Reburn Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 With all the talk lately about how to clean your testing equipment lets hear how everyone cleans or doesn't clean their curvettes and test tubes and vials. I triple rinse with tap water and then triple rinse with RODI and then dry with a paper towel if I can get one in there to spin. If not I turn upside down and put them on chopsticks. I generally use new syringes because I buy them in bulk for work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 The only tests I routinely run are alk in a Hanna checker and salinity. I rinse a bunch with tap after each cuvette use and store open. Before using the next time I rinse several times with the sample water. I need to quit being lazy and just keep some rodi by the sink. For salinity, I rinse the refractometer with tap and dry completely. Need to start using rodi for that too. I have started calibrating my refractometer with 35 ppt solution every single time I use it after it was randomly waaaaaay off one day for absolutely no reason at all. I almost screwed things up really bad. I was tipped off because I was adding and adding and adding salt to my mixing bucket and still couldn't get it in range. That's one thing I'm good about now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 I'm the same way on my refracto. I don't wash off the lense and cover with RODI like I should I just use tap, but I do float the calibration solution in the tank cap side up for 5 minutes and check the calibration. I keep my tank at 79 so it's pretty close to the 77 degree specification of the calibration fluid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+olaggie01 Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Try storing your cuvettes in RO/DI water. Will keep the glass from getting etched by tap water when it drys. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 What's this 'testing' you all keep mentioning? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I rinse everything in RO/DI and then store all my vials and cuvettes in a container of RO/DI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 My Hewlett-Packard 5710-A dual-column gas chromatograph with flame analyzation detectors has an autowash feature. So I've got that going for me, which is nice. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Does that thing come turbocharged? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Only on the floor models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 My Hewlett-Packard 5710-A dual-column gas chromatograph with flame analyzation detectors has an autowash feature. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.There's one on eBay for $350. We could all be doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 I've got a friend that is a chemist for a living and works in a lab with some sort or machine that tests several pages worth of parameters of water. Gave him some samples a while back. I'll be interested to see how close my test kits are to a commercial piece of equipment. At any rate... Rinse off the refractometer with RODI and manually dry it with my shirt. I calibrate every now and then, and it's always prompted by a funny reading. I REALLY need to calibrate my ph probe as it's been about 7 months since I did. I calibrate my tds meter every 6 months or so. It's shocking how far those drift and how quickly it happens. The good news is it always seems to want to drift upward. Which is good if you're wanting Zero. No false lows I use the Red Sea pro test kits currently. I store the vials filled with RODI water. Always have. It takes no effort, makes perfect sense, and has always worked for me. Before testing I empty them of RODI water, give them a tank water rinse, dump that. Then fill with the required amount of test water. Once the test is complete I dump them, rinse them in tap water with a pipe scrubber (the calcium kit leaves behind some residual stuff that doesn't come out from rinsing alone), then I rinse again in RODI water, dump, and fill with RODI water and store. I rinse the syringes and tips in tap first then I draw up 1 mL (full syringe) of RODI, put the tip on, spray in the sink, and repeat 3-4 times. Take top off, blow out the excess RODI trapped in the tip. Put away. A full salinity, calcium, magnesium, and alk test along with cleaning takes about 10minutes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Here are some of my ever evolving procedures. Keep in mind a lot of my methods are geared towards cuvette based photometry (hanna meters specifically). Consequently, i DO NOT brush out the hanna cuvettes for fear of scratching the glass. I also soak the glass container i use for salifert titrations (mg, alk, ca) in dilute muriatic/hydrochloric acid because it tends to have a cloudy residue if you just RODI rinse. Cleaning: 1) After sampling is complete, rinse cuvette with RODI and discard. 2) Refill cuvette halfway with RODI, cap, shake, discard. 3) Repeate step two. 4a) If sampling is complete rinse with a 1:1 RODI/Everclear wash. If you wanna get fancy, you can use hanna's methanol based cleaner, but everclear works just as well and is a crap ton cheaper. Whip bottle with open end out to remove liquid. Do not throw the bottle, it will break. Drink everclear if you throw bottle, they are expensive to replace (AND DONT INCLUDE LIDS!!) and you will consider quitting hobby rather than repurchase. 4b) If sampling is complete and this was a phosphorus/phosphate test, i leave my cuvettes soaking in a dilute muriatic/hydrochloric acid/RODI solution. Phosphate is very likely to stick around in labware, and on your hands, etc. When youre pouring your powder reagent for phosphorus/phosphate (again, assuming hanna), make sure your hand doesn't touch the inside of the powder cache AND that you get out all of the reagent. It is also very amenable to being removed via acid. Same principle is used in recharging GFO using acid. Most labs use something like 1% muriatic acid rinse for glassware cleaning, and pool muriatic acid is ~30%. I dont get real technical here, i just have a glass mason jar filled with RODI and i put in a splash of muriatic acid. Note this will take off the 10 mL marking on your cuvette, but I tend to go by my syringe vs the markings on the bottle. 5) I leave the ethanol rinsed bottles to dry vertically overnight, open top down, and then store in a soft case between measurements. 6) Repeat similar procedure with syringes used. I brush my syringes with a soft brush and rinse with RODI, and do not use any acid rinse. I do use the ethanol rinse on syringes though. Leave apart to dry. Taking the sample General notes: try to take the sample in the same area every time. For example, take it from the front right corner of your DT vs your sump. Aeration might give you a slightly different alk number, for instance. It's probably not a significant number, but add up the series of errors we as humans make, and it might add up to something. Having a solid routine in the way you sample is probably going to give you better data. Use a high quality syringe, and replace it regularly. I use mine for roughly six months. The plastic in most plungers can become brittle when regularly exposed to saltwater. When you're buying a test kit, they typically come with appropriately sized (dont use your 10 mL syringe for a salifert test that uses 2 mL of sample water) syringes that are decent quality. I prefer to have two standardized syringes that I use for all my tests. I keep a 10 mL for the hanna tests (phosphorus, alkalinity, total chlorine) and a 2 mL for all my salifert tests (calcium, magnesium and alkalinity duplicate test) Read the instructions that come with your syringe as to where to measure from, it can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but its typically a pronounced "top" ring. 1) Draw in and expel tank water from the syringe several times (i like 5) prior to pulling your sample. This serves to rinse anything left over from what is hopefully a spotlessly clean syringe and give you your most accurate sample. I use this as a time to get as many air bubbles out of the syringe as I can as well. After you've "rinsed" the syringe in tank water, slowly pull (to reduce aeration) your stopper to a level greater than the amount of sample you need. Upend the syringe and knock loose any bubbles (i like using my scissor handles) just like you see on TV. Use this excess water (say you need 10 mL, pull past the 10mL and use all excess) to coat the inside of the sample container. Cap it and shake it around to coat the inside of the container. Empty and whip to remove as much sample water as possible. Expel any air remaining in syringe air and slowly dispense the correct amount of sample for the test using the correct syringe ring. 2) i realize now #1 should have substeps. As far as the kits i use regularly: Alkalinity - Hanna HI 755 Calcium - Salifert Ca Profi Test Magnesium - Salifert Mg Profi Test Phosphorus - Hanna HI 736 - (multiply reading by 3.066 to get phosphate in ug/l) Total Chlorine - Hanna HI 761 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 This is a hydrogeologist with close to a decade of sampling experience and reviewing lab procedures for quality control... I'd heed his words folks. His Gif skills may be lacking but man knows his water tests! Sent via Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 See example above for lack of GIF skills. Sent via Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 ITS A MEME TY. NOT A GIF. get with the times or youll never survive the internet. See example above for lack of GIF skills.Sent via Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I heard the same words coming from my much more hip wife the other night about my lack of interweb skills. Sent via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I find that spitting in my test tubes and swishing it around works pretty well. When I worked in a micro pathogen lab we would clean out our glassware with a special lab grade glassware soap that we would dilute and wash with. I wish I has kept a small vial because I'm sure that junk is expensive. When we used spectroscopy testing we would use disposable cuvettes, which with Hanna checkers isn't plausible... I think simply rinsing with RO or distilled water a few times right after testing and air drying does the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Here are some of my ever evolving procedures... This whole reply should be stickied 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 We will consider it but may have to change victoly's name to avoid further ego inflation. As an aside, I decided to check my refractometer last night and I was off by .001! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 0.001?! Time to make drastic tank alterations ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I did. Keep an eye out for my 'getting out of the hobby sale'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.