Overall pHin gives me a nice picture of what is needed and what will be needed which is presented very clearly and efficiently in the app. If you plan to use your own chemicals, a recent app update now organizes store bought chemicals in the 5 key headings where previously the app was having a hard time recognizing some of my very standard Leisure Time chemicals. Initially it did seem pHin was making it a little more difficult to use store bought over their service but I'm less convinced of that now. The only reason we did not go with the subscription is because the cost seemed pretty high for a year; however, this is our first tub and I am tracking the cost of store bought this year since it does seem like a nice service! At a cost of $400/yr over the standard "monitoring only" option it seems pHin could do a better job detailing how the subscription works. From what I'm seeing in my chemical use (8 months now), it might be best to have more of a tiered systems or quarterly subscription because I'm not sure I will be using $400 worth of chemicals?
The chart is super handy to see where you are with pH and Sanitizer measured at what seems to be measured every 1/2 to 1 hour. It is a nice guide to see where things are trending but for those data geeks out there you are just looking at the big picture (1 week) versus being able to zoom into a 24 or 48 hr period to see the finer details (be sure to read why pHin does not show actual sanitizer numbers and all other startup docs). The "Water Report" shows your last test strip, another nice workflow but it would be nice to see all the parameters plotted versus just Hardness and Total Alkalinity to get a better understanding, digitally, of your input water (mine is well water) which would help in establishing a bromine reserve up front.
This took me a while to figure out but if you could scan a test strip and see all the results this might improve the refill adjustments. Overall, we are very pleased with pHin. We've had an amazing experience with support when spinning up and they seem eager to keep updating the technology and app. Would give a 5 but I think there is slight room for improvement which I think is coming.
Husband and I decided to buy a hot tub for our anniversary this year!! Absolutely LOVE it!! (Bullfrog) The only issue with having this hot tub is the intimidating chore of keeping the water balanced. I'm not good with routines let alone chemicals and their measurements!! According to my other half, this was MY JOB. Avoiding things and they will take care of themselves...apparently wasn't working out well for me....After failing at my "new job" and disappointing him and the rest of the family for not keeping the water clear and smelling like it should...I turned to the internet to find a solution....THANK GOD I found Phin on Pinterest!!! it looked too good to be true, but I had to try it. I'll admit...It stayed in the box for a couple days...technology intimidation....yep! When I finally got over myself, I read the directions 3 times, followed each step and POOF! IT WORKS!!! It not only saved my marriage, but helped me get over some procrastination issues...LOL!!! If you have a hot tub, THIS IS A MUST, if you have a pool, you deserve to try this (I don't have a pool, but I would try it anyway) I would have given 5 stars, but my buffet of chemicals from our local store are not in the Phin database...I will use what I have and order the recommended chemicals for convenience. LOVE MY PHIN!!!!
Love the remote monitoring and the graphs showing results over time. It’s a great convenience and peace of mind for key readings.
Our pool and separate spa have not been clearer and cleaner since we bought two PHins! Our pool has the subscription model, while our spa has monitoring only. Taking care of our pool hasn’t been easier with the subscription. PHin tells us when to drop the pods in and bam. When the pool light is on at night and the pump off, it’s as if you are looking through a sheet of glass, all the way to the bottom of the pool! I have and will continue to recommend PHin to my friends and family!
It's OK, with few flaws and gimmicks
1) The obvious advertising gimmick is that pHin is capable of measuring Chlorine, TH, TA, CYA when it does not at all. Please rethink your marketing!
2) The obvious flaw is using highly unreliable and ridiculous test strips to measure TH, TA, CYA. Please remove that unnecessary part from the app - it's just not needed and adds extra maintenance, or at least make it hidden and optional. The ORP and pH measurements are sufficient enough - that's the value what we are paying for, not for additional unnecessary test strip tests which does not do anything unless you are chemical subscriber, but then anyway test strips never produce accurate results. I tested it with my Lamotte SpinTouch centrifugal lab - 9 out of 10 test are wrong. I did 5 tests with the test strips in a row one after another = all tests show different results. I believe test strips section should be complete removed from the app. We can measure TH, TA, CYA ourselves with different products.
3) Chlorine vs. ORP. While it does measure ORP it has no clue how much Chlorine is in the water. This can lead to potentially dangerous situations when app asks to add Chlorine when it's not needed, what actually IS needed - is acid. ORP is more about pH and less about Chlorine. You should stop asking to add Chlorine when it's already 30ppm and instead ask to adjust pH first priority and only then if it didn't bring ORP up - ask to add Chlorine. So, pH first, Chlorine second. Not both at the same time.
Summary: ORP, pH and temperature readings are somewhat reliable. Your own marketing staff will kill your product if you won't stop advertising it as what it's NOT. Start advertising it as what it is - essentially a floating pH/ORP sensor with Wi-Fi. This alone is enough to sell it. Think about it - majority negative reviews are because of bad marketing. Not to mention hidden subscription fee.
Feature Product
- Flexible: works with chlorine, salt and bromine pools and hot tubs
- Easy: works with any chemical Brand.
- Remote monitoring: check your water at any time from anywhere.
- Alerts and advice: get customized and timely iOS and Android notifications.
- Always there for you: Measures pH, chlorine, bromine and temperature 24/7. Also tests for total alkalinity, total hardness and Cyanuric acid, as needed.
- Includes 1-Year monitoring app service: continue your monitoring subscription for $99/Year thereafter
- Your pHin Smart Monitor has a lifetime : if it ever fails while you are a paying subscriber, we will send you a new monitor free of charge.
Description
pHin, the smart water care solution, is reinventing pool and hot tub care with a WiFi-enabled smart monitor and a mobile phone app to take away the guesswork. pHin monitors your water chemistry and temperature 24/7, and notifies your smartphone when you need to take action. Then, it gives you recommendations on how to balance your water so you can add only the exact chemicals needed. Depending on the chemicals you use, pHin will even provide you with specific dosing recommendations. You can view the list of chemicals pHin gives you specific recommendations for at our website. The pHin Mobile App also provides one-touch, on-demand access to a network of pre-qualified pool service technicians. No more guesswork, no more over-chemicalized water; just Monitory, Notify, Add! If you like using the pHin check out other products from Lonza. Lonza water treatment brands include HTH, Leisure Time, Applied Biochemist, GLB, Brilliance, and PooLife.
I love, love, love the pHin device. We use it at a second home for our hot tub and it’s so awesome to be able to monitor the water quality from afar and get someone to come adjust when it needs anything. I can also tell if the hot tub has lost power (temp keeps dropping) or if an unauthorized person uses it (chemical data spikes, etc). I also do the chemical subscription and it just needs work. They don’t send you chemicals until you’re already out. For shock pods, that can often mean you’re without any shock for over a week. During the peak season, the spa is used daily and that just isn’t workable or safe. Given that the chemicals have to ship via ground, once they’re shipped they take forever to finally get to you. They need to more proactively start shipping chemicals to make this type of service viable. The pHin device itself is amazing, I just think the chemical subscription needs some tweaks.
If I could give this 10 stars I would!!!! Where have you been all my life! We have a hotub, and the water was always iffy. For almost a year I struggled with test strips, chemical portions, etc. finally broke down and paid the bill for this device. BOOM! Perfect, crystal clear water EVERY SINGLE TIME! Best decision ever!
Great customer service. My phin device quit working unexpectedly. I contacted phin support and in a few days had another device shipped straight to me. Only thing I had to do was pay some small shipping related fees for sending the device back. I really appreciate the product as I am in college and have a hot tub at home for my remodel house. I cannot take care of it all the time but phin helps me to monitor it and keep on top of the chemical balance so I don’t have to. Thanks phin team!
I am in love with this product! It has made pool maintenance such a breeze! The greatest thing is there customer service is so awesome, which is apparently hard to find these days!! Highly recommend this to any pool owner!
This product makes keeping our hot tub clean and clear with no effort.
I truly love this product.
The only negative is every 6-8 months the unit quits working (internal battery?). The company stands by there product and sends a new unit ASAP with a return label for the bad unit.
0 comments:
Post a Comment