Hach 145300 Total Hardness Test Kit, Model 5-b

I bought the Hach Model 5-B Total Hardness Test Kit because I was troubleshooting my water softener and needed real numbers — not guesswork. Test strips weren’t cutting it. I needed to know exactly what my grains per gallon were. My raw water tested at 7–8 drops (around 7–8 GPG), and after running multiple regen cycles and adjusting salt settings, I was still getting 7 drops on the “soft” side. That told me immediately something wasn’t right with my system — seals, piston, resin, something. Without this kit, I would’ve assumed the softener was working because it was cycling normally. The drop-count method is super simple: fill the tube, add drops until it turns blue, and count. That’s it. Clear, repeatable results every time. No vague color matching or guessing like cheap strips. And it’s consistent — I tested from multiple bibs and got matching numbers. If you’re serious about dialing in a water softener or diagnosing problems, this kit is worth every penny. It gives you facts, not feelings. Helped me narrow down my issue and saved me from replacing parts blindly. Highly recommend for homeowners who like to troubleshoot their own equipment instead of just throwing parts at it.

This kit works great! My daughter has been complaining that her hair doesn't feel clean after shampooing. She said she needs a different shampoo. Then it dawned on me that my hair has been feeling the same way. I told my husband that I think we have hard water and something is wrong with our water softener. He replied, "No, our water is not hard, it is soft" Hmmmm A friend stopped by last week and said, "what did you do to your hair??? It is lighter than I have ever seen it and it looks like you have Orange highlights!!" I had not done anything, but I did notice that my hair color was a bit different lately (I am a brunette) and didn't know why. She looked closer and felt the ends of my hair and said, "you have hard water". So, I went on Amazon to order the testing strips, but read the many reviews and finally decided this kit would be more accurate than the strips. I received it the next day. Sure enough, it took over 20 drops for the mixture to turn blue. Yep, our water is HARD! The company that installed our water softener came out today. The kit he brought with him was almost identical to this one. I watched him and it took 25 drops for the water to turn blue~ the softener is not working at all. He took the unit with him to do repairs. " Rebed & Valve Repair". The parts are under warranty, so we just have to pay for service & labor charges. He will be back Friday with the repaired water softener. The bad news: The labor and service charge is going to be over $550!! Wow, that seems high for the Service Charge and Labor Only!! Ugh :( However, I do highly recommend this test kit. Instructions on the box were clear and easy to follow. Maybe if we had bought this test earlier to use on occasion, we could saved some money in repairs. After it is fixed, I will think I will continue to use this kit on a Monthly basis to make sure the softener continues to be working as it should. ;).

I've worked in Municipal water treatment for 30 years, and I've used them all. This is a good product, easy to use. Price is reasonable. Would have many many tests in this kit.

I trust this test kit and believe its results are accurate for testing hardness. Much better than test strips that change color - which may be better than nothing, but don't give me much confidence.

Ok, so it’s accurate and easy to use, but the Hach company provides absolutely NO DOCUMENTATION with what the various hardness levels are. The bar code sticker is placed over the English instructions (really stupid to do this). The paper instructions that came in the box have three different languages, but NO ENGLISH.