Hope everyone is doing well and having a safe season. (Ai did help me write this more efficiently)
I’ve been in the pool service industry for about 10 years, starting with a single route and building it into a successful, family-run operation in NW Peoria, AZ. Over the years, I’ve trained with other professionals, earned my licenses, and continuously worked to improve our service quality and consistency.
This year, we upgraded our weekly testing process by switching from basic test strips to the Taylor K-2005 liquid test kit for our service routes. The accuracy and repeatability of the results are noticeably better, especially for chlorine, pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness. However, the reagent consumption is significantly higher than anticipated, and the ongoing cost of replacement reagents is becoming difficult to justify for high-volume weekly service work.
I’m currently evaluating a hybrid testing approach:
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Full Taylor K-2005 testing on a scheduled basis (monthly or bi-monthly)
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Routine weekly checks using high-quality test strips for trend monitoring and maintenance dosing
For those running medium to large service routes:
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How frequently are you performing full drop-based testing?
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Have you found a cost-effective balance between accuracy and reagent consumption?
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Are there alternative professional-grade kits, photometers, or testing workflows that have proven both reliable and economical?
Appreciate any insights, best practices, or data-driven approaches you’re willing to share. Thank you in advance.