API test kit design Fail?

[Wy Renegade]

Does anyone else's API test tubes leak when you shake them? I find this quite annoying not to mention semi dangerous since a lot of the chemical are strong acids haha. Anyone else have this annoying problem?

I'm curious to know what you're testing for that employes a strong acid solution? While many of the chemicals from test kits may be hazardous if ingested or exposed to the eye, to my knowledge none employ a strong acid. While some acids are used for some tests (such as sulfuric acid) at a 0.030N concentration they hardly qualify as a strong acid - vinegar or Coca-Cola probably has a more corrosive effect than it does.

 

[Hubert90]

I'm curious to know what you're testing for that employes a strong acid solution? While many of the chemicals from test kits may be hazardous if ingested or exposed to the eye, to my knowledge none employ a strong acid. While some acids are used for some tests (such as sulfuric acid) at a 0.030N concentration they hardly qualify as a strong acid - vinegar or Coca-Cola probably has a more corrosive effect than it does.

Well obviously some of us aint as knowledgable with chemical as u do. The word sulfuric acid just prompts danger to us. Haha

 

[Wy Renegade]

Well obviously some of us aint as knowledgable with chemical as u do. The word sulfuric acid just prompts danger to us. Haha

Gotcha, was just curious if you all were testing for something I wasn't LOL.

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

Yeah I'm gonna try just wrapping a paper towel around it. It really only rears it's ugly head on the nitrate test when you have to shake it for a minute. And I don't know if they are strong or not but regardless you are spilling chemicals on your hands. That cannot be a good thing. It can't be that hard to design a good test tube

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Is it necessary to shake the test tubes? Or it sufficient to just turn it up and down? Hope I'm not off topic. But I think that helps with the leakage abit

The instructions are pretty specific if you want accurate results. On the pH tests you can invert it a few times, but the ammo and no2 need to be shaken for 5 seconds.

The no3 is the one I hated, till I realized that I didn't need to simulate a paint shaker at HD lol. I figured out that if I don't press down hard on the cap (deforming the natural seal) and turned the tube cap down, shake it (normal for 5ml), maybe 1 or 2 drops leaks out now. Before I was pressing hard on the cap, shaking it really hard wrapped in a rag and half the liquid would leak out as I wondered what chems are poisoning me .

I also use a kind of syringe to fill the tube too, so it doesn't take 5 minutes to get the level right a 5ml lol.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Salifert test kits come with syringes and most don't have to be shaken. FWIW

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

Salifert would be ideal but some of us are on a budget lol. But thanks for the new tip! I will have to try that on nitrate

 

[kay-bee19]

No, a little leaking won't alter the test results. You're measuring the concentration of certain molecules in the water. Yes, they're in parts per million, but when you leak a little bit of the solution, you're leaking the solute and the solvent (and the test chemicals) roughly equally. You'd need to remove a significant portion of the solute without removing any solvent (or vice versa) to seriously affect the results. It's not an issue, trust me.

I think it depends on the type of test.

With test kits such as ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH (with a designated number of drops) I'll probably agree with you there.

But with test kits that require additional drops after shaking (with the result depending an undesignated number of drops added as is the case with the calcium, alkalinity, general hardness, etc) the leaking might skew results.

 

[JBsDad]

No, a little leaking won't alter the test results. You're measuring the concentration of certain molecules in the water. Yes, they're in parts per million, but when you leak a little bit of the solution, you're leaking the solute and the solvent (and the test chemicals) roughly equally. You'd need to remove a significant portion of the solute without removing any solvent (or vice versa) to seriously affect the results. It's not an issue, trust me.

I respectfully disagree. If it were completely mixed into a true solution, you would be correct. However, many times the tubes start leaking as soon as shaking begins, before a true solution is achieved. How could a person know exactly what ratio of water and reagent have escaped? The amount leaked is not a little bit in my case, but as much as half the volume. I won't trust a test after that much has leaked out.

 

[Batt4Christ]

Furthermore- API doesn't care- I bought my first of their master test kits in 1989- and today's kids suck just as badly (as far as leaky test tube caps)

 

[Henry405]

wow, I only had like 3-5 drops, if you lose as much as 2.5 ml, that tube needs to be trashed!

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

Mine don't leak as much as some people are describing its more of a nuisance than anything else. I was just wanting to see if this was a widespread problem and it appears it is. We should petition API!!! Haha

 

[Hubert90]

Mine don't leak as much as some people are describing its more of a nuisance than anything else. I was just wanting to see if this was a widespread problem and it appears it is. We should petition API!!! Haha

We should do hey!