Importance of Water Testing Parts and Accessories

Water testing is vital for ensuring the safety, quality, and compliance of water everywhere—from what we drink to industrial applications. The accuracy of these tests relies on specialized parts and accessories. Items like a glass sample cell, viewing tubes, and stir bars help minimize contamination, support consistent results, and improve efficiency in the field and the lab. By using the right tools, laboratories and industries can achieve reliable water testing outcomes and maintain safety standards.

Common Water Testing Parts and Accessories

Sample Cuvettes

Sample cuvettes are small, specialized glass tubes used in instruments to hold liquid samples. They ensure accurate readings by reducing any optical interference. Made of glass for visible light analysis or quartz for ultraviolet (UV) ranges, they come in various sizes to suit different sample volumes. Used widely in environmental monitoring and research labs, their precise design makes them essential for reliable analysis, including detailed water testing.

Lovibond Glass Sample Cuvettes

Lovibond Glass Sample Cuvettes are precision-designed for use with Lovibond MD 100 and MD 600 colorimeters, ensuring accurate and consistent water testing results. Made from high-quality, crystal-clear glass with a 10 mL sample volume, they provide excellent optical clarity and minimal distortion, making them ideal for DPD, phenol red, and other reagent-based methods. Available in packs of 5 or 12, these cuvettes are suited for both laboratory and field professionals across environmental, industrial, and municipal applications.

Turbidimeter Sample Cells

Turbidity, or the cloudiness of water caused by suspended particles, is measured using a glass sample cell designed for portable turbidimeters. These cells are often model-specific and are capped to prevent contamination. They serve as replacements when older ones get scratched or stained. Keeping each glass sample cell clean and clear is crucial, as scratches can distort light and compromise the accuracy of turbidity readings. Applying a thin layer of silicone oil can often help fill in minor scratches to ensure a clear reading.

Hach 2434706 Portable Turbidimeter Sample Cells

Hach 2434706 Portable Turbidimeter Sample Cells are designed for use with Hach 2100P and 2100Q Portable Turbidimeters and come in a pack of six with caps. To maintain accuracy and longevity, they should never be air-dried; instead, fill the cells with distilled or deionized water, cap them securely, and wipe the exterior with a soft cloth or Kimwipe before storage.

Glass Sample Cells

Unlike highly specialized cuvettes, glass sample cells are commonly used for general testing, particularly in water analysis. These versatile glass tubes are available in round or square shapes and are compatible with many standard lab instruments. Often sold in matched pairs or larger packs, these durable cells provide a cost-effective solution for routine laboratory water testing.

Hach 2401906 Glass Sample Cell

The Hach 2401906 Glass Sample Cell is a 25 mm round container with 10, 20, and 25 mL volume marks, designed for accurate measurements in colorimeters and spectrophotometers such as the DR890 and DR900. Each pack includes six durable glass cells with caps, ensuring reliable performance and convenient storage for laboratory water testing applications.

Silicone Oil

While not a testing container itself, silicone oil is a vital support material in any lab performing water testing. Valued for its thermal stability and chemical resistance, it is often used as a bath oil to ensure precise temperature control for samples inside a glass sample cell. Beyond the lab, its lubricating and protective properties make silicone oil a reliable choice for maintaining consistency and safety across various operations.

Vario 194295 Silicone Oil

Vario 194295 Silicone Oil is designed for use with all turbidity meters, providing the same refractive index as sample cell glass to reduce light scattering. To ensure accurate readings, sample cells and caps must be thoroughly cleaned with laboratory glass detergent and rinsed with distilled or demineralized water. A small bead of silicone oil should then be applied from top to bottom of the cell, spread evenly with a soft lint-free cloth, and excess wiped away, leaving only a thin, nearly invisible coating to mask minor scratches and imperfections.

Colorwheel Plastic Viewing Tubes

Colorwheel plastic viewing tubes are durable plastic cylinders used in many test kits for visual water testing. Unlike glass tubes, their lightweight and shatter-resistant nature makes them practical for fieldwork. They allow users to compare samples against a colour chart or wheel, which is a simple way to measure things like chlorine, where colour intensity reflects the concentration.

Hach 4660004 Colorwheel Plastic Viewing Tubes w/ Caps

Hach 4660004 Colorwheel Plastic Viewing Tubes with Caps (pack of 4) are durable plastic tubes designed for use with various Hach test kits. They provide a simple and reliable way to hold water samples for visual comparison against a colour chart or wheel, ensuring accurate and consistent water testing results.

Magnetic Polygon Stir Bars

Magnetic polygon stir bars are essential tools in water testing, designed to ensure a sample is uniformly mixed inside a glass sample cell before analysis. Their polygon shape creates greater turbulence than standard round bars, promoting a more thorough blend. Coated with Teflon (PTFE), they are chemically resistant and built to last.

Magnetic Polygon Stir Bars

The Magnetic Polygon Stir Bar (7/8 in x 3/16 in) is a PTFE-coated mixing tool designed for laboratory use. Its polygon shape enhances turbulence for more efficient mixing compared to standard cylindrical stir bars, while the PTFE coating ensures chemical resistance and durability for consistent performance.

FAQs

1. Why are quartz cuvettes essential for UV-based water testing?

Quartz cuvettes are specialized glass tubes crucial for UV-based water testing because they allow accurate readings at wavelengths where contaminants like nitrates are detected. Regular glass blocks UV light, making it unsuitable, so quartz ensures precision in monitoring water purity.

2. How can dirty or scratched turbidimeter sample cells distort water quality results?

A dirty or scratched glass sample cell scatters light in unpredictable ways, which can falsely increase turbidity readings. To fix minor imperfections, a thin coat of silicone oil can be applied to the outside of the cell to fill in scratches and prevent incorrect results.

3. What types of cuvettes are most practical for low-volume water testing samples?

For low-volume water testing, semi-micro and sub-micro cuvettes are the most practical. They require much smaller sample amounts, which is useful when only limited quantities of a water sample are available for analysis.

4. How do colorwheel plastic viewing tubes simplify chlorine testing in the field?

Colorwheel plastic viewing tubes make chlorine testing easy by letting users visually compare a water sample’s colour to a reference chart. This quick method is ideal for fieldwork because it doesn’t require complex instruments but still gives reliable results.

5. Why is silicone oil important in maintaining water sample stability during analysis?

In a laboratory setting, silicone oil is used in heating or cooling baths to regulate a sample's temperature during water testing. Its stability prevents temperature swings that could alter reaction rates or measurement accuracy, helping maintain precise test results.

Parts and Accessories