Trident reagent questions

[zbrusko]

I got a trident (alk/cal/mag) at the end of June. It is set to test the minimum of the default options (I know there are ways to get it to test even less often). One month in, the alk reagent ran out & I changed it. I noticed at that time that there was some left in the bottle. Is this normal, or might there be an issue somewhere? I know the instructions say not to add any leftover to the new bottle. Why?

Skip ahead to the end of month 2. The other bottles were “empty” yet the alk bottle still showed 30% remaining. I assumed I could just change bottles B & C (like the month before, these bottles were clearly not empty). No such luck. I had to change all three. Why is this the case?

So I followed the instructions to change all 3, but just left the A bottle, not wanting to waste it. Now it shows that all 3 are 100% full, which I kinda figured it would do. When the A does run out, the trident won’t know this has happened, so can I just wait until I get an alk reading of 0 and then change the A bottle? In fact, can I just do this for all the reagents? That way I am not throwing away what appears to be 10-15% reagent each month?

Lastly, after all this, my first cal test was >100ppm less than it had been (355 vs 479). I can check this later with another kit, but should I be recalibrating each time I replace reagents?

Thanks.

 

[areefer01]

I got a trident (alk/cal/mag) at the end of June. It is set to test the minimum of the default options (I know there are ways to get it to test even less often). One month in, the alk reagent ran out & I changed it. I noticed at that time that there was some left in the bottle. Is this normal, or might there be an issue somewhere? I know the instructions say not to add any leftover to the new bottle. Why?

Because the lot numbers may be different. Similar to say a tile worker or home owner putting in a new kitchen floor. You buy enough material to do the job plus an additional amount, maybe say 5 or 10%, to handle mismeasurements, cut errors, broken material, or pieces the installer is not happy with. The reason for this is that some tiles or product may have a light variation in color due to manufacture date, product changes, or dyes used in material that could show up in the floor. You don't want that. This is not much different and probably why Neptune recommends it.

The last two Trident ACM (alk, ca, mg) 6 month kits I purchased have been boxed differently and they are all sharing the same lot numbers now. I still personally do not consolidate left over. I just waste whatever little is left.

Skip ahead to the end of month 2. The other bottles were “empty” yet the alk bottle still showed 30% remaining. I assumed I could just change bottles B & C (like the month before, these bottles were clearly not empty). No such luck. I had to change all three. Why is this the case?

So I followed the instructions to change all 3, but just left the A bottle, not wanting to waste it. Now it shows that all 3 are 100% full, which I kinda figured it would do. When the A does run out, the trident won’t know this has happened, so can I just wait until I get an alk reading of 0 and then change the A bottle? In fact, can I just do this for all the reagents? That way I am not throwing away what appears to be 10-15% reagent each month?

Lastly, after all this, my first cal test was >100ppm less than it had been (355 vs 479). I can check this later with another kit, but should I be recalibrating each time I replace reagents?

Thanks.

Another thing to note is that the bottles do not have a specific ounce or amount listed. They are in fact a little over filled which is why they have the new foil cover under the paper piece and cap. It is also for shipping but also to prevent leaks due to how full they are. So this is one reason why you may see a bit of left over.

One more thing to note is that water chemistry also plays a role as it works through the titration process.

 

[zbrusko]

All great points I had’t considered. How often should I recalibrate?

 

[areefer01]

All great points I had’t considered. How often should I recalibrate?

I recalibrate after I do a full reagent swap. If you look at the reagents you will see that Alk reagents will typically have the same lot number. This is why Neptune suggests calibration after doing all three.

With the new shipping configuration I've noticed that all of the reagents have the same lot numbers in their respective category. Alk will be the same, Ca and Mg will follow. In this case I've let the calibration go longer and will run it if I see repeated inconsistent results.

I have found that my reagents more or less last as their projections. If I am a day or two early I don't worry about it. This is just me though.

 

[zbrusko]

Great, and thank you. Last question. When changing, it says to shake the bottle. I forgot to do this. However, given the reagent lasts 2 months, is this step necessary? Might this play into why my cal result was so drastically different?

 

[Ziggy17]

They simply aren’t reliable. They drift insanely fast. Best to just use Hanna for ALK and Salifert for Cal and Mag.

 

[areefer01]

Great, and thank you. Last question. When changing, it says to shake the bottle. I forgot to do this. However, given the reagent lasts 2 months, is this step necessary? Might this play into why my cal result was so drastically different?

No. If you want you can open the door and gently lift and swirl. Just be careful of the door and opening it. Depending on how you have the Trident setup and placed the door may be wobbly.

 

[areefer01]

They simply aren’t reliable. They drift insanely fast. Best to just use Hanna for ALK and Salifert for Cal and Mag.

We all have our different experiences.

 

[zbrusko]

Great, and thank you. Last question. When changing, it says to shake the bottle. I forgot to do this. However, given the reagent lasts 2 months, is this step necessary? Might this play into why my cal result was so drastically different?

No. If you want you can open the door and gently lift and swirl. Just be careful of the door and opening it. Depending on how you have the Trident setup and placed the door may be wobbly.

Great, thanks.