Determining When To Change Your Detonox Bath
Q: We are using Detonox detergent in our ultrasonic baths and are loving it. We use a visual inspection method (cloudiness of solution) to determine when to change the bath and are moving to conductivity and pH. It appears pH stays constant regardless of concentration?
A: As a broad statement, detergent concentration does very little to affect pH due to buffers, as well as salts, micelles, and other constituents. A pH meter wouldn’t be used to control for concentration on anything but very gross scales.
Advanced Cleaning: Relationship Between Conductivity, Surface Tension and pH
Q: I am doing a conductivity study using Alconox detergent. I am seeing that the pH and Surface Tension listed on the COA differs between lots. Do you think these variables affect conductivity enough to alter my results?
A: Here’s the short answer… Surface tension does not have any interactive relationship with conductivity; pH has a very small, essentially negligible interaction with conductivity; and concentration and temperature are much bigger causes of change in conductivity.