taylor 2006 kit or test strips?

[THE DUDE]

Pretty sure i know the answer here but I'm being told locally not to trust the Taylor 2006 kit and just use strips. i have trouble seeing the difference in the orange and pink on the strips. I tested with my Taylor kit and also took in a sample. Their ph showed 7.2 and on my test i show between 7.8 and 8.0. It took 1 drop of acid demand to put it dead on 7.6in my taylor kit. I show a diclor around 9 ppm they show 5. Alkalinity for them and myself show 60. I just can't think these tests would be that far off and my kit is new with the reactants within date.I didn't show any diclor with my Taylor kit last night so i hit it kinda hard and expected the level to be up there this morning. I did run the pumps with the cover off as i tested this morning and thought maybe something changed between when  I did my test and captured the sample i took to them. When i got back home i tested it again and come up with the same ph, alky,as i did earlier and around 8 on my free chlorine. Can the reagents be that far off? There test says i can get in the tub, my tests say not yet diclor too high..

Just for background data , I filled the tub two days ago with fresh water after repairing the leak on my brand new  480 gallon tub. Added 16oz metal and stain remover right when I started the pumps. Waited until the water was around 96* and added a little calcium increaser which i show now at 120-130. They show the calcium at 200. think they are off on that also. I put in 2 oz of Leisure defender and 2.5 tablespoons of diclor. to start. I didn't use any oxidizer until last night. Other than that the water is crystal clear but its only two days old and no soaks yet. My CYA on the test kit this morning was around 30 if i read it correctly. The test place didn't test for that. I also use a nature 2 stick and have ozone running in the maintenance pump.

I used this same outfit a few years ago when i put in my daughters tub but they also now do not show as detailed report as they did back then.

I had them test my water two days after the first startup last week before finding the leak. I'm on city water, I didn't use any calcium increaser that time and they found my alky at 100 and calcium at 100. I would have thought they would have been closer to my current test as i only put in enough calcium booster for 25ppm. I thought i would spoon feed it and add more if I needed.

Can a Taylor test kit be that far off or did they just take it in the back and run a quick dip test? they tell me r i need 3/4 cup of spa up but if they are wrong my ph would be way high if i did.

[waterbear]

Trust your K-2006. How is the store testing? If they are using strips that would explain the discrepancy in test results. If you want to verify your test kit Taylor does sell standard solutions that you can test to determine if your testing method and/or reagents are good.

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

i have trouble seeing the difference in the orange and pink on the strips.

Many men have problems differentiating shades of red. This is a main reason why the FAS-DPD chlorine test in the K-2006 is much better than the DPD test found in most other test kits (including Taylor's) and the vast majority of test strips.

 

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

I show a diclor around 9 ppm they show 5.

The FAS-DPD also will not bleach out and read low when the sanitizer is high, which could explain why the strips are reading about half of what the FAS-DPD test is showing. (BTW, dichlor is a form of stabilized chlorine, it will add 9 PPM of CYA for every 10 ppm chlorine added so once you have about 30 ppm CYA in the water you should switch to bleach (sodium hypochlorite), which will not raise CYA.

 

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

Their ph showed 7.2 and on my test i show between 7.8 and 8.0

pH often reads low on strips but no one ever talks about it. I've seen the same thing many times. Strips also don't have a resolution to provide useful results for many tests and pH is one of them.

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

There test says i can get in the tub, my tests say not yet diclor too high..

You can get into the tub as long as your FC is below 10 ppm. with 30 ppm CYA.

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

added a little calcium increaser which i show now at 120-130. They show the calcium at 200. think they are off on that also.

The resolution on your Taylor kit is +/- 10 ppm with a 25 ml sample.  Strips can't test for calcium hardness, only total hardness,which usually gives a higher number since it is a combination of calcium and magnesium hardness. This explains the different readings. The Taylor test is testing only calcium hardness. Also, if you look at the resolution of test strips the best ones will have a resolution of +/- 40 ppm while the majority have a resolution of +/- 100 ppm or worse!

 

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

I didn't use any oxidizer until last night.

Do you mean non chlorine shock (MPS)? Be aware that it will test as combined chlorine, as will residual ozone in the water. It is usually not needed unless you have persistent combined chlorine over 1 ppm and running the tub with the cover off and exposed to sunlight for abut an hour will often take care of it, making the use of MPS unnecessary. You mention the N2 stick. Why are you using it if you are running your FC at normal levels. It's not doing anything for you at all.  If you were using it wiith MPS only that's a different story since the combination of silver, hot water, and MPS IS a fast acting residual sanitizer (that still requires the use of chlorine for shocking).

Taylor sell an add on for the K-2006 to remove the interference from MPS and ozone, btw.

 

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

they tell me r i need 3/4 cup of spa up but if they are wrong my ph would be way high if i did.

pH in spas will rise usually rise on it's own as CO2 gases off from the aeration from the jets.

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

I'm on city water, I didn't use any calcium increaser that time and they found my alky at 100 and calcium at 100. I would have thought they would have been closer to my current test as i only put in enough calcium booster for 25ppm.

On 10/26/2023 at 3:23 PM, THE DUDE said:

added a little calcium increaser which i show now at 120-130

By my calculations your CH is right on the money, fill water starts at 100, CH increaser added to raise it about 25 ppm should put you right at 120-130 PPM.

 

 

[THE DUDE]

I think i may have fiqured out the CH differance. I only put enough drops of R0012 in to see a color change But i stopped at purple.as that was the color chage from red i saw. I show around 190 now if i keep adding it to get a true blue. 130 to changes from red to purple. I brought my TA up, probably shouldnt have, and dropped my ph to 7.6.

Im at FC-4

         CC-0 it stayed clear this time when I added the drops for the test.

        Ph-7.6

        TA- 90

       CH -190

      I think i should not  have added the calcium increaser when I thought it was low as I now see on the Taylor wiz wheel my water balance is -.015  or close to it with 102 * water.  If my ph climbs to 7.8 and the alk and ch stays the same it looks like I'll fall below -.03. I guess i can just add some ph and ta down. Using that wiz wheel i also noticed the last page in theTaylor book. Do you use a CYA adjustment to TA before using the wiz wheel?

I imagine you are supposed to go for a true blue and not just a color change as it looks like it makes the differance in water balance using taylor 2006 kit. If i am incorrect on this please let me know, like i mentioned, everyone local says throw that test kit away and use strips but they don't  give as much detail from what I am seeing, and doesnt take much to put the water out of balance.

 

 

 

[THE DUDE]

On the fc and the stick, i didn't intend to run the fc that high. I dosed it with a little extra diclor when my test kit did not turn pink and over shot it. I also added a spa gaurd enhanced shock which has 54% diclor in it. I didnt know about the  diclor/ bleach schedule until I found this forum.  I asked abount Borate when i had the test done at the store and they looked at me with a deer in headlights. Said they don't know about it since they don't sell it, actually they never heard of it either. I did order some jugs of Gental Spa. I had planned on using the diclor /mps with the stick for now as i stocked up on it until i know I got the hang of it. Can you still use the Borate?

[waterbear]

27 minutes ago, THE DUDE said:

Can you still use the Borate

yes

[waterbear]

38 minutes ago, THE DUDE said:

now see on the Taylor wiz wheel my water balance is -.015  or close to it with 102 * water.  If my ph climbs to 7.8 and the alk and ch stays the same it looks like I'll fall below -.03. I guess i can just add some ph and ta down. Using that wiz wheel i also noticed the last page in theTaylor book. Do you use a CYA adjustment to TA before using the wiz wheel?

Don't use the water wheel. It's only applicable to Plaster pools, not acrylic shell spas.

 

40 minutes ago, THE DUDE said:

     Ph-7.6

        TA- 90

       CH -190

pH is fine, don't worry about lowering it until it hits 8.0

TA is high, you were perfect at 60 ppm. Because of the extra aeration in spas pH will rise faster if the TA is higher or the pH is brought low.

https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/52522-some-truths-about-ph-and-ta/

CH is fine, you want it high enough to help prevent foaming (sift water will foam more readily that hard). Anywhere between 130 to 200 ppm is a good range.

If you are going to use N2 with MPS then follow the N2 instructions. If you are going to use plain chlorine (dichlor/bleach) then dump the N2.

53 minutes ago, THE DUDE said:

I imagine you are supposed to go for a true blue and not just a color change as it looks like it makes the differance in water balance using taylor 2006 kit.

end color is blue, not purple. that is an intermediate color. Keep adding drops until the last drop produces no further color change and then don't count that last drop.

These videos from Taylor might help:

https://www.taylortechnologies.com/tv/page/231/k-2006-complete-kit-with-fas-dpd

1 hour ago, THE DUDE said:

everyone local says throw that test kit away and use strips but they don't  give as much detail from what I am seeing, and doesnt take much to put the water out of balance.

 

50 minutes ago, THE DUDE said:

I asked abount Borate when i had the test done at the store and they looked at me with a deer in headlights. Said they don't know about it since they don't sell it, actually they never heard of it either

Most pool/spa stores don't have a lot of knowledge and much of what they know is wrong, Sadly it's common in the industry. Also, the main reason a pool/spa store will test your water for free is to sell you chemicals, many of which that you don't need. Their bottom line is selling chemicals, the more they sell the better their bottom line. Accurate testing is NOT what they want. Even those that use some type of colorimeter or strip reader  will have the software set up in such a way as to maximize chemical sales. I used to work in the retail end of the industry and have seen this firsthand. Most pool/spa store employees have little or no training and what they do receive is often from product manufacturers, who also want to maximize product sales. I have even dealt with CPOs (Certified Pool Operators), who have to sturdy and take a test to get that certification so they can maintain pools and spas at commercial facilities such as hotels, water parks, community pools, etc.) that could not properly test a pool at a facility where I used to work. They were unable to read the comparator and were confusing the chlorine and bromine scales, which are different.

There is another forum on the internet that I contribute to that calsl what has happened to you as being  "pool stored". It's common which is why I recommend testing your own water with a good test kit and not strips.

[THE DUDE]

thank you for the information, Im still learning and thats why I'm here. if i stick with the MPS for now , is there a special time to put in the Borate? i notice in the diclor/ bleach it says wait about two weeks.

[THE DUDE]

I'm still a little thrown off. I have not been back to the test store but have been using my Taylor kit. I ordered and use the Taylor Stirrer which IMO, really helped with seeing  the color changes at the end as i didn't have to try and do three things at once.

In my earlier posts it was mentioned I read the ch at 130 and was replied it was in line and expected with the tap water fill. Not too worried about it, but it has me confused. When i originally filled the tub the testing center said alky 100 and  ch 100. I had it filled for week and dealer shown up to repair a leak as this was a brand new tub. Stopped the leak but not happy about the leak nor really how the repair was done but besides the point.  When i refilled it i knew originally CH was 100 on first fill and i seen that on my new test so I boosted to add another 25ppm. The testing center now read 200PPm i read about 130 range but color was only purple as i metioned before i didnt go far enough with the drops. When I check it now its around 190 -200 to get a true blue. Its the original test that has me baffled. if i was 100 and only added 25 ppm  how did it get to 200?  Are the other chemicals  adding to it also?

One more question is I ordered Gental spa just to keep it simple until i get a better hang of the chemistry. The bottle reads to increase TA above 100 but what I read here on the forum says to get it to around 50. I have also read Gental spa may have changed a bit, do you still shoot for a 7.2 ph before adding it or am I reading some of these posts wrong?

I'm using a nature 2 stick. at 0 FC  adding 2 "teaspoons" got  to 3 ppm in about 470 gallons. I was guessing with a "tablespoon" before and overshooting the FC level with diclor. I'm not to wild on letting it go down to .5

I guess i have another question as i write this. When the dealer dropped off the tub, they also left 18# of hth ultra granules. it reads 54% cal hypo, don't know what the other 46% of other ingredients are . Can this be used in a spa or is it too much % and throw off the CH. It reads no cya so i am guessing it would work the way the liquid bleach does. I haven't opened it because i thought it was was more for pools with larger volumes.  My CH questions above has me scratching my head on this also.

One thing i noticed yesterday , when i brought my Ta up I was spoon feeding baking soda "TA increaser" and added "Ph decreaser" as needed previously, took may 1-1.5 teaspoons of ph decreaser to drop the ph to around 7.6 to 7.7.  I read a high ph yesterday and thought I would add the spa decreaser since I was at 100ppm TA , which the bottle reads both ph and ta down on the bottle . One teaspoon dropped the hell out of the ph from above 8 to 7.3. I didn't expect that much of a drop with that little additive.

 

[waterbear]

On 11/14/2023 at 8:46 AM, THE DUDE said:

Its the original test that has me baffled. if i was 100 and only added 25 ppm  how did it get to 200?

If I remember correctly your original test was done by your dealer and they use strips. Strips are not accurate and don't have the same resolution as your Taylor kit so the margain of error is much greater. .

 

On 11/14/2023 at 8:46 AM, THE DUDE said:

The bottle reads to increase TA above 100 but what I read here on the forum says to get it to around 50. I have also read Gental spa may have changed a bit, do you still shoot for a 7.2 ph before adding it or am I reading some of these posts wrong?

TA 50 - 70, pH around 7.6 or lower, pH will rise naturally due to outgassing of CO2 and stabilize around 7.7 - 7.8, don't lower it until it climbs to l8.0 and don't go below about 7.6 for the best pH stability. You could also just buy boric acid from an online supplier such as Amazon, DudaDiesel, Maxtite, The Chemistry Store, etc. Boric acid will have a slight pH lowering effect when added but the pH will quickly stabilize at the same levels as Gentle Spa. Also get some borate test strips. I have found that the LaMotte and the Industial Test Systems Poolcheck borate test strips easier to read than the strips from Hach, Taylor, and Aquachek. You will most likely need to order the strips from an online retailer. I get mine from Amazon. 1.5 Tablespoons of boric acid will raise borate by by 10 ppm in 100 gallons. You want to shoot for 50 ppm. You will lose borate by splashout so when the level drops to 30 ppm raise it back to 50. check the borate level monthly.

On 11/14/2023 at 8:46 AM, THE DUDE said:

I'm not to wild on letting it go down to .5

I agree, keep it at 3 to 5 ppm. If you are doing that you really don't need the N2 as long as you watch your CYA levels and switch to bleach as soon as they hit about 30 ppm so you don't overstabilze with the dichlor, which adds 9 ppm CYA for ever 10 ppm FC added.

On 11/14/2023 at 8:46 AM, THE DUDE said:

it reads 54% cal hypo, don't know what the other 46% of other ingredients are

inert fillers. Cal Hypo is very reactive and the stronger ones used commercially can spontaneously ignite and have been responsible for warehouse fires at one the manufacturing plants for cal hypo in the past.  Cal hypo does not add CYA but does add 7 ppm CH for every 10 ppm FC added. You can use it but when your CH hits around 400 ppm switch to bleach. If you are lucky you will reach the 400 ppm at the same time you are due for your 3 month water change so it will be a non issue for you. (You ARE changing the water every 3 months, aren't you?)

On 11/14/2023 at 8:46 AM, THE DUDE said:

hen i brought my Ta up I was spoon feeding baking soda "TA increaser" and added "Ph decreaser" as needed

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO  This can create a yo yo effect with pH rising and falling. It's not how it's done!

READ THIS!!!!!!:

https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/52522-some-truths-about-ph-and-ta/

AND STUDY THIS!!!!!!!:

https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/28846-lowering-total-alkalinity-howto/

They will explain the relationship between pH and TA and how to correctly adjust them!!!! Adding backing soda to increase TA should not cause

On 11/14/2023 at 8:46 AM, THE DUDE said:

One teaspoon dropped the hell out of the ph from above 8 to 7.3. I didn't expect that much of a drop with that little additive.

This is why you want to do an acid demand test before adding acid to drop pH (or determining how much acid to add to drop pH to 7.0 before aerating when lowering TA.

 

[THE DUDE]

thanks for the info,

(You ARE changing the water every 3 months, aren't you?)

  I planned on it. The water is not even a month old. I've actaully only been in it once with the current water.  I had the diclor at 3 ppm  a few days ago (13th) and back to 0 a few minutes ago and ph looks to be above 8 . First chance i got to check it was tonight but sure seems like I may be chasing my tail now and I havent been able to even use the spa. The pumps were off when I took the sample.

[waterbear]

10 minutes ago, THE DUDE said:

had the diclor at 3 ppm  a few days ago (13th) and back to 0 a few minutes ago and ph looks to be above 8 .

Please post a new full set of test results done with your Taylor K-2006 so I can have a look at what's going on and let me know what chemicals you have added within 3 days of the test and how much. I think that it mught just be normal chlroine loss and rising pH from your high TA but lets get you soaking. It is, after all, a hot tub and not a chemistry set!

[THE DUDE]

I started kept a log for a few days

11-20

FC-5.5-6

CC-<.5

PH-7.6

TA-100

CH-160

CYA-35

11-22 took a sample to lab , they told me to add tbps of sap down, theri readings

TDS-400

Ph-7.9

alk-110

FC-1

TC-1

calcium -200

later on 11-22 added 4 teaspoons of spa down, 1 teaspoon dichlor

FC-3.5

CC-.5

PH-7.6

Ch-190

CYA-65

 MPS was in ok zone on industrial test strip.

 

11-24 got in and soaked for about a hour

added

       tap water to top off

          1/2 cap of spagaurd enhanced shock 54% dichlor. (think 1/2 cap was too much)

         added 2 oz leisure bright and clear clarifier- polymethyldiallyammonium chloride  and other vudu

FC-5.5

CC-.5

PH-8+

TA-100

CH-180

CYA- didnt test

     added 4 teaspoons total of spa down in about 2 hrs and retested

FC-5

CC-.5

PH-7.6

TA-90

CH-190

CYA -85

I think it may have been a mistake using the dichlor as a shock after the soak. i was told to use 1/2 cap  after soaking and a full cap for a weekly dose. Looks to be too much with my cya rising. Its was around 30 last week until i started to bring the FC up. I am using a nature 2 stick and have non chlorine shock also. water looks good and no smell until i hit it with the dichlor but then goes away. It looks like I was having a high chlorine demand but maybe its just normal.A teaspoon of straight dichlor seems to raise the FC by 2 points. Ph always seem high now when i do my tests.

 

 

 

 

[THE DUDE]

I've been testing this so much the new K2006 I opened last month just ordered replacements in 2oz size today.I also ordered a water meter for my hose but forgot to use it to measure Make Up. My spa is supposed to be 470 gallons i dont run it at the top becuase of spillage, so it may be a bit less. I'll know on the refill.

[GretMattW]

Where is the best place to purchase the Taylor K2006?  Taylor's own website has them listed for $131.  I found "Taylor K-2006" on Amazon but many reviews said that the kits were missing parts, had bad chemicals, etc...and the price was $82. That makes me very suspect about the true nature of the kits on Amazon.

[waterbear]

There are many online pool/spa retailers that sell the K-2006 and I know of many that have ordered from Amazon with no problems. I just read the one star and two star reviews and the ones that said it was missing reagents are confusing this kit with the K-2005 which uses three liquid reagents for DPD chlorine testing while the K-2006 uses the far superior FAS-DPD test method which uses a powder and a liquid reagent . The one that was comparing this kit to strips, which do not provide the resolution of this kit only illustrated that the strips are not a dependable testing method, which is well known and  documented.

As far as missing or expired reagents, there were reviews where the buyer contacted Amazon and was given a refund.

As far as the kit being too complicated, Taylor Technologies has many videos and helpful tips on their website and they have excellent technical support.

Some of the other negative comments on problems with the FAS-DPD test indicate that their chlorine levels were too high for the test to measure. Both DPD testing and FAS-DPD testing can bleach out at high sanitizer levels (can occur after shocking or the use of non chlorine shock) but FAD-DPD testing will not bleach out as quickly and can tolerate much higher sanitizer levels before exhibiting problems.

In other words, most of the negative comments are based on user ignorance. I find the funniest ones are the ones complaining that there are no instructions on how to do the tests. The instructions are permanently attached to the inside of the lid!

[THE DUDE]

I ordered mine off Amazon back in August. Price depends on the sellers. They show 18 differant sellers on Amazon for the 2006 a few minutes ago. I just ordered a few replacment reagents, although  in 2 oz, as i added them to another purchase to hit the mininum for free shipping from another online retailer distributor.

[THE DUDE]

11-27, first time I opened the cover since Fridays test.

I just tested again and it was also time for a weekly maintenance dose.

FC=0  could possibly be between 0 and .5 but didn't see much pink even putting in extra powder maybe i should have done the .2 test instead of the .5.

CC= same as above

Ph=7.9 a little brighter than 7.8

TA=90

CH=190

CYA= looks to have gone back down around to 45 if i am guessing between 40 and 50. Didn't think it would drop like that??

I added 2 teaspoons spa down let it circulate for 1/2 hr  and brought ph down to 7.6

 added 3 tablespoons Spagaurd Enhanced Shock  which is 58% diclor after the ph adjustment above. Letting it circulate to test FC before closing it back up.  I'm still using a nature 2 stick.

Note:

(2 threads down from this one, I see a post on white gue and so i bring this up.)

One thing i noticed Friday. I washed the filter cartridge down down. Pleats look good and clean and it also uses a prefilter. Water clear , no smell. I had what looked like a white grease smear on the blue ends of the filter. Not all over the blue ends just looked like some wipe marks. I scrubbed it off , parts that i didn't  if i let it dry it looks like calcium and I can scrape it off with my fingernail. Just didn't notice this on the filter before.

 

[THE DUDE]

Well I overshot with the enhanced shock. Looks like cranberry juice after put the powder in. Bottle says add three table spoons per 500 gallon. When  I bought it they said add a capfull once a week which is over three tablespoons and 1/2 a cap after each use of the tub. Seems even at 54% dichlor it's too much for that.

FC-16

I added another 2 teaspoons to drop ph back down to 7.6, it had climbed back up to 7.8 I suppose from the shock and running the jets circulating the shock.

About ready to add a bunch of brass and lead to it, 9mm's at a time!

[waterbear]

6 hours ago, THE DUDE said:

C-16

I added another 2 teaspoons to drop ph back down to 7.6, it had climbed back up to 7.8

NO NO NO. YOu cannot test pH when sanitizer is high (over 10 ppm) because of an interaction between the chlorine and the phenol red indicator. It will convert to chlorphenol red and will read much higher than the actual pH.

 

7 hours ago, THE DUDE said:

CYA= looks to have gone back down around to 45 if i am guessing between 40 and 50. Didn't think it would drop like that??

It doesn't. You must have made a measurement error. When reading the CYA tube hold it at waist level in open shade.

7 hours ago, THE DUDE said:

TA=90

too high, you want this at 50 to 70 ppm for best pH stability

https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/52522-some-truths-about-ph-and-ta/

https://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?/topic/28846-lowering-total-alkalinity-howto/

7 hours ago, THE DUDE said:

I had what looked like a white grease smear on the blue ends of the filter.

probably precipitated calcium carbonate. A little bit is nothing to worry about. Usually happens at high pH and TA or if you add calcium and baking soda (TA increaser) at the same time

On 11/24/2023 at 6:17 PM, THE DUDE said:

CYA -85

Too high

7 hours ago, THE DUDE said:

CYA= looks to have gone back down around to 45 if i am guessing between 40 and 50

CYA scale is logarithmic, not linear,  so you cant interpolate between markings accurately. Still too high. Should be around 30 ppm with FC maintained at 3-5 ppm. With your CYA at 50 ppm you need to maintain FC at 4-6 ppm. At 85 ppm CYA it needs to be 6 to 10 ppm for trhe same sanitizing ability

7 hours ago, THE DUDE said:

CH=190

This reading is good.

 

 

 

[GretMattW]

Thanks everyone.  My test kit arrived today.  Better water is hopefully in my near future!

[THE DUDE]

I'm back. I tested on the 28th

FC-9

CC-.5

PH-7.5

TA-90

After this test i took the sample to be tested, to double check my readings and i was out of cya reagent.

THEIR test, i told them i was a little worried on high cya, she took a little longer than the other testers did.

TDS=-600

FC-7-10 

TA 85-90   

stabilizer -125 .

I picked up a bottle of vertex ccs-2  liquid chlorine which shows 12.5% because of the cya buildup. It was only $7.00, they did the test for free  and saved me travel time.

I didn't touch anything as i thought  of changing water this weekend but water crystal clear, no smell AND my CYA reagent came. so far Ive only been in this water 3 times in a month and a half.

12-2

FC-1    I used the 25 ML marking and multi by .2  since i thought i would show none.

CC-.2  

PH-7.5

TA-80

CH - around 190 still.

CYA -60 ?? I didn't think it would drop like that but that's what my Taylor kit came up with. I will say before the response post above I had my eye pretty close to it and not at my waste looking down. I don't understand how the cya got so high to begin ( unless i flubbed the test)  as i only hit it heavy 10ppm twice when the water was new and last week when I hit it with the enhanced shock and it went to 20.  i was surprised at their reading of 125. Other than that maybe two or 3  teaspoons of dichlor, over two weeks since it looked like 1 tsp brings it up 2 ppm.

 I have a ozone with uv and the nature 2. I believe the ozone only runs with pump 1 which is my maintenance pump.

 I cannot find the dosing chart and I thought I seen it here on the site with the different concentrations of bleach to raise the FC levels. I'm 480 gallons what would be a decent dose for the 12.5% to bring it up a couple ppm. i don't want to hit it with dichlor because of the cya and i am a little afraid to overdose it, kids are in this weekend and might use it, so I don't really want to wait another week for the overdose to drop.

 

 

 

[THE DUDE]

Thanks for all the help , I found the pool math chart and also the dosing chart  you "waterbear" posted. Sorry, it easy  getting lost in some of these threads.

Checked today and ph was steady at 7.6 witha Fc at .2.  I added the vertex liquid at 1.5 oz which put my 480 gallon tub at 3.5 FC.

I have another question and have been trying to search on here, the topic gets brough up but the subject seems to drift so i cannot find a answer. I left the nature 2 in.

Does the liquid chlorine have any reaction with it where it shouldn't be used? I assume the chlorine is all the same other than having ,salts, calcium or cya. I know it isnt needed if you keep a chlorine level up but I had found my chlorine a few times around 0 so I would like to keep it as a safety factor if it doesn't hurt.  I also have 4 new replacements on the shelf as I stocked up in the beginning.

I was planning on using the mps and add the liquid chlorine as needed to stop the cya buildup. It my understanding ( and i could be dead wrong) from some of these threads its the MPS that supposidly makes the nature 2 work, which is a little counterdicting since natures/ 2 says to use the dichlor to initialize the stick. 

 

 

[waterbear]

Nature 2 with MPS in HOT water is a sanitizer but does need chlorine as a shock weekly. Nature 2 with chlorine is unnecessary as long as the FC is kept at the proper level for the CYA content. AS far as types of chlorine go, the 2 stabilized forms of chlorine, diclor and tricnlor, add CYA at the rate of 9 ppm for every 10 ppm FC added (dichlor) or 6 ppm for every 10 ppm FC added (trichlor). Dichlor is  a fast dissolving chlorine that is net acidic so it will deplete TA and quickly overstabilize the water. Trichlor is an extremely acidic, slow dissolving chlorine sourse that will also overstabilize but not as quickly as dichlor. Because of it's extreme acidity and the small amount of water in a tub compared to a pool it is not recommended for tubs since the water can become very acidic quickly which could result in damage. Unstabilized chlorine sources are net pH neutral. Calcium hypochlorite is a slow dissolving chlorine that will add 7 ppm calcium hardness for every 10 ppm FC added. If your water is on the soft side it's a good choice as long as you are doing water replacement (drain and refill) every 3 months and you don't let your pH go above 8.9 or you could lend up with scale deposits in the tub.

As far as the N2 is concerned, it doesn't care which form of chlorine you use. Once the chlorine is dissolved in water it becomes sodium hypochlorite (liquid chlorine) so using bleach with the N2 is fine.

[THE DUDE]

Thanks again Waterbear. I didn't get a email that i had gotten a reply here and  called Zodiak or actually Fluidra this morning. Kind of  strange on the natures/2 stick or possibly more of a warning, as nice as they where , they don't know. They had to look it up on line and said they leave it up to the pool professionals. They found online that it says not to use copper products with .Kind of scary they make and sell something especially for sanitation that promotes a low chlorine but yet their tech dept doesn't know much about.

[waterbear]

SM but nit really surprised