Quote Originally Posted by no1ford
Which Walmart kit?
The Aquachem kit (the "deluxe" kit)

With the Wally kit (i so affectionately call it) I recieved 'close' readings, close enough I guess to keep my pool clear, but never really crystal clear all the time. for example, the OTO test, as you should read in here, only really gives you an indication that yes, you indeed have some, alot, or no cl in your water. There color bar isn't easy to read. Same goes for the ph. Unless it was 8.0, or 6.8, it is really hard to tell. The best example, is the alk, which when I did a side by side test, I get 180 on the aquachem kit, and 130 on Bens kit, that tells me I have been running a way lower alk for a long time, which explains the amount of acid I have been going through...
ok kit for getting you by for now (and possibly using more chemicals, and possibly draining off the pool later) but, if you are serious, get a decent kit, like Bens.




Waterbear,

Thank you for explaining that, it actually makes sense, especially since I have tested this morning. PH is slowly stabalizing, I have it about 7.4 or so (little less "red" than yesterday) and Alk is still 130-140 (getting 2 different readings, not sure if it is me, or the water, I believe it is me)
2 curious things, 1), the tests in the ps234, the alk, when it turns ever so slightly pink, we should go one more drop, to solid pink, right ? same for the dpd, go till no pink at all ?
2) the Borax, I see in the bleach calc, it says, not for ph, but for algecide ?
I have never had an issue where I have had to raise ph (not in NE fl on municiple water anyway) but using it as an algecide ?