Two Alk Hanna Checkers are off

[Cantusaurus]

I am so lost right now.
I purchased an Alkalinity Checker yesterday from a local store. I had tested my water at that store several days prior (they had the API Master Spin Test), and the reading very closely matched the consistent range of readings I had been getting with my Red Sea test kit. I wanted to get a more reliable/easier tester than my Red Sea kit. I tested it and when I got home I tried it, and it was 2 DKH levels higher than the level from the store, and right after testing with the Red Sea test kit.
Red Sea read about 8.4-8.5

I tested 4 total times (the final two being incredibly careful to make sure I was doing all the steps correctly). I got 10.6 then 10.5 the remaining 3 times. (Reagent was not expired). I am pretty confident the tester is wrong due to the salt I have having a DKH of 7, as well as having an auto doser and not even having it dialed up much. I returned the test kit today, and low and behold they tested my water again, and it was again very close to my Red Sea kit.
They swapped out the kit, and gave me a new one. I was happy. BUT I tested the new one twice and it was still off by a good amount (slightly closer, but not much since the first time it read 10.1 and the second time 10.3).

This is very strange to me. Me and the store owner both felt weird the first one would be off, and he was shocked (since he performed a test with it himself when I brought it back).
So not to be rude or condescending but it is two different test kits against one.
It's not like me and the store owner had a bias against Hanna. I was so happy to get this tester.

A friend of mine has come and used his Hanna Checker on my tank, and the results had matched closely with my Red Sea kit.
So I am very lost. I'm not sure if both testers or reagents I received are faulty or what the deal is.

I know I did the tests right and everything.
I am just so bewildered.
Has anyone had similar experiences?
I just really have a hard time believing my tank is at 10.1 to 10.6.
I contacted Hanna about this. Hopefully they get back to me soon, but this is just super frustrating, and I really don't want to go back to the store again and tell them about this tester (but I may have to I guess).

 

[Dan_P]

I am so lost right now.
I purchased an Alkalinity Checker yesterday from a local store. I had tested my water at that store several days prior (they had the API Master Spin Test), and the reading very closely matched the consistent range of readings I had been getting with my Red Sea test kit. I wanted to get a more reliable/easier tester than my Red Sea kit. I tested it and when I got home I tried it, and it was 2 DKH levels higher than the level from the store, and right after testing with the Red Sea test kit.
Red Sea read about 8.4-8.5

I tested 4 total times (the final two being incredibly careful to make sure I was doing all the steps correctly). I got 10.6 then 10.5 the remaining 3 times. (Reagent was not expired). I am pretty confident the tester is wrong due to the salt I have having a DKH of 7, as well as having an auto doser and not even having it dialed up much. I returned the test kit today, and low and behold they tested my water again, and it was again very close to my Red Sea kit.
They swapped out the kit, and gave me a new one. I was happy. BUT I tested the new one twice and it was still off by a good amount (slightly closer, but not much since the first time it read 10.1 and the second time 10.3).

This is very strange to me. Me and the store owner both felt weird the first one would be off, and he was shocked (since he performed a test with it himself when I brought it back).
So not to be rude or condescending but it is two different test kits against one.
It's not like me and the store owner had a bias against Hanna. I was so happy to get this tester.

A friend of mine has come and used his Hanna Checker on my tank, and the results had matched closely with my Red Sea kit.
So I am very lost. I'm not sure if both testers or reagents I received are faulty or what the deal is.

I know I did the tests right and everything.
I am just so bewildered.
Has anyone had similar experiences?
I just really have a hard time believing my tank is at 10.1 to 10.6.
I contacted Hanna about this. Hopefully they get back to me soon, but this is just super frustrating, and I really don't want to go back to the store again and tell them about this tester (but I may have to I guess).

Did you try using your friend’s Hanna chemical with your Checker? That will help identify where the problem is.

 

[Cantusaurus]

Did you try using your friend’s Hanna chemical with your Checker? That will help identify where the problem is.

Not yet, but I will try to in the next day or so.
That's a good point, because that might be a key indicator.

 

[Dan_P]

Not yet, but I will try to in the next day or so.
That's a good point, because that might be a key indicator.

Your friend could also run a test with your chemical.

 

[homer1475]

You could also try using the standards. They will tell you if the checker is reading properly.

It's a 2 cuvette set. One standard RO/DI, and the other is a known solution. Run the test, compare the results to the card that says what the standard measure out to.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I am so lost right now.
I purchased an Alkalinity Checker yesterday from a local store. I had tested my water at that store several days prior (they had the API Master Spin Test), and the reading very closely matched the consistent range of readings I had been getting with my Red Sea test kit. I wanted to get a more reliable/easier tester than my Red Sea kit. I tested it and when I got home I tried it, and it was 2 DKH levels higher than the level from the store, and right after testing with the Red Sea test kit.
Red Sea read about 8.4-8.5

I tested 4 total times (the final two being incredibly careful to make sure I was doing all the steps correctly). I got 10.6 then 10.5 the remaining 3 times. (Reagent was not expired). I am pretty confident the tester is wrong due to the salt I have having a DKH of 7, as well as having an auto doser and not even having it dialed up much. I returned the test kit today, and low and behold they tested my water again, and it was again very close to my Red Sea kit.
They swapped out the kit, and gave me a new one. I was happy. BUT I tested the new one twice and it was still off by a good amount (slightly closer, but not much since the first time it read 10.1 and the second time 10.3).

This is very strange to me. Me and the store owner both felt weird the first one would be off, and he was shocked (since he performed a test with it himself when I brought it back).
So not to be rude or condescending but it is two different test kits against one.
It's not like me and the store owner had a bias against Hanna. I was so happy to get this tester.

A friend of mine has come and used his Hanna Checker on my tank, and the results had matched closely with my Red Sea kit.
So I am very lost. I'm not sure if both testers or reagents I received are faulty or what the deal is.

I know I did the tests right and everything.
I am just so bewildered.
Has anyone had similar experiences?
I just really have a hard time believing my tank is at 10.1 to 10.6.
I contacted Hanna about this. Hopefully they get back to me soon, but this is just super frustrating, and I really don't want to go back to the store again and tell them about this tester (but I may have to I guess).

Since I read it sounds like you swapped out the kit for another one that would mean the regents were swapped out a different factor I see of your friend using his kit let me ask you did he test your water with his kit and you test your water with your kit meaning YOU did not actually use his tester on your water he did then this could be user error still

 

[hllb]

I’ve never heard of it testing high. Sometimes you may get a low reading at the end of the bottle. I agree this is odd.

 

[Cantusaurus]

I’ve never heard of it testing high. Sometimes you may get a low reading at the end of the bottle. I agree this is odd.

I know right. I usually hear it sometimes testing lower.

 

[Cantusaurus]

Since I read it sounds like you swapped out the kit for another one that would mean the regents were swapped out a different factor I see of your friend using his kit let me ask you did he test your water with his kit and you test your water with your kit meaning YOU did not actually use his tester on your water he did then this could be user error still

I don’t think it was user error. He used his hanna checker on my tanks water, and it matched closely with the Red Sea kit.
It could have been user error on his end but I’m not so sure. I mean i did a test with the Red Sea on two different boxes of Tropic Marin salt and both showed it to be 7 (which is the correct number for tropic marin salt)

 

[Joe31415]

Since I read it sounds like you swapped out the kit for another one that would mean the regents were swapped out

If the store ordered both of the kits at the same time, it's entirely possibly the reagents are from the same lot and could both have the same problems.

 

[paul01609]

Did you fill it checking the meniscus?

 

[hllb]

Did you fill it checking the meniscus?

Don’t trust the vial at all. Use a 10ml syringe. Most of my vials have lines in the wrong place

 

[paul01609]

I would say stick to filling it with a syringe and not compare it to other test kits.
as long as every thing is happy keep it at that

 

[Cantusaurus]

Don’t trust the vial at all. Use a 10ml syringe. Most of my vials have lines in the wrong place

Yup, I have been doing that. I saw that the 10mL goes way over, and I just figured that that was the right course of action (and after looking online).

 

[DE FISH]

Use calibrated jeweller or scientific scales to measure 10ml buy another reagent compare results there is a accuracy range within the checker 8.7 could be 8 dkh if reading low ect various calculators online Test kit calculator