Looking for a verstile, lightweight, waterproof water quality testing meter? Need an EPA Compliant testing meter for chlorine testing?

Introducing a new photometer using a patented method and technologies that offer faster, safer, easier, and more precise water testing.
The eXact Micro 7+ offers seven modes which provide direct read capabilities for Total Alkalinity, Bromine, Calcium Hardness, Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Copper, Ozone, Permanganate, pH, and % Transmission – which allows for testing of an additional 17 parameters.

The eXact Micro 7+ can measure a total of up to 26 parameters and provides EPA Compliant testing method for both Free & Total Chlorine when used with DPD chemistry.

In need of replacement reagentstrip bottles for your eXact Micro 7+ Water Quality Testing Meter?

No one in their right mind would argue that testing water for drinking, use in a pool, watering crops, etc. has to happen. One might, however, argue that using test strips and liquid test kits which require the user to match colors can lead to approximations and assumptions regarding critical water parameters such as pH, chlorine/bromine/sanitizer levels, alkalinity, total hardness, heavy metals, etc.

We all know what assumptions can lead to: Making an a## out of you and me.

No one wants to get sick from dirty or polluted water so when accuracy matters most, you may want to put down the test strips and liquid test kits and opt for a verstile water testing meter such as the eXact Micro 7+ which tests for NINE critical water parameters using direct read measurements and an additional TWENTY-SEVEN other important water parameters with the use of a conversion chart.

Features of the eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter:

• Tests for 36 parameters in total

• Nine direct read parameters — Total Alkalinity, Bromine, Calcium Hardness, Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Copper, Ozone, Permanganate, and pH

• Twenty-Seven parameters using a conversion chart: Ammonia, Chloride (as NaCl), Chlorine Dioxide (DPD-1), Chromium Hexavalent, Cyanuric Acid, Fluoride, Hydrazine, Hydrogen Peroxide (Low, Mid and High Range), Iodine (DPD-1), Iron (Fe+2), Total Iron (Fe+2/Fe+3), LR Total Hardness (as CaCO3), Magnesium, Manganese, Nitrate (as NO3), Nitrite (as NO2), pH (Acid and Alkali), Potassium, Protein (as BSA), Sulfate, Sulfide, and Turbidity

• USEPA Compliant meter for Free & Total Chlorine — 0.01 ppm (mg/L) precision

• Built-in, permanent cell — no loose glass or plastic cells to lose

• Easy fill testing — Simply fill or dip meter into water

• Automatic countdown timer for accurate timing of testing

• 140 test memory — saves 20 tests per menu item

• Incorporates eXact® Strip technology — safe & reliable reagent dispersion

• No-slip grip housing — ideal for wet testing conditions

• Lightweight — weighs only 6 ounces w/ batteries installed

• Waterproof — IP-67 Rated and meter will float if dropped into water

• Easy-to-read LCD display — no color matching required

• Environmentally friendly — recyclable parts & uses 60% less reagents than 10mL sample tests

• Proprietary optics — allows for accurate testing without cap

• CE certification

Interested in learning how this device works? Check out the image below as it takes you through the steps of how to test w/ the eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter.

With all the posts we’ve written about the importance of testing chlorine levels in drinking water, we seem to have forgotten that a lot of people have test kits already and simply need replacement dpd tablets. The links below will take you to a site where you can pick up replacement dpd tablets and DPD powder for the Taylor brand of water test kits for pools and spas.

Most pool water professionals will agree that pool owners and pool maintenance staff should check the sanitizer levels (chlorine, bromine, etc.), pH, calcium hardness and total alkalinity on a regular basis.

To check those basic parameters a pool owner can use pool test strips, wet chemistry pool test kits and/or pool testing meters. Each method has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages:

While the four parameters mentioned above (sanitizer levels, pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness) should get checked on a regular basis, pool owners should also keep a watchful eye on other pool water parameters such as cyanuric acid levels, mineral content (i.e. iron, copper, etc.), TDS (total dissolved solids), and acid/base demand.

Interested in taking your testing to the next level? Got a need for fast, accurate and very versatile water testing meter system that won’t break your budget? Take a quick look at the eXact Micro 7+ Standard Photometer Kit and you may very well find what you seek.

Making use of the reliable and quite convenient reagentstrip delivery system for many of its tests, the eXact Micro 7+ Standard Photometer Kit greatly reduces testing times without affecting the quality of its water test results.

The new eXact Micro 7+ Standard Photometer Kit from Industrial Test Systems offers homeowners and water quality professionals the ability to test for 26 different parameters to ensure their water is safe and suitable for a variety of uses. Ideal for residential, commercial or municipal testing, this waterproof meter provides faster, easier and more accurate testing than strips alone can provide.

This kit comes with 25 test strips each of the following parameters: free chlorine (DPD-1), total chlorine (DPD-3), pH, bromine (DPD-1), total alkalinity, calcium and copper.

In addition to these, the following 17 parameters may also be tested through the kit’s Tr-7 transmission function (requires the use of a conversion table): Ammonia, Chloride/Salt, Chlorine Dioxide, Chromium Hexavalent, Cyanuric Acid, Iodine, Iron, Low Range Total Hardness, Manganese, Nitrate, Nitrite, Acid pH, Alkali pH, Potassium, Sulfate, Sulfide and Turbidity. ( source )

OK, so we broached the topic of pool water testing and told folks to replace their reagents at the start of each new season. Now, as one would expect, folks want to know where they can get replacement reagents for their pool water test kits.

At this time we only have listing for replacement reagents to work with Taylor Pool & Spa Test Kits. We will add links to other types of reagents for other types of test kits as we locate them.

Again, we stress that pool water can cause major illnesses in children and adults if not kept properly balanced. Adding chlorine, bromine or any other sanitizer will NOT pretect you and your loved ones against infectious diseases if other pool water parameters have drifted out of recommended ranges.

As a result of a massive influx of questions related to pool & spa water testing, we have decided to branch off our normal topic of drinking water quality testing and post a few things related to testing pool & spa water. Why? Simple: Some people have not yet made the connection that bad tap or ground water stays bad whether you drink it or fill your swimming pool with it.

For most people opening their swimming pool means raising the water level off with fresh, untreated water from a garden hose or in some cases, a delivery truck. Once full of water, the testing can begin.

How Should Pool & Spa Owners Test Their Water?

Excellent question! In the ‘old’ days most pool and spa owners had a simple two-sided test kit for chlorine/ bromine and pH which looked like this:

… and each year the owners of these pool water and spa water owners made a pilgrimage to their local pool store to acquire replacement reagents for their pool and/or spa water test kits which looked like this:

While at their local pool store picking up the replacement reagents for their pool/spa water test kits, pool and spa owners would usually submit a sample of water from their freshly filled pool or spa to a smiling person behind the counter at the ‘water testing station’. Within minutes of handing over a soda can, mason jar, yogurt container or other (hopefully) sealed container full of water the same smiling water station attendant would return with a sheet of paper telling them the free chlorine, total chlorine, ph, alkalinity, total (or calcium) hardness, cyanuric acid, total dissolved solids, copper and iron levels in their water.

Can’t Pool & Spa Owners Test Their Own Water?

Of course they can. Swimming pool and spa water test kits

Then came the fun part: Picking up and paying for all the various tubs and canisters of powders and liquids that would hopefully bring their water back in line with what pool and spa water professionals consider healthy.

This seems like a good time to end today’s posting. Later we will go into the different methods a person can use to test their OWN pool or spa water: At-Home Pool & Spa Water Test Kits & Water Testing Meters and At-Home Pool & Spa Water Test Kits and Testing Supplies

At this time the staff of Water Testing Blog does not know of a simple testing method for bromates. This does not mean companies who bottle water cannot have their product(s) tested for bromates.

“MWH Labs has received accreditation for testing of bromate by EPA Method 317 under the Stage 2 Disinfection/Disinfection Byproducts (DDBP) Rule. Method 317 is, a very accurate and very precise analytical method for bromate, that avoids many of the problems with false negatives and false positives that are associated with the existing analytical method (EPA 300.1). Additionally method 317 is capable of detecting bromate as low as 1 ppb (vs 5 ppb for method 300.1), helping clients to more accurately assess their bromate treatment options. Bromate is regulated in bottled water and potable water at a level of 10 ppb.”(source)

A while back the newspapers and television reports filled up with reports that some bottled water contained high levels of bromates and everyone agreed that bottled water ought not contain bromates. But how many of you ever stopped to ask where the bromates came from in the first place?

“Bromate is a chemical that is formed when ozone used to disinfect drinking water reacts with naturally occurring bromide found in source water. EPA has established the Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule to regulate bromate at annual average of 10 parts per billion in drinking water. This standard will become effective for large public water systems by December 2001 and for small surface water and all ground public water systems in December 2003.” (source)

While oxidizers such as chlorine, bromine and chlorine dioxide do an excellent job of cleaning up water so that it contains no microorganisms and/or harmful strains of bacteria, their success as disinfectants does not come without a price.

Byproducts of the chemical reaction between the ‘bad’ components and the oxidizers form each time one of those ‘bad’ components gets eliminated and we call the disinfection byproducts. See below for a list of the ones listed in the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Disinfection ByProducts along with their MCL’s (Maximum Contaminat Levels) and potential hazards to humans:

• Bromate — Associated with an increased risk of cancer. Maximum Contaminant Level: 0.01 mg/L
• Chlorite — Associated with Anemia; infants and young children: nervous system effects. Maximum Contaminant Level: 1.0 mg/L
• Haloacetic acids (HAA5) — Associated with an increased risk of cancer. Maximum Contaminant Level: 0.06 mg/L
• Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) — Associated with liver, kidney or central nervous system problems; increased risk of cancer. Maximum Contaminant Level: 0.08 mg/L