Part 2. Can be done at the river or at home / school
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These instructions are ONLY for 2 KITS.
The only sites that have a DC1200 are B4 kit and the B7 kit. (Chrysalis Steiner School and Bellingen High School kits).
The Model Number of your colorimeter is shown above the blue buttons on your machine.
Equipment:
60ml syringe
500ml water sample
Colorimeter bottle with no dot on lid
Colorimeter bottle with dot on lid
Cottonbud
DC1200 colorimeter
Distilled water
Filter and filter holder
Latex gloves
Liquid waste container
Paper towel
Phosphate Blue Box
Safety glasses
Safety
Phosphate Acid Reagent and Phosphate Reducing Reagent are hazardous substances. EXTREME CAUTION MUST BE TAKEN!
Important
Do not use cracked or scratched colorimeter bottles.
The tubes are made of special crystalline glass which allows light to pass through without being refracted. Any lint or scratches on the glass will reduce the accuracy of the results. Always dry the glass thoroughly to remove moisture and chemicals before placing it in the colorimetric chamber.
Do not allow moisture to enter the colorimeter chamber as it may cause the colorimeter to corrode and malfunction.
Do not use Phosphate Reducing Reagent powder that has moisture in it or has caked up - check this before each testing day and replace if necessary. Keep this powder in a separate snaplock bag with silica sachets.
Part 1. Setting up the Blank and the Sample
1. Shake the sample bottle
2. Draw some water into the 60ml syringe and rinse.
3. Using the 60ml syringe draw up 40ml of sample water.
4. Place a 0.45 micron filter paper in the filter holder and attach to the syringe. Gently expel a small amount of water through the filter.
5. Holding the filter and syringe over the colorimeter tube (no dot on lid), rinse the colorimeter tube twice with filtered sample water. If the filter clogs, replace it with a new filter and continue.
6. Fill to 10ml line with filtered sample water. Always hold colorimeter bottles by the neck to avoid putting finger marks on the glass, as this will affect the results.
7. Repeat Step 5, by adding 10ml to line in colorimeter tube with blue dot on the lid. You should now have two colorimeter tubes filled with filtered sample water to 10ml line.
8. Cap and wipe the both colorimeter tubes dry.
9. In one of the tubes (with blue dot on lid), use 1.0mL syringe to add 1.0mL of Phosphate Acid Reagent to the colorimeter tube. Cap and invert to mix.
10. Then, use the 0.1g spoon to add one level spoon of Phosphate Reducing Reagent to the colorimeter tube. Do not wet the spoons or allow them to touch the inside of the test bottle or tube.
12. Cap and wipe the outside of both colorimeter tubes, making sure they're clean and dry. SUPER IMPORTANT!
11. Cap and gently invert until powder dissolves. START YOUR TIMER!
13. Wait 5 minutes for full colour development. Solution will turn blue if there is a high level of phosphates present.
14. Carefully wipe colorimeter tubes clean and dry before inserting into the DC1200 colorimeter chamber
Part 2. Scanning the Blank
15. Insert the dry tube which has not had chemicals added to it (no dot on lid) into the colorimeter chamber, being sure to align the index (vertical) line with the arrow on the meter.
16. Close the lid. We now blank or zero the DC1200
17. Press the READ (bottom) button once to turn the meter on.
18. Push the ZERO button and hold it until bLA is displayed, then immediately release. The meter should now read 0.00
19. Remove the colorimeter tube.
Part 3. Scanning the Treated Water Sample.
20. Wipe the colorimeter tube dry
21. At exactly 5 minutes, insert the tube which has chemicals added to it (blue dot on lid) into the colorimeter chamber, being sure to align the index (vertical) line with the arrow on the meter.
22. Push the READ button once.
23. Close the lid. We now test the treated sample water.
24. Press the READ button once.
25. Record on your Results Sheet.
Pack Up
Remove bottle from colorimeter and pour contents into liquid waste container.
Remove filter from filter holder and dispose.
Rinse all equipment with distilled water and tip it upside to drain on some clean paper towel.
Use a cottonbud to clean the 1ml white spoons and then place the cottonbud in your solid waste container.
Press and hold Power button to turn the colorimeter off.
Empty contents of waste container down the toilet.
If testing at the river, remove equipment when you get home and leave it to drain and DRY COMPLETELY before packing it away for next month's testing.
Tip : The colorimeter may appear to switch off but it will have only defaulted to energy saving mode.
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Phosphorus occurs in natural waters and in waste-waters almost solely as phosphates.
Phosphorus (P) is a naturally occurring nutrient that originates from plant and animal matter, and is applied as fertiliser to increase plant growth in agriculture. Phosphorus is essential to all forms of life on this planet.
Sources of phosphorus enrichment may include some detergents, fertilisers (in both rural and
urban areas), animal faeces (e.g. from farms and feed lots), sewage and some industrial wastes. High levels of phosphorus and/or other key nutrients may lead to related problems such as nuisance or toxic algal blooms, although some waterways are naturally eutrophic (nutrient enriched)