Looking for the best test kit for your pool?
One of the most basic things you need to keep your water balanced is a good test kit. If you want your water balanced you need to start with this. Going into the pool store each week to have your water tested can get tiring and once you are in there you will spend money, so it is best to test your own water every few days or once a week.
In this video, I compare some test kits to help you make the right choice for your pool. You can go with a beginner kit all the way to advanced.
Good: Taylor K-2005
The Taylor K-2005 is similar to the K-2006 except the chlorine test is a reagent and not the FAS-DPD. some people like this test as it is a bit more economical since you don't have to buy the DPD powder often. The combined chlorine test is a bit hard to read and it only tests up to 5 ppm of chlorine. The pH test includes an acid demand and a base demand test. along with the Alkalinity test you also have your Calcium Hardness test. Plus you can test your Conditioner level. And it includes a Saturation Index Watergram wheel.
Best: Taylor K-2006
The Taylor K-2006 FAS-DPD kit is the best one you can get. It will measure your Free Chlorine and Combined Chlorine in the simplest way. The pH test includes an acid demand and a base demand test. along with the Alkalinity test you also have your Calcium Hardness test. Plus you can test your Conditioner level. And it includes a Saturation Index Watergram wheel. All of this in a simple to use kit. You can't go wrong.
Great: LaMotte ColorQ Pro 7
No color matching, no look up charts, no guessing! The unique, multi-test ColorQ pool and spa hand-held photometer reads SEVEN test factors listed here. It also tests for these factors in a broad range and comes with enough reagents for 144 tests of six factors and 100 tablets for the CYA test. The colorQ Pro7:
Well worth the initial investment. The ColorQ
Pro 7 is an easy to use test kit that will make balancing your pool water very easy.
Basic: Poolmaster 22260 Basic 5-Way Test Kit with Case
This kit contains a carcinogen so handle with care Yellow topped OTO solution). This test kit is great for beginners and for every week usage. The OTO will give you a good easy to read Free Chlorine reading. It doesn't test for Combined Chlorine though. It does the pH and Acid Demand as well as Alkalinity. It is a basic kit that will get you started and one that is easy to use.
Basic: Leslie's 541607 - 7-Way 30CT Test Strips
Test Strips are good to have to double check your test kit readings or to just dip in on occasion to get a ballpark reading of how the pool chemistry is doing. The Aqua Chek will test for Free and Total Chlorine (which will give you your combined chlorine level) pH, Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Conditioner & Bromine. They will not do an acid or base demand test. They are fairly accurate but not a stand-alone test.
Pentair R151226 79 Cyanuric Acid Test Kit
If you don't have a Taylor Test Kit this is a good alternative to check your cyanuric acid level in your pool. There is enough solution for several tests and the refills are available. I like thi kit because it is simple to use, accurate and easy to clean.
