| FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) |
- Do the reagents go bad over time?
- The simple answer is that you should replace the CHL #1 / R-0870 annually,
but if you store the kit properly, the other items should be good for a couple of
years. This table provides a more complete answer.
- Why don't the TC (Total chlorine) readings from the PS200 agree with the
readings using the FAS-DPD method (CHL #1, 2, 3)?
- The chlorine test in the PS200 is quick, easy, and very reliable, but not
especially accurate. The FAS-DPD method is MUCH more accurate, but is more
complicated, and easier to mess up . . . and therefore, less reliable.
If your PS200 and FAS-DPD readings are within 2 ppm of each other, consider the
FAS-DPD reading to be the accurate one. But, if they are more than 2ppm
different, carefully do the FAS-DPD again.
- Does the PS233 or PS234 have all the tests I need?
- Usually, but not always.
First of all, remember that the PS23x series of kits are intended for pools
treated with CHLORINE. If you are using anything else, you may need
additional kits, or even an altogether different kit. In particular, the PS23x
kits are really not appropriate for pools treated with biguanide (Baquacil,
SoftSwim, etc.).
Secondly, if you have metals in the water, you may need additional kits. If you
are using copper algecides or a copper system, such as an ionizer, Nature2, a
'mineral' product, etc., you'll need a copper kit, like the PS251, to help you
avoid stains and green hair. Or, if you are on a well, you may need additional
testing, to check for iron or other problem metals.
Finally, in a few parts of the country, there are special problems with various
compounds in the water, such as silica, magnesium, manganese or sulfur. These
can all affect your pool, but neither the PS234, nor your pool dealer is likely
to be able to test for these problems. But, usually in such areas, there are
local well or water treatment companies who are familiar with the problem and
who can test for you. What to do, if you have such metals is another matter.
- The results I got with your testkit don't agree with results from my dealer
/ other testkit / guess strips / etc. What does this mean?
- Usually -- but NOT always -- it means the results from my kit are right, and
the others are wrong. In general, test strips (AKA "guess strips") give you a
rough idea of your chemistry, but not an accurate measurement. Having them
scanned by a dealer's digital reader doesn't make them more accurate, bogus high
precision results (like "132.5 ppm alkalinity"!) notwithstanding.
The same is true with other kits -- usually, mine is right.
But there have been exceptions. Several years ago, we shipped a number of R0013
vials that were filled with distilled water, instead of reagent. Obviously they
worked poorly.
So, the best thing to do, if you have an accuracy question, is to email me. But,
see the next question and answer before you do.
- Your kit MUST be wrong: it's showing that I have NO stabilizer. But, I put a
bunch in last summer, and was even told later that my stabilizer was too high.
There's no way it's all gone.
- Unfortunately, yes, there is a way, and it's very, very common. It's called
"biodegradation", and even though it's very common, very few people in the pool
industry know about it.
In pools that are kept sanitized (ie, everything in your pool that's smaller
than a bug is DEAD or DYING from the pool chemicals), stabilizer will indeed
remain indefinitely.
But, let a "biofilm" get going, and typically, it's 'game over' for the
stabilizer. Biofilms -- slime layers, like the ones that make a liner slippery
right before algae takes over -- are common in pools. Mustard algae, black
algae, 'pink algae', and just plain slime are all familiar to anyone who
services pools.
But, contrary to what's in the pool literature, biofilms are NOT simple
collections of a single 'bug' or microbe. Instead, they are exceedingly complex
communities which virtually always blend both algae and bacteria. And, most of
the time, the bacteria include some common types of soil bacteria, bacteria
which have the ability to metabolize or 'eat' (ie, biodegrade) cyanuric acid.
- And, since they can, they do.
Losing your stabilzer is bad enough. After all, it's pretty expensive at dealer
rates. But, that's not nearly the worst problem. The really bad news is that,
just like you, what gets eaten, comes out again in a different, nastier form.
And, just like horse or cow manure, the wastes from these bacteria makes GREAT
plant food.
You might think that you have no problem with wildly growing plants in your
pool, but you'd be wrong again. Algae are plants!
It gets worse. Not only does the bacterial 'poop' feed algae, it makes a
chemical mess that's very hard to clean up. I've covered the cleanup process
elsewhere, so I won't repeat it here.
But that leaves you with a problem. There's a large chance that a zero
stabilizer reading means you really don't have any stabilizer. But, there's a
small chance that my kit is wrong. So, how can you know for sure?
It turns out that it's easy.
Find an old stabilizer container, and get just a grain or flake of stabilizer.
Fill your CYA mixing bottle 1/2 way with HOT tap water, and then ADD the flake
to the bottle. Then, add the CYA #1, and shake it all up for a minute or so.
(You really do have to shake for a while -- cyanuric acid is very hard to
dissolve.) Alternatively, you can walk away for an hour or so. Anyhow, whether
you shake, or wait, once your done, you should see a nice cloudy mix that
indicates the present of stabilizer. If you do, you've proved that the kit is
working. Then, rinse the bottle very carefully (to make sure you get the piece
of stabilizer out, if any's left) and test the pool again. If you still get zero
. . . get ready to clean up the mess!
- What about bromine?
- I don't recommend using bromine, but the PS23x kits can test for it without
a problem. There are two ways to do it. The easiest is to simply pretend, when
testing, that you have chlorine, and maintain levels as if it was chlorine.
Thus, you'd maintain 2 - 5ppm as chlorine (which corresponds to ~5 - 11 ppm
bromine). Alternatively, you can test, and then multiply your chlorine readings
by 2.25. This will give you the exact bromine level.
Just keep in mind that bromine is a weaker and more expensive substitute for
chlorine. Especially on outdoor pools, it has no advantages and many
disadvantages, most notably that it cannot be stabilized against loss to UV
(sunlight). One benefit it does have is that it's safer to store, and does not
generate fumes to the degree that stored chlorine can.