Testing the effectiveness during a cleaning can be done two different ways. One is a simple calcium carbonate spot test of the circulating solution. The other is by charting a trend in the pH of the cleaning solution. Perform these tests at regular intervals during the cleaning process. You need to also monitor the liquid volume in the circulating container. As deposits are dissolved, the total volume of the system will increase and may lead to pump cavitation which is prevented by adding more solution into circulating container to replace that volume. If sudden loss of volume occurs, check for leaks or proper isolation of the circulation system. The calcium carbonate spot test is done by taking a sample of the circulating solution and add some calcium carbonate which can simply be a sample of the deposit you are cleaning. Alternatively calcium tablets purchased from a pharmacy can be used. Even bare concrete is acceptable. Observe the reaction of the descaling solution on the calcium carbonate. If foaming and bubbling is observed, the Alpha Descaler is still active. If there is little or no reaction, the solution is expended. This test should be performed near the end of the recommended circulating time. If before the end of the recommended cleaning time the solution has been expended, more Alpha Descaler must be added to complete the descaling operation. However, if the solution is still active at the end of the recommended time, all the scale has been dissolved within the application and it is ready to be flushed with water and returned to service. If testing the PH, the initial pH of the cleaning solution will measure between near 0 to 1 at full strength. In order to test the effectiveness of the circulating solution as a function of pH, the readings should be taken at regular intervals and charted as a trend. The reasons for this is that the deposits being dissolved may cause a premature jump in the pH and give an inaccurate reading if taken only once or infrequently. After circulating for approximately 75% of the recommended time, test the pH. Continue to take readings every 10-15 minutes to develop a trend in your readings. Once the solution’s pH reads near 7.0 on three or more readings, the solution is expended. If the pH reads below 5.0 after the recommended circulating time, the application is clean and ready to be flushed with water and returned to service. If any questions, contact us or your supplier for assistance.
