What is a Comparator Tube for pools?
A comparator tube is a small, plastic container included with most swimming pool test kits that are used while testing chemical and water balance levels in swimming pools. Comparator tubes are constructed with one or more clear plastic tubes connected to one or more color panels molded into the plastic. Glass comparator tubes are also available, but are more expensive and less common.
The idea of using a comparator tube is to sample a portion of the swimming pool water, add necessary reagents to initiate a chemical reaction to visibly expose the level of chemical in the water, then compare the resulting water color to a standard color chart associated with predefined levels of the chemical being tested.
[sc:ad_middle]Comparator tubes serve two purposes. First, they serve as a measuring container, as an exact amount of water is often specified in testing instructions for the chemical test being performed. Second, they serve as a test measurement device, as the clear plastic comparator tube enables the person testing to view the water color change in the tube.