Although private pool owners do not have to abide by any laws when it comes to the frequency of testing and type of test they carry out when testing their pool water, operators of public swimming facilities must often follow strict guidelines and use specific equipment.
As an example, pretty much every state requires that they test for free chlorine and total chlorine levels using an EPA Compliant test method… and that means their testing method must use DPD reagents. This applies to visual chlorine test kits that use liquids, powders and tablets… and to chlorine testing meters as well.
Recently, though, a new method of DPD delivery has come into existence: the DPD ReagentStrip. It works as well as powders, drops and tablets but offers a lot more convenience. You can find more information about the DPD ReagentStrip on www.sensafe.com.
Commonly Used DPD-Based Test Strips for Chlorine Testing?
When most people think about using DPD reagents to test for free and total chlorine concentrations in swimming pool water, two test kits typically come to mind:
- Taylor Deluxe Test Kit — Tests for chlorine and bromine levels using DPD and also tests for pH, acid & base demand, total alkalinity, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid. Optional reagents allow the kit to test for other parameters such as water metals (i.e. copper and iron).
- Tyalor Complete FAS-DPD Test Kit — This pool water test kit tests for chlorine and bromine levels using DPD and also tests for pH, acid & base demand, total alkalinity, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid, just like the Taylor Deluxe Kit, but it makes use of the 9058 Comparator. With this test kit the sanitizer tests use titration methods which help eliminate color-matching problems and work particularly well for determining high levels of chlorine/bromine.
