Is it just me, or is testing the water sometimes one of the most frustrating things about home hemo??? I just tested my water and my partner assures me its not pink, and in the first few seconds its not pink, but then after 15 or so seconds it starts going pink. Its driving me crazy!!! 
I also tested with the total chlorine stick and its slightly off colour to the norm, but it was fine yesterday in daylight…but now testing it at night it doesnt look fine. Am I going mad??
I don’t know if your going mad or not but you shouldn’t be seeing any pink and you shouldn’t run if it is pink that means there is chlorine in the water. This happened to us one time because the water were connected to was given a high dose of chlorine after they changed a pump. I changed the carbon filter and it resolved the problem. If you still show pink I’d call the center.
There are times when I’m not sure if there’s any colour. I just retest, and if I’m still not sure, I ask someone else to look. My various test strips may be different than yours. For chlorine, it’s blue if positive, but if I leave the strip on the counter, after a few hours, it does turn blue. You should deliberately test water you know is positive so you can see what the test strip looks like. It’s easy to get paranoid. Sometimes it’s darker than white because it’s wet, but it’s still white. But if you are having that much trouble, maybe you should ask your centre or unit.
One thing I do know doing mine at night is that you need very good light to interpret those tests, and I also find it’s harder under fluorescent light.
By the way, one of my carbon tanks get changed every 3 months. After more than a year at home, I have yet to get a positive chlorine test, even just before the exchange of tanks.
Pierre
Pierre, We don’t use the strips to check for chlorine. We use a powder mixed in a very small container about 1" high and 1/2" around. The powder is put into the ro water in the vial and then shaken. If you see a shade of pink you are seeing something. I usually check mine before dark and I hold it up to a window. Depending on the size of the carbon tank depends on how long they will last. Also I don’t know about everyone but some centers don’t use the tanks but have a carbon filter inside the RO that is changed monthly
We check ours from the water we have drawn to make our BiCarb jug as a double check I could also check it from water coming out of my bi-carb line or pure water line whatever you want to call it. When I got the pink reading I had no idea our water company had decided to dose the water with a higher chlorine level because they had been working on the pump. When I got the pink I called them and found out this is what had happened. So if you don’t have your own well you really don’t always know what is going on with the water.
Well, I would really be dead if I had to use that kind of test. I’m colour deficient, and pink is one of the colours I can’t distinguish - especially if it’s light.
Pierre
I have found it best to look at it under the flourescent light, the rest of the lights in the house are hopeless. For me to test it during the day, I have to be on the machine at least 4 hours after I test it. So thats around 8pm, which is a bit inconvenient. Ive done it a few times but, it just doesnt give me enough time to do the things I like to do at night.
You cant test the water say in the morning, and then go on that night. It could change in that time.
I have spoken to the unit about it and each time they have tested the water is has been fine. I think I just need a break.
I have to remember to take off my usual spex too, when I test, as everything looks pink thru them!! 8) :lol:
THe test tube always turns after an hour or so. As long as it doesn’t go from clear in the first minute or two, I guess you’re alright.
Like Amber, every time the unit test the water it’s O.K. (for chlorine - bacterial often gets to the limit, but we’ve been seriously short of water here for the past couple of years)
Ive only ever had high bacto the once.
Just did a bit of an experiment. I used a test strip and held it up in the natural light…result negative…held it up under the bedroom light (which is quite bright)…and I get a positive result!!
Now I know that I am not crazy PMSL :lol:
Will stick to the tablets only now, damn sticks!
How long do you look at your water in the test tube for bear?? I usually wait about 10-20 secs after putting the tablet in. Clarified this with the unit today, so I am feeling MUCH better!