Test plans

To ensure that a boiler runs properly over its lifetime, treating the water that circulates within the system is important. In absence of desired quality of boiler water and feed water, boiler's useful life will be significantly shortened. Resulting from untreated water, the boiler overheats and fails to produce hot water or steam in requisite quantity and results in overall loss of efficiency.

Unconditioned boiler feed water even though coming from a municipal water supply, can contain dissolved salts and form scale on the heat transfer surfaces as the water is heated. This deposited scale drastically reduces the heat transfer of the boiler and leads to overheating, tube failure and efficiency loss. Scale also reduces the flow area, which increases the pressure drop in boiler tubes and piping, resulting in low steam volume and downstream equipment failure. For an effective water treatment programme, one needs to check the boiler water quality from time to time from an outside lab.
 

It is recommended that water from each source shall be got tested before the commencement of construction work and with appropriate frequency thereafter till the completion of the work. Water used for mixing and curing of concrete needs to be clean and free from detrimental contaminants of alkalis, acids, oils, salts, organic materials, vegetative growth or other substance that may be deleterious to bricks, stone, concrete or steel. Generally potable water is considered satisfactory for mixing. Here are some parameters that are required to be tested as per the standard.

Cooling towers use evaporative cooling system for controlling process heat. Proper water treatment program is essential for safe operation and life extension of equipment. For an efficient operation of a cooling tower, generally three main factors need to be controlled

Sometimes we face problems with usable water. Water appears cloudy or coloured, plumbing starts corroding faster, water has foul smell or tastes odd, clothes washing starts giving stains or the soap does not foam much. It is the time we must get water checked. More importantly, when the health related problems, especially gastrointestinal illness, are visible, we need to rush water for testing. Here are a few important tests that Polytest Laboratories offer serving all the practical purposes.
 

Aluminium
Arsenic
Barium
Cadmium
Calcium
Copper
E.coli
Fluorides
Lead

Magnesium
Manganese
Mercury
Nitrates
Potassium
Residual chlorine
Selenium
Silver
Sodium

Standard plate count
Sulphates
Total chromium
Total coliform
Total dissolved solids
Total hardness
Zinc

Calcium
Carbonate hardness
Chlorides
Copper
Fluorides

Iron
Langelier saturation index (LSI)
Magnesium
Nitrates
Non-carbonate hardness

Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP)
pH
Ryznar stability index (RSI)
Sulphates
Total dissolved solids

Water obtained (and packed at natural site) directly from natural source containing natural composition of mineral salts in relative proportions and presence of trace elements. This water is obtained directly from underground sources protected from pollution risks. It is not subjected to any treatment except for mentioned in BIS standards and is packaged close to its emergence of source. BIS standard specifies the composition and levels of minerals, microbiology, organoleptic & physical requirements, toxic, radioactive substances and pesticides. This is a premium quality off the shelf water available in the market.

Aluminium
Arsenic
Barium
Cadmium
Calcium Copper
E.coli
Fluorides
Lead

Magnesium
Manganese
Mercury
Nitrates
Potassium
Residual chlorine
Selenium
Silt density index (SDI)
Silver

Sodium
Standard plate count
Sulphates
Total chromium
Total coliform
Total dissolved solids
Total hardness
Zinc

Pool water sanitation is utterly important to ensure healthy conditions in swimming pools or similar recreational water bodies. Proper sanitation is needed to maintain the visual clarity of water and to prevent the transmission of infectious waterborne diseases. Contaminants added up swimmers can influence the pool water management.

Typical contaminants that decrease the water quality include microorganisms from infected users and body oils including sweat, cosmetics, suntan lotion, urine, saliva and fecal matter.

Additionally, the complex reactions between disinfectants and water contaminants can produce a mixture of chloramines and other byproducts. Pathogenic contaminants, i.e. microbes pose greatest hazard to the users leading to recreational water illnesses. Typical pathogens are viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi. Diarrhea, Cryptosporidiosis and Giardiasis are the most commonly reported illness associated with pathogenic contaminants, while ear, skin rashes and respiratory infections are also common.

Key to a well maintained pool is timely and thorough testing of feed and pool water.

Aluminium
Chlorides
Coliform MPN
Colour
Heavy metals Iron
Odour (generic)

Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP)
Oxygen absorbed
pH
Residual chlorine
Standard plate count
Total alkalinity
Total dissolved solids
Turbidity