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Author Topic: 5 way test kit  (Read 1885 times)

Ruby

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5 way test kit
« on: June 20, 2005, 09:18:13 am »
I drained and filled yesterday.  I used swirl away before I drained.

I took a sample of my water from the faucet into the dealer to have it checked in case #'s had changed since last year.

Here is what their testing showed:
ph-8.4
alk-194

On my way home, I stopped by Walmart and bought a 5-way test kit.  After filling the tub, and before adding anything, I decided to check the water to see if it tested out the same as the dealer.  It didn't.
ph- 7.5
alk- 300

then I checked with my test strips:

ph-about 7.5
alk- btwn 125-150

So what gives?  Could the remaining water in the pipes have affected the difference?

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5 way test kit
« on: June 20, 2005, 09:18:13 am »

ArcherC

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Re: 5 way test kit
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2005, 12:38:15 pm »
There could be a few reasons for the testing differences, and this is sometimes a very tricky thing to figure out.  But here are a few things to check.
1. Was the water that you checked from the same source in your house? Or was one test from the spa and another from the faucet? If one test was from the spa, was the water warmed up?
2. How old are the test strips that you had previously? They should have an expiration date on the bottom.
3. How long was the water sitting in your car before being tested by the dealer? Temperature can effect ph.
4. What kind of testing equipment did the dealer use?
If they use just a simple test strip test kit, I would probably find another retailer with better equipment for my testing needs.

All of these can effect the testing of water. But to answer your question about the water in the lines, it is very possible that the water from the tap could be very different from the 400 or so gallons going into the spa from your hose.
One thing you might want to try is take your water sample from the spa to the dealer immediatly, bring both sets of test strips and check the water at the same time as the dealer tests. This is the only real way to find out if there is a major discrepency. As a general rule, I don't like test strips and really only use them for a very general idea of a waters balance. Test strips from Wal-Mart do not have my confidence at all.

Ruby

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Re: 5 way test kit
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2005, 06:11:34 pm »
Thanks for taking the time to reply Archer.

1. Was the water that you checked from the same source in your house? Or was one test from the spa and another from the faucet? If one test was from the spa, was the water warmed up?

Yes, both were taken from the hose.  The only difference was that my test came from the tub immediatlly after filling.  The water was not warmed up yet.

2. How old are the test strips that you had previously? They should have an expiration date on the bottom.

The strips have 2006 expiration date.

3. How long was the water sitting in your car before being tested by the dealer? Temperature can effect ph.

I filled the jar just before I left home.  10 minutes to dealer.

4. What kind of testing equipment did the dealer use?
If they use just a simple test strip test kit, I would probably find another retailer with better equipment for my testing needs.

No, not strips.  In fact the machine (or whatever) is new since I got the tub 11 mos ago.  They take my water and dump it into another container and then do whatever they do.  Then they print out a report.  Not sure but it may be a SpaGuard tester?

Next time I go to the dealer I will take your suggestion and bring my testing supplies along.  Thanks

Minnesota Consumer
Been soaking since 7/2004

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Re: 5 way test kit
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2005, 06:11:34 pm »

 

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