Our test kits are our greatest tool. But what happens when the tests we rely on don’t do what they are supposed to do? Yes, your tests know how to lie! They also know how to have a bit of fun and not react the way you are expecting. Adds a bit more fun to our job, doesn’t it? 

Well, the fact is our test will always react within the confines of chemistry, even if we don’t understand the chemistry. The only way to truly understand your tests is to understand the chemistry that allows them to work. And there again, another thing to learn in water treatment. This is why I always say that you should learn something every day in the water treatment industry! 

Today, we are going to talk about understanding our tests better. I have chosen questions from the Scaling UP! mailbag about tests. What happens when our pinks don’t turn pink, and our blues don’t turn blue? That’s what we are talking about today.    

 

Timestamps:

Knowing the basics of your tests [8:10]  

Importance of clean test kits [10:00]  

Importance of measuring accurately [10:40]  

Chloride test [11:32]  

Alkalinity test [22:00]  

Nitrite test [27:47]  

Alkalinity relationships [28:42]  

Free Chlorine test [32:01]  

Sulfite test [36:45]  

Phosphate test [40:00]  

 

Quotes:

“As a professional water treater, you need to know the procedures of your tests.”  

“It’s better to be consistently wrong than to be all over the map.”  

  

Links Mentioned:

Rising Tide Mastermind  

AWT Annual Convention and Exposition  

Scaling Up! H2O After Hours Hang  

Industrial Water Week  

116 Pinks and Blues: System Volume

046 The One About Phosphate Testing

Hach Water Analysis Handbook

Submit a show idea 

1 Chloride SN Hach

10 Organic PO4 heat (total)

11 UV Digestion PO4

2. Chloride M Hach

3 Tritation Manipulation

4 Alkalinity Hach

5 Chlorine FAS-DPD_APS

5.5 Total Chlorine Hach

6 Free DPD Hach

7 Sulfite Hach

8 Ortho PO4 Phosper3

9 Ortho PO4 moly

Chloride APS

Hardness Hach