Hanna calcium checker question

[jmp21677]

Just got this two days ago. Opened it and ran two tests yesterday. Both showed calcium at 600. Obviouslythis isn't right. Does anyone know if they are temp sensitive for the ro water? This is a brand new kit. Or maybe someone knows what I'm doing?

 

[Elementalj]

Just got this two days ago. Opened it and ran two tests yesterday. Both showed calcium at 600. Obviouslythis isn't right. Does anyone know if they are temp sensitive for the ro water? This is a brand new kit. Or maybe someone knows what I'm doing?

You've gotta make sure that the water you're using isn't just R/O, it's gotta be de-ionized. On another note, follow the directions very closely, and make sure you're measuring things correctly or accuracy won't be achieved.

It's a fickle little device, but after practice it gets better.

 

[spinycheek]

With optical devices like that, many things can interfere and make them read high like fingerprints, scratches in glass, or even floating bits of the chemical reagent if you give it a quick stir before reading.

 

[jmp21677]

So if my DI is "used up" it won't operate correctly? I was just thinking its time to change the resin.

 

[jmp21677]

I haven't had any issues with the phosphate or alk kit. Wondering if it's a DI issue

 

[Elementalj]

I haven't had any issues with the phosphate or alk kit. Wondering if it's a DI issue

It's the test itself. It's pretty complicated compared to the others and can cause confusion. I use a 1-10ml metered pipette with mine for accuracy. And yes, I do believe the water you use has to be de-ionized.

 

[FishGuyBri]

Thanks for sharing, this is great info. Just got my Hanna Ca+ yesterday and haven't used it...

 

[Elementalj]

I've got deionized water from BRS and amazon and use it exclusively for this test and since then, it's been within a small margin of my salifert test.

 

[Hanna Instruments Verified Sponsor]

We apologize for any inaccurate readings you may have experienced. Our HI758 Calcium Checker uses a 100 to 1 dilution to analyze calcium. It is important to make sure you are using the new HI731339P volumetric pipette to administer saltwater sample to the cuvette. Any increased or decreased sample size will result in inaccurate readings.

http://hannainst.com/graduated-pipette-100-l-hi731339p.html

In addition, it is best to use a lab grade reverse osmosis/deionized water with near zero total dissolved solids when zeroing the Checker at C1 phase. Calcium can be found in many freshwater sources and any amount present in the original freshwater used can lead to inaccurate readings.

Also visit our blog to make sure you are following our 8 checker best practices such as indexing the cuvette in the same position every time, removing any air bubbles, finger prints or smudges and using separate pipettes/syringes for freshwater and saltwater.

http://blog.hannainst.com/checker-best-practices

Thank you for choosing Hanna Instruments!