Water Chemistry Nerd questions

I go by the bottom of the miniscuss. A drop is acurate as the test is cosistant for that fluid and I wash out my vials with ro water before and after each test. Shaun

 

remember the meniscus needs to be above the line, 'fill to bottom of meniscus'

a drop can be different sizes, but the major factor would be the size of the hole it's coming out of moreso than the viscosity or density of the liquid. mass is mass... (pretty sure, been a long time for me as well /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif
that's why they say "keep the bottle completely vertical"... if you want to use a pipette sure, just be sure whatever it's going into has ml markings...

crystalized deposits could just mean the bottle leaked a little and it dried... I would just be sure to shake the bottle a little to know there is an almost full bottle..

 

When I use the API test kits, I align the white line on the vial with the top of the water (not where it meets the glass).. I hope that makes sense.

None of these tests are going to get you exact measurements, but the idea is to give you a pretty darn good idea. Some of the better brand test kids such as Salifert and Lamotte do come with syringes and other things to help you more accurately measure the test fluids and stuff to help you get better results. The Salifert and Lamotte test kits also seem to have a more drastic color change vs some of those hard to distinguish color scales that are on the API test kits.

Good luck!

--AJ

 

I line the bottom of the meniscus up with the line on the vial. With the drop size, I always try to hold the drop bottle vertical (as close to straight up and down as I can) - from what I have read the angle of the bottle can cause differences in drop size, so this way I am consistent. Also, I rinse the vials with tank water prior to running the test. I mostly use API, but do have some of the other brands...and like AJ says, some do have syringes for better accuracy.