About the Test

Chlorine is commonly used for disinfection of water in the municipal water treatment plant. Since chlorine is not stable and, in order to assure the present of sufficient concentration of chlorine throughout the city water lines, the city may chose to use higher chlorine concentration at the treatment plant. Such high chlorine concentration may cause the formation of trichloro-methane, a cancer causing agent. Alternatively, city often also add ammonia along with chlorine to the water to stabilize chlorine and to prevent the formation of hazardous chlorinated compounds.

When chlorine and ammonia are mixed together, it forms chloramine. Chloramine is much more stable compared to free chlorine, but is also much milder in its oxidative reactivity. Because of this, many of the chlorine test strips fail to detect low levels of chloramine in water. This often pose a problem with the water treatment system in the dialysis facility where the quality of the purified water is critical. WaterCheck CM, Low Level Chlorine/Chloramine Test Strip is specially designed to detect less than 0.1 ppm of chloramine in the water as required by the AAMI standards.

Product Features

1. Sensitive to low levels of chloramine.

• Detection sensitivity is about 0.05 ppm chloramine.
• Reacts with both chlorine and chloramine.
• Best for total protection of chlorine/chloramine contamination.
• Monitor carbon tank water purification step for AAMI standards compliance.

2. Clear and easy to read positive color.

• No confusion distinguishing positive and negative colors.
• Color intensity reflect different levels of chloramine, even to a trace level.
• Can detect early sign of chlorine leak in the carbon tank water before the situation became acute.

3. Easy to use and takes only 30 seconds.

• Consistent and reliable results in 30 seconds.
• Consistent lot to lot quality
• No mixing of solutions, no counting of drops to reduce errors.
• No waiting of minutes for the results to slow you down.
• No potential errors of running DPD solution tests.

4. Stable at room temperature

• The dry strip is stable at room temperature.
• The shelf life is at least 2 years from the time of manufacturing.

Test Procedures and Interpretation of Results

The strip is primarily designed for use in monitoring the quality of the hemodialysis water purification system to detect less than 0.1 ppm of chloramine. To detect such low level of chloramine, the strip color development rely on amplification of color by increasing the contact time of the strip with the fresh test sample. When a fresh sample is continuously poured over the reagent pad, the strip color is intensified. At a fixed contact time of 30 seconds and with a known concentration of chloramine solution, a specific color intensity is achieved. That color is then served as a reference color for that concentration. The chloramine concentration of the test sample can be estimated by comparing the strip color with that standard color block.

For Critical 0.1 ppm chloramine testing:

• Remove a strip from the bottle and immediately replace the cap tightly.
• Turn on the sampling port between the first and the second carbon tank to flash out the tube.
• Adjust the water flow to a slow running water.
• Hold the strip with reagent pad facing up under the water for 30 seconds.
• Immediately compare the strip color with the color blocks on the label.
• A trace of green color is an indication of the presence of chlorine or chloramine.
• If the intensity of the strip color is lighter than the 0.1 ppm color block, the water is in compliance with the AAMI standard of less than 0.1 ppm chloramine.
• In day to day operation, appearance of a trace of green color may suggest the start of carbon exhaustion and should be monitored closely.

For 0.5 ppm residual chlorine testing:

The strip can also be used for detection of 0.5 ppm of residual chlorine in rinse water. In this case, no 30 seconds of running water is necessary. The strip color can be read immediately after dipping the strip in the test water for one second. The results can only be interpreted as positive or negative. Any trace of green color should be interpreted as the presence of chlorine and rinsing should be continued until tested negative. The detection sensitivity by this method is about 0.2 ppm chlorine.

Can I use the total chlorine test to monitor carbon tank function?

Yes, as long as it is not higher than 0.1 ppm. Traditionally, chloramine concentrations are calculated from the results of free chlorine and total chlorine. Since total chlorine is the sum of free chlorine and chloramine, therefore, chloramine is total chlorine minus free chlorine. If the total chlorine concentration is less than 0.1 ppm, the chloramine concentration will automatically be less than 0.1 ppm. By controlling the total chlorine concentration to less than 0.1 ppm in the carbon tank water, it will effectively be the same as controlling chloramine to less than 0.1 ppm and is in compliance with the AAMI standard.

WaterCheck CM strip reacts with both free chlorine and chloramine. It is a total chlorine test. The convenience of the test helps to keep the water safe and in compliance with the AAMI standard.

How to Chose the Right Chlorine Test Strip for Your Specific Application

Since the test is based on the oxidative election transfer of chlorine molecules, chlorine will reacts to a variety of indicator system of different chemical properties. Because of this, not all the chlorine tests are created equal even when the same chemical indicator is used. They all differ in detection sensitivity, detection range, chemical specificity and thermal stability.

IBT offers three chlorine test strips for different applications. The following table compares the main features and the suggested applications of each strip.

There are many other test strips which will react with chlorine but lack the sensitivity required for hemodialysis or other critical quality water applications. For detailed explanation, refer to the IBT Bulletin #402 The Most Commonly Misused Chlorine Test Strips

Ordering Information

Product Availability

The WaterCheck 2 test strips are packaged 100 strips in a bottle and 6 bottles in a box.

Ordering Information

Order by phone, fax or email.

Contact our Customer Service for more information or technical support.

Customer Service:
Tel: 574-264-0025
1-800-490-5500
Fax: 574-264-2787
email: info@ibtbiomed.com

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