When to ICP Test

[thewalkingdad]

Hey everyone!

I just bought my first ICP test. I haven't set up my tank yet (and won't for a few months since I'm still building the house it will go in).

Should I test my water from the tap or should I test the water coming out of my RO/DI unit?

My inkling is to test after the RO/DI unit since that is the actual water going into the tank, not the high TDS water from the tap. I don't really want to buy a second test to compare pre/post RO/DI.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Why do want to do an icp test right now?

 

[thewalkingdad]

Why do want to do an icp test right now?

I was hoping to get some insight into what kind of water I have, but perhaps if it is fresh RO/DI water, there won't be anything in the water to test.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I would check your city's water quality report for that info. Then test your rodi water with a tds meter to make sure it's 0 tds and you should be good to go

 

[xxkenny90xx]

That being said there's nothing wrong with doing an icp test, I'm sure you'd get some good information, I just don't think it's necessary.

 

[Biokabe]

If you want to test your RO/DI water, use ATI's ICP test. Each kit includes a sample tube explicitly for testing your fresh RO/DI water. In general, you shouldn't worry about your RO/DI water as long as your TDS meter shows 0 on the output after the water has been running for a few minutes. You also generally shouldn't need to test your tap water, unless you suspect that your source water has certain contaminants in it (for example, chloramines) that standard RO/DI filters can't remove. You can get a canister for filtering out chloramines, but it's an unnecessary expense unless you have reason to believe your source water contains them.

In terms of when I would use my first ICP test - I would test when I suspected my cycle was completed, a day or two after adding an ammonia source to your water. There's nothing wrong with doing one earlier... it just doesn't tell you that much and isn't a terribly great use of your money.