Important - Replace strips asap if they are giving readings outside your normal range, &/or cross-check with new pH strips.

Equipment

50ml beaker
500ml sample bottle
Distilled water
Latex gloves
pH strips
Safety glasses

Important

Replace strips asap if they are giving readings outside your normal range, &/or cross-check with new pH strips.

1. Rinse beaker 3 times with the water to be tested.

2. Fill beaker with between 20ml and 30mL of sample water, ensuring that there is enough water in beaker to cover all the coloured squares of the pH strip.

3. Pick out one pH stick from container being careful not to touch the coloured squares.

4. Place strip into beaker fully immersing the coloured squares.

5. Leave in beaker for 5 minutes.

6. Remove strip from beaker, shake and compare with colour chart on the side of the pH strips container reading off to the nearest colour, or you may estimate between two colours (and record to 0.5 of a pH unit).

Hold the box in your left hand, making sure the numbers are up the right way, and the strip in your right hand.
Run the strip up and down the box until you match the colours

7. Verify results with co-worker.

8. Record your result.

Pack Up

1. Put the pH strip in the waste container.

2. Empty the contents of the beaker.

3. Rinse the beaker with distilled water.

pH reflects the acidity or alkalinity of the water.
Water with a pH of 7 is neutral; lower pH levels indicate increasing acidity; while pH levels higher than 7 indicate increasingly alkaline.
Each unit of change represents a tenfold change in acidity or alkalinity.