LaMotte ColorQ Water Tester

[salinda]

Well, I just got off the phone with them and the instructions that are so clear in many places are completely wrong on one thing: The cap must be ON for the blanking test.

I will now be retesting and calling them back.

[donaldm823]

Well, I just got off the phone with them and the instructions that are so clear in many places are completely wrong on one thing: The cap must be ON for the blanking test.

I will now be retesting and calling them back.

Salinda:
What did you resolve with the CH?? Is it still reading 50% of the Taylor?

I also got colorQ CH results lower than my Taylor titrant. Yesterday's reading was 199 with the colorQ and 280 with Taylor. I assumed the colorQ was correct.

LaMotte as part of their troubleshooting, sent me a 250ppm test standard for me to measure at home. The ColorQ read 230 and the Taylor read 290. They suspect interference from metal in my pool water although my copper measurement was no detectable copper. I do have high phosphate in the water and have used Jack's as treatment. Anyway, I gave up, and use the ColorQ CH measure as an approximation as it is a good trending device. All of the other analysis were accurate based on my other tester and the poolstore

[salinda]

My retest with the cap on for blanking gave the same numbers, probably because I tested inside so the lighting didn't interfere much. Almost all of the numbers were off for me, including alkalinity, pH, cya, and CH.

They requested me to send them a sample of my pool water at their expense. I shipped it out last Friday, but with the holiday on Wednesday I expect it will be about a week before I can provide you with an update.

So far, I have been impressed with their customer service, but I will have to request a refund if the kit can't test MY pool water.

[donaldm823]

My retest with the cap on for blanking gave the same numbers, probably because I tested inside so the lighting didn't interfere much. Almost all of the numbers were off for me, including alkalinity, pH, cya, and CH.

They requested me to send them a sample of my pool water at their request. I shipped it out last Friday, but with the holiday on Wednesday I expect it will be about a week before I can provide you with an update.

So far, I have been impressed with their customer service, but I will have to request a refund if the kit can't test MY pool water.

ok-thanks for the return. I am very interested in what you find as your problem is very similar to mine.

I also found tech support excellent and they stay with you. They were able to resolve all of my issues (except the nagging doubt about CH accuracy). My other analysis were resolved by technique as the tests are very subseptible to holding the titrant bottles exactly vertical and ensuring the amount of sample is exactly at the line and ensuring no cross contamination between reagents (big fingers!!). Also my first colorQ had a bad CH reagent (something to do with the stabilizer)-which they replaced. (They reported a bad CH2 reagent lot last month). Again I was very happy with their tech support and even though by current CH results are low, they are still within the accuracy expected (+/- 20 ppm). But, before I add any calcium for my low CH, I would like to hear your resolution. As of now, I am assuming my colorQ is providing a CH result that is low by 30-40ppm.

[salinda]

Also, my CH is beyond the range of the test, but the tech support told me the test should reflect this by giving me a result on the high end of the range. It is currently giving me a result in the middle.

[salinda]

Update...

Here is a response from LaMotte:
------------------------------------------------
Dear Linda,

Our lab has been working with your sample. Your hardness values are well beyond the recommended levels. This high hardness value in your water is buffering the sample and interfering with the test reactions.

Lowering your hardness is necessary to prevent scale and protect your hardware and equipment. Once the hardness values are in the proper range, test interferences will be eliminated.

I will send you a vial of our Insta-Test strips @ no charge to use while you lower your hardness. I will also include a set of replacement chemicals for your ColorQ. Please let me know your shipping address.

Thank you for your patience. I look forward to your reply.

-------------------------------------

I sent the following response. Note that my CH, although high, is only 570. The colorQ is supposed to test to 400 so it doesn't have to be much over to interfere with the kit. Too bad....

---------------------
Charlie,

Thanks so much for the response.

Right now, I am handling the high hardness by maintaining a low TA number. I have had now scale on my equipment for the 3 years that my hardness has been high, so it is not problematic. My pool is about 35,000 gallons, so reducing hardness via the recommended drain and refill would be a real hardship, especially this year.

Should I return the ColorQ and try again in future years after I do a major drain/refill?