Ammonia Diffusion Tank Water Sampling
Many refrigeration systems installed in California are equipped with a diffusion tank which is designed to receive and mitigate ammonia vapor that is released when a relief valve lifts. Since the common application of diffusion tanks has been limited to the west coast, our industry lacks best practices for sampling diffusion tank water for the presence of ammonia.
As a passive mitigation safety device, diffusion tanks are effective at neutralizing the smell and many of the dangers associated with an ammonia release. While masking the odor is welcomed from a health and safety standpoint, it can increase the challenge in identifying when a relief valve has lifted. One simple solution to this potential difficulty is to regularly sample your diffusion tank water. Ammonia is alkaline, which means that small amounts of ammonia in water will raise the pH considerably. For systems which have no relief valve monitoring equipment available, we suggest weekly sampling of diffusion tank water. For systems with other relief valve monitoring equipment available (e.g. rupture discs, relief vent indicators, or vent line sensors), monthly or quarterly sampling should be sufficient.
Sampling diffusion tank water need not be intimidating. Any standard pool water test kit will have the needed tools for measuring the pH of your diffusion tank water.
For more information on ammonia diffusion tanks refer to our previous blog posts:
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