Pool Salt Tester - Multifunctional 5 in 1 Salinity, PH, TDS, EC, and Temperature Meter, Pool Salinity Testing Kit, Digital Salinity Tester for Swimming Pool,Saltwater, Sea Water, Aquarium

Works great and better than test strips

good for salt waterr pools

We are using this on our sand filter, salt water, pool. It works perfectly. We also use it to test for minerals when we make distilled water and colloidal silver.

I use this for my salt-water pool to check PH and the salt PPM. this is so much easier having a digital read-out than a color strip.

Ok, so I've used the test strips, and they are "good enough," but my wife and I always argue about exactly how far down/up the color scale the strip is. It's very frustrating, because you feel like you only get a rough estimate at best. We hired a pool guy to come test, and he was color blind, so he would ask up which color it matched, and then he would tell us to add stuff based on that. Not my favorite.This digital gage removes the guesswork. Now, it may itself have some inaccuracy built in, but when I test my drinking water it cam out crazy close to 7ph, and when I san the water so that it was body temperature, it came out dang close to 37 degrees Celsius. I don't know how to "confirm" it better than that, but it shows that it beats any estimate I could make.The manual was very handy, and shows recommended salt levels, which was a super quick way to see that after we'd refilled out pool a bit we did need more salt (which is what we expected).So this gage seems to be at least as accurate as anything we've had pool guys use, which helps me be able to do it myself.Now for the down side. I know that chemistry is inherently complex, but I don't love that it doesn't specifically tell you the ideal levels for ph and things. Only salt. We googled it, so it wasn't a big deal, but I'd just love it if they listed it in the manual. Also, calibrating the device seems a bit confusing. I'm sure I could follow the instructions and do it, but I am a bit worried about it since it is more involved....but I didn't have to calibrate it yet. It came working right out of the box with accurate readings (as far as I can confirm with my estimate-y strips ;) )

We've been 'enjoying' some interesting but erratic drinking water quality with our small local water company. We are spoiled in that our local water supply quality is normally spectacularly good. But recently we've noticed some turbidity and excess aeration, and sometimes a funny taste. The water company's reports to the state are typically stellar, but with the erratic symptoms we decided to do some local very basic testing. This little tester is a great initial tool for that job.Initial samples showed readings somewhat different from what's reported to the state, perhaps clues to the problems we have been experiencing. Most important, we'll have at least a basic data set to share with them when quality dips. The TDS/conductivity and pH readings are most helpful for our particular drinking water testing needs.The good news too is that the tester will also get used for quality analysis for our salt-water pool when we bring it online in another month or so. The pool is under cover now while we wait for real summer. We got some snow flurries last week (beginning of May) so we'll wait a bit for slightly warmer weather before we start heating and take the winter cover off.The tester comes with calibration solution packs for all but conductivity. Per the instructions, these are needed only if the tester sits for an extended period unused. Coming from a power industry background the instructions are very basic, simple with explanatory pictures, and certainly adequate for our home drinking and pool water testing needs. It helps that this tester itself is extremely simple to use -- Place the sensor end in the water, power on, and grab your readings from the backlit LCD display. Could not be easier. Rinse in distilled water before storage, and you are good to go for next time. The tester comes with already-installed button-cell batteries. I didn't check the numbers on them because I didn't want to lose the factory calibrations, but they look like LR44 or similar. Replacements are readily available.So far I'm happy with the tester, particularly the ease of use and the selection of tests available, all in a single handy device. With a bit of care and religious rinsing of the sensor elements, this tester should easily meet our needs. The reasonable cost makes this an excellent total value for us too.

Among the models offered by this brand, this model can measure pretty much every available category except for ORP (oxidation reduction potential). I verified that an activated carbon water filter did not affect TDS (total dissolved solids) from tap water as expected, and that a jug of distilled water was still at zero TDS even after storing it for several months. Also tested out the pH, salinity, and temp functions using stuff I had around the kitchen.I didn't appreciate that the pH calibration required you to mix your own solution from the included pH buffer powders. Each packet needs to be mixed with 250ml (~1 cup) of distilled water, which is a hassle, and will likely leave you with over half a liter of extra test solution to either store or waste.Also they don't provide anything for EC (electrical conductivity) calibration, which is a bigger deal as the TDS and salinity measurements are also based on the EC probe reading. They claim "shipment limitations", but with the wide variety of condiment packets available, I don't see why they couldn't have provided pre-made packets of pH and EC test solution. The pH buffer powders provided are less acidic than ketchup and less basic than antacid tablets. Providing a handful of pre-made calibration solutions also would've allowed you to easily check the factory calibration out of the box. Now there's an extra variable of if you prepared the solution correctly.The tester is powered by a stack of three LR44 button cells (included already installed under the top screw cap) in series providing about 4.5 volts.