Check standards are used to determine if an instrument is still within calibration.

Kemio and sensor instrument check standards verify that the instrument correctly measures electric signals. As with electrochemical sensors in samples, the instrument applies a voltage to the check standard and measures the resulting current. Check standards include verified resistors, which produce a consistent electric current. Kemio validates the measured current internally. Sensor instruments display the corresponding concentration value, which is compared manually to target values on the certificate supplied with the set of check standards. Check standard kits come with three standards to test across the measurement range.

1. Reagent Formulations Will Differ Depending on the Manufacturer
2. Optical Set-Up of the Instrument Will Differ Depending on Manufacturer
3. Our Photometers are Calibrated Based on our Reagent Formulations
4. Accuracy Levels are Stated Based on the Specific Optical Set Up and Reagent Formulation

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Check standards allow you to confirm that your instrument is reading results correctly.

The recalibration process is a highly technical process which is carefully controlled. To recalibrate your instrument, it must be returned to Palintest.

Palintest has a dedicated technical support team who is happy to assist you with any queries. To help speed up our response and to ensure we can deal with your query as quickly as possible, please provide as much information as you can (e.g. instrument serial number, some background information to your application). To contact them, please fill in the form on this page.

To help equip you with more information to get the best out of your instrument, our team has also created a library of information which can be found in Our News. This includes a list of best practice tips to help ensure you are performing the test correctly, to view these tips please click here. 

Palintest cannot guarantee accurate results when sensos are used outside of the recommended temperature range. To learn more please click here Kemio brochure.

If the reading of your sample is high, please complete the technical support form for further assistance.

A dilution is required when the expected result falls outside of the test range. For example, if you expect the result to be 11 mg/L and the test is from 0 – 10 mg/L.

To perform a x2, x3, x4, x5 or x10 dilution you will need your sample, de-ionised water and a Palintest dilution tube.

To perform a higher than 10x dilution you will also need a 10mL syringe. This can dilute the sample up to 100 times.

A False Positive is a result indicating a detectable presence of the target organism where none are in fact present. The False Positive scenario produces a ‘fail to safety’ in most circumstances but results in unnecessary corrective action. Typical causes are poor testing technique, contamination of samples and the susceptibility of tests to interference from competing organisms. One of the most common causes of False Positive is the over-incubation of samples for methods with a narrowly defined incubation time window. Select a test method with both a minimal interference formulation and a wide incubation window to minimise False Positives.

‘Blanking’ is how a photometer sets the zero point when conducting a test. For the majority of tests, a blank is a sample of water to be tested, with no reagent added.

Some exceptions are Tubetests that usually require the blank to be a new unused Tubetest.  COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) requires a Tubetest to be made into a ‘blank’ by adding deionised water and digesting (heating) it, following the sample process used for a sample.  These procedures are explained in the relevant test instructions.

Specifically for microbiological testing, a False Negative is a dangerous scenario. The test used declares that the target organism is not present when it is, due to issues such as poor sample mixing or the inability of the test method to effectively resuscitate and culture the target (the Viable But Not Culturable scenario). Select a method for the target organism which has a low False Negative where possible.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) describes to the solid particles that can pass through a 2-micron filter. The solids in a liquid that cannot pass through this filter, i.e. the larger particles, are described as suspended solids. Particles that are even larger are known as settleable solids.