liquid test chemicals froze

[Uncas2010]

Question: My test kit froze of the winter. I cannot find any information regarding whether freezing will ruin their effectiveness--none of the literature warns against it or even suggests that you shouldn't allow it to freeze. I just tested my pond water for the first time this year. I have a pH of 9.0. Ammonia, Nitrite and Phosphate are all zero. I'm pretty encouraged by these numbers, but now it occurs to me that they may not be working. Any thoughts?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Is a pH level of 9 typical for your pond?

 

[Uncas2010]

Is a pH level of 9 typical for your pond?

Yes. When I started testing it last June, it was about 7.5. By the end of the summer, it had crept up as high as 9 and varied between 8.0 and 9.0 depending on the time of day I tested.
Also, I only have an air pump in the pond right now. I haven't installed the waterfall, skimmer or filters yet this year. The water is pretty green right now.

 

[Marshall]

If it is not too much of a financial burden I would err on the side of caution and get some new chemicals just in case. If the numbers match from the new and the frozen batch then worst case is you will just have extra testing stuff to use in the future and if the from stuff turns out to be bad or unreliable then the new kit is well worth the cost of not risking a deadly mistake by missing a critical parameter change in the pond as in my experience although not "often" but quick changes in water chemistry are not unheard of and can cause huge problems. Sorry I can't be of more assistance but I am only expert of turtles but, koi and ponds are still a learning process for me