Detergent Testing

Titration – Concentration testing for Parts Washer detergents, soaps and cleaning chemicals

Maintaining the Proper Chemical Concentration in your Parts Washer

After you have determined an appropriate chemical concentration, you must monitor and maintain it for optimal parts cleaning results and parts washer performance.

Initially, you should start by monitoring the parts washer chemical concentration daily and then weekly (or, every 40 hours of washer operation). You should develop a chemical monitoring schedule based on the frequency of the parts washer operation, degree of parts cleanliness required, the types of soils to be removed from parts, and so on. Your monitoring schedule should account for all the variables in your washing application in order to give you the best cleaning results, while using the least amount of washer chemical possible.

There are several methods to determine a parts washer's chemical concentration and maintain the proper chemical charge. One is a titration test.

Titration Test

Perform this test to determine the concentration of parts washer chemical by titrating the alkalinity of the solution with an indicator and a drop count. The results determine the number of ounces of washer chemical to add per gallon of water-capacity

 Titration Test Kit

Titration is the estimation of the strength of a compound found by measuring the amount of another compound of known strength that is required to produce an observable reaction.

Almost all titration kits supplied with cleaning chemicals and soaps use phenolphthalen (indicator P) as a reactant, and an acid (hydrochloric or phosphoric) as a neutralizer. The indicator P turns red, pink or blue when added to a sample of the parts washer solution. By counting the drops of acid it takes to turn the parts washer solution back to its original color, you can arrive at a good estimate of the chemical concentration in your washer.

Titration Testing Guidelines for Parts Washers:

  • Perform a titration test weekly on the washer solution.
  • Contact your chemical supplier for titration test kits.
  • Use a kit designed specifically for your parts washer chemical.
  • Follow test kit instructions.
  • Add chemical to your parts washer based on the results of the titration  test.

When you perform a titration test on a parts washer bath, do the following:

  • Allow the parts washer sample solution to cool to room temperature.
  • Filter the cooled washer solution to remove impurities and make it clear enough to see the color change. If the solution is murky, add another 12.5 ml to 50 ml of clean water for clarification. Diluting the sample will not change your results. Swirl the test tube to mix the solution thoroughly.
  • Hold the titration solutions vertical when you add drops to the parts washer sample. This ensures "size accuracy" of the drops coming out of the reagent bottles.
  • Use clean laboratory flasks, vials, and bottles for all titration tests. Dirty tools can produce invalid test results.
  • After testing the sample, record the results, concentration adjustment and retest results on the Detergent Concentration Record.

For improved testing accuracy when testing parts washer solution:

  • Prepare a "control" sample using fresh city water and chemical to the desired concentration. Note: City water can have mineral or be acidic requiring more parts washer chemicals to be added than you might expect to reach the desired alkalinity. Part of the washer chemical is being consumed to treat your incoming water supply. In some cases a De-mineralized or RO water supply can be used to reduce parts washer chemical usage, improve bath life and reduce sludge build-up in the parts washer.
  • Titrate this "control" sample.
  • Compare titrations of the parts wash solution to the results of the "control" in order to determine if you need to add chemical to your parts washing machine.

Links to the specific instructions for each MART and Stingray Part Washer Chemical Titration Test Kit are below:

Power Kleen I Titration Test
Power Kleen I L Titration Test
Power Kleen II Titration Test
Power Kleen III L Titration Test
Power Kleen V Titration Test



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