Now THAT, friends, sounds like an excellent question. Why? Simple: 3-Way test strips for chlorine, pH and alkalinity have served as the workhorse in the test strip business for more years than we care to remember!
Funny thing, though… We went to see if Aquachek still made a traditional 3-way test strip… and they do not.
Huh? What? Yep. You read that right. Test strip mogul Aquachek no longer manufactures a standard 3-way test strip for chlorine, pH and alkalinity.
Needless to say this shocked us.
Apparently the market for the 3-way test strip has dried up — at least to Aquachek.
Sorry to say, but we think Aquachek has made a mistake by dropping that product from its lineup. Granted they have come out with a 3-way test strip for cyanuric acid, tds, and total hardness, but for them to ditch the OG (original gangster) of the test strip world just kinda’ makes us sad.
So… Does ANYone Make a Traditional 3-Way Test Strip These Days?
Yes, friends, the Pool Check brand of test strips still manufactures a traditional 3-way test strip. In fact, last we checked, the free chlorine pad on their three-way test strip used the same indicator (chemical ingredient) as their EPA Approved SenSafe Free Chlorine Water Check product.
Detection ranges for the Pool Check 3 Way Test Strips?
- Free Chlorine: 0, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 ppm
- Bromine: 0, 1, 2, 6, 10, 20, 40 ppm
- Total Alkalinity: 0, 40, 80, 120, 180, 240, 360 ppm
- pH: 6.0, 6.4, 6.8, 7.2, 7.6, 8.2, 9.0
Oh, and in case you find yourself asking, “Hey, wasn’t that FOUR parameters?”, your eyes did not deceive you. In bromine pools using bromine instead of chlorine the free chlorine test pad on the product detects bromine levels.
