Jon wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> As you can tell I'm still very new. How do you measure PPM?
> Thanks
Hi Jon,
You'll get a variety of answers to this question, but let me try to
summarize. This is an important subject. This may be the start of
another FAQ file...
* Testing Labs:
The only reliable way we have yet to measure ppm is to have it
tested for us by an environmental laboratory, which usually costs
about 15-20 dollars (US) per sample. To be really sure, you'd have to
test several samples, so it can get a bit pricey. If you change
anything, you'd have to test again... and so on.
You can usually find such labs in your local phone book under
"environmental testing" or similar categories. Just tell them you
want to test samples of clean water for silver content. Some can also
be found on the net.
* Hand held "PPM" meters:
There are a number of small meters from Hanna Instruments that have
been recommended to us. The problem is we don't have enough data to
relate the "ppm" readings of any of the Hanna devices to *actual*
concentration of silver in our preparations. In other words we have
to develop "calibration curves" for them.
The units are relatively cheap, easy to use, and quite reliable. They
are definitely useful for making sure that you are getting consistent
results from one batch to the next, but more work has to be done
before we can honestly say we're measuring "ppm" with them.
* Current monitoring:
Hanna's devices work by measuring resistivity (the ability to resist
the flow of current). If you are making your own CS, it just so
happens you have a built in method for doing the same thing.
If you keep your electrode spacing, wetted length, and wire size the
same from batch to batch, you've got a perfectly serviceable
resistivity probe. Just put a meter in line with the power supply
(batteries or whatever) and measure the current while making CS.
If you are consistent in your procedures, and stop at the same
current reading each time, you'll have the same concentration in each
new batch, or very close. It would be possible to calibrate this the
same way as one of the Hanna units.
There are subtleties that effect the current, which is why I say you
have to be consistent. The silver particles tend to form a "cloud"
around the electrodes that passes more current than the bulk
solution. If you periodically remove the electrodes, wipe them off,
and stir your CS, then you will get an accurate current reading.
* What is PPM?
Finally, there is the question of exactly what it is we are trying to
measure.
The term "ppm" (parts-per-million) means the same, in our case, as
milligrams per liter. So in a liter (about a quart) of 20ppm CS you'd
have 20 milligrams of silver suspended in the liquid.
But there is a *big* difference between a mass of silver in some
water and effective CS. If you put a 20 milligram sliver of silver
metal in a liter jar of water you'd still have 20 ppm, but you would
*not* have a colloidal suspension!
Some portion of the silver in a batch of home-made CS may be
particles that are larger than the range of .01 to .001 microns that
are said to be the most effective. Another portion might be smaller
than that, and maybe even individual atoms of silver that could be
considered to be truly *dissolved* in the water.
Is it total concentration, the particle size, the charge on the
particles, or some complex combination of these and other factors
that is most important? We don't know the answer to that yet. It
seems likely that a low ppm preparation of very fine particles might
be just as effective as a higher ppm CS that has some larger average
particle size.
* Conclusion:
What we *do* know is that certain silver preparation methods have
yielded good and sometimes stunning results. Just having a ballpark
notion of the ppm of your CS, either by measurement or by following
somebody else's recipe closely, may in fact be good enough.
If you use any of the above methods to relate your results to others,
and to get consistency from one batch to the next, you'll be able to
reliably adjust dosage in response to symptoms, which is really the
bottom line.
Comments and opinions, anyone?
Be well,
Mike Devour
silver-list owner
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