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Hey folks, I'm in Arizona with a gunite pool and my Taylor K-2006 is driving me nuts! I add pH decreaser, wait the recommended time, test, and the reading barely moves. Yesterday I added enough to theoretically drop pH by 0.5, but my test showed only 0.1 change. I've calibrated my digital meter against the kit and they're way off. At $100+ this kit shouldn't be this inconsistent. Anyone else experienced this? Could Arizona's hard water be messing with the reagents?

**Tech perspective here!** Before declaring the kit defective, let's troubleshoot systematically: 1. **Reagent age** - Check expiration dates on your pH reagents (R-0004 and R-0014). Heat degradation is real in Arizona - have you been storing them in a cool place? 2. **Testing technique** - Are you using exactly 44.7 mL of pool water? Even small volume errors affect results. Use the Taylor graduated cylinder, not random containers. 3. **Digital meter calibration** - What buffer solutions are you using to calibrate? If those are old/contaminated, your digital meter baseline could be wrong. 4. **Sample contamination** - Are you rinsing everything with pool water before testing? Tap water residue can throw readings. My guess: either old reagents or technique issues. The K-2006 is basically lab-grade equipment when used correctly.

Frank's right about technique, but let's think biochemically. Gunite pools in Arizona have unique challenges: - **High total alkalinity** buffers pH changes dramatically. You might need WAY more acid than calculated to see movement. - **Calcium scaling** can interfere with color matching - are your sample tubes clean? - **Cyanuric acid levels** affect pH testing accuracy at extreme concentrations **Quick experiment:** Test your tap water pH with the kit. If it reads ~7.5-8.0, your reagents are probably fine. If it reads crazy numbers, then maybe defective. Also, are you testing at the same time of day? Sunlight intensity affects pool chemistry in desert climates.

Ugh, pool chemistry gives me flashbacks to my failed aquarium phase ☕️. But seriously - I had similar issues until I realized: 1. **I was colorblind to subtle changes** - The difference between 7.6 and 7.8 on those color blocks is minimal. Had my spouse double-check my readings and discovered I was consistently misreading by 0.2! 2. **Testing immediately after adding chemicals** - Even if you wait the 'recommended' time, circulation matters. My pool has dead spots where chemicals take hours to distribute. 3. **Arizona sun burns up chlorine** which affects pH readings indirectly Maybe get a second opinion from a pool store test (free usually) to compare? If their reading matches your digital meter but not your Taylor kit, then maybe you've got bad reagents.

Great points everyone! Update: I tested my tap water like Dan suggested - kit read 7.8 which seems reasonable for Arizona water. Frank, my reagents are 4 months old, stored indoors (but house is 78°F). Guru, you might be onto something with color interpretation - the difference between the pink shades is subtle. New theory: Maybe my total alkalinity is so high (haven't tested that in weeks) that it's buffering like crazy. Going to: 1. Test TA tonight 2. Have my neighbor read the colors tomorrow 3. Get a pool store test this weekend If all three point to the same issue, I'll contact Taylor about possibly getting fresh reagents. Thanks team - this is why forums beat Google searches!