mark

[chem geek]

You'll only be testing the chlorine and pH most frequently and even then once you get a feel for your spa you may test less frequently for those tests as well. The Calcium Hardness (CH) is important to get right initially and will be adjusted after a refill, but it then won't change and the Cyanuric Acid (CYA) changes very slowly (after building it up using Dichlor). Once you get your pH relatively stable, the Total Alkalinity (TA) won't change much either. In no time at all, you'll get into a rhythm with your spa and the chlorine and pH tests will get done quickly and easily.

[PaulR]

I find that a water bottle with a pop-top works well. Take the top off to take the sample, elbow deep. The pop-top makes it easy to control how much water I put in the sample tubes.

Rinse well between tests. Order of the tests doesn't matter (except when you're using the same sample of course, e.g. pH -> acid/base demand).

As chem geek said, once you get the CH and CYA straightened out you probably won't need to measure them again until your next refill. pH and FC are the important ones; at this point I don't even test TA more than every 2-3 weeks, and it really doesn't change much.

--paulr