Use the appropriate quality water for each task

Two pipette washers set up with timers for tap water and de-ionized rinsing.

Problem: When very high quality water is available, it’s easy to use it for all stages of washing, rinsing or reagent preparation. The energy and cooling water needed for stills can be considerable. (Get kWh and liters of cooling water used per liter DIW). An unseen water use is the salts and water needed to flush and recharge the DI cartridges.

Solution: Be sure to use tap water for bulk rinsing of dirty glassware and use progressively purer water with each step, as needed. Understand the chemical limits of contamination for your work and know your source water purity. Consult with your group about whether some lower grade water may be used for rinses or flushing operations. Consider soaking rather than continuous flushing.

Benefits: This will improve research quality by insuring that high quality water is available for all needs.

Costs: Very few when water quality is selected appropriately. Some time learning your building and laboratory’s systems and what the limits are for your work. Awareness of building systems always pays off.