The Hidden Reagent Bill Buried In Your O&M Budget

Reagent solutions, buffers, and indicator chemicals are rarely treated as headline items in an operations and maintenance budget. Instead, they arrive in a steady stream of routine orders that mask their true cumulative expense. Beyond the continuous purchase of consumables, utilities pay for shipping, storage, and the inevitable disposal of expired chemicals, alongside membrane replacements and electrolyte refills. Added to the loss of non-revenue sample water, a single conventional monitoring point can easily accumulate thousands of dollars in recurring annual costs.

Bare-electrode amperometric sensing eliminates the need for reagents, buffers, and replacement membranes altogether. Integrating self-cleaning mechanisms maintains electrode performance, drastically reducing the labor required for routine maintenance and calibration. Calculating the true cost of consumables across an entire distribution fleet reveals significant opportunities to streamline operating budgets. Read the complete article to evaluate your utility's ongoing monitoring expenses.