AquaChek Ets Hach Company 562227 Phosphate Test Kit , White

Dissolves Quickly; Accurate Results
+ Test chemical already in fine, powdery form in small sealed square pockets+ Dissolves quickly and takes only 1 minute get result; a competing product takes more than 4 minutes+ Has longer shelf life than a competing product+ Color chart simple to use to “bracket” the result phosphate ppm+ Accurate results (compared to water tests performed by local pool product store)- Incorrect product description: “20 strip count” and “Just dip and wait 15 seconds.” Actual item is test powder in individual sealed packagesAfter an algae bloom episode a couple of years ago due to high phosphates while having residual chlorine, I started to use this Aquachek product and Phosfree to monitor and control my pool phosphate level. I also used a competing phophate test kit at the same time to determine which was better. The color result from the competing test kit was a much darker blue color (higher phosphate reading) than that from the Aquachek. Comparing both to the phosphate test result from the local pool store showed that the Aquachek test result was accurate while the other one was reading too high. Also, the other product were small individual tablets instead of powder form and took about 4 times as long to dissolve as Aquachek. It also expired faster as Aquachek, as its tablets were contained in a rectangular strip with aluminum back and apparently not sealed as well. After a few months, the tablets turned black or a rust color and were no longer usable.The Aquachek color chart may not help to nail the actual phosphate down to the nearest 50 or 100 ppm, but it can help to bracket the phosphate level. I have been able to use this test kit in conjunction with maintenance doses of Phosfree to keep my pool water clear and algae-free without the need to make trips to the local pool store for water analysis for phosphates. I plan to continue using this product going forward.

Strips for pool
Work great 

Don’t buy – Test Packet reagents go bad very quickly
So I think I’ve purchased this product for the last time. I have used this for probably 5 years and in the first 2-3 years, the test results were accurate (similar to my pool store test results) and the powder in the packets was bright white and had a shelf life of at least a year. (I used a container for the last half of one pool season and the first half of the following season). A few years ago, I had purchased a new kit at the beginning of the season, and by mid-season I noticed that some of the packet contents were discolored brown and looked like dirty beach sand – and they didn’t produce an accurate test result (always indicated 0 phosphates). This phenomenon was also noted by another reviewer. At first it was only 2-3 packets within the 20 packet kit. The next year same problem, but it was 10 packets bad out of the 20 and I asked AquaChek to replace the kit. They did and the replacement still had 4-5 bad packets but got me through the season. This year on March 18, 2018, I purchased the new kit shown in the picture. By August I was again running into bad packets, and by this past week (September 15) I opened all 10 packets remaining in the kit and ALL 10 of them were bad. I sprinkled the contents of two packets out onto the lid shown in the picture and you can see the powder is no longer bright white – it has morphed into something resembling dirty beach sand. What frosts me is that I’ve always stored this kit indoors in a dark dry closet. The manufacturing date shown on the large plastic package is 09/15 which I presume means September 2015 – and the expiration date shown on the little silver packets says 08/20 which I presume means August 2020. There is something wrong with the product formulation, packaging, or the manufacturing process that basically ruins most of the kit LONG before it expires. I’m looking for a new product and I’d give this 0 stars if I could.

Easy to use.
Easy to use and simple to read result. Make sure to place the white paper under the tube and view from the top when assessing result color as directed. Viewing from the side can give you an inaccurate result.

Works great.