CHOOSING A WATER SAMPLER - ALPHA OR BETA
The Alpha™ and Beta™ Water Samplers are both variations of the classic Van Dorn water sampler and are nearly identical in operation, capacity, and construction. The critical difference is the materials used in the seals and closing tubing, which determines whether the sampler is suitable for chemical analyses.
Comparison
| Feature | Alpha™ Water Sampler | Beta™ Water Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use | General water sampling | Trace metal and chemical sampling |
| End seals | Blue polyurethane | White ASA plastic |
| Metal contamination risk | Slight potential | Minimized |
| Durability | Higher | Slightly lower |
| Cost | Usually lower | Usually higher |
| Water quality analyses | Physical, biological, nutrients | Trace metals, ultra-low level chemistry |
| Plankton sampling | Excellent | Excellent |
Alpha™ Water Sampler
The Alpha sampler is intended for routine water sampling, including:
- Temperature
- pH
- Conductivity
- Dissolved oxygen
- Turbidity
- Nutrients
- Biological sampling
- Plankton collection
- Chlorophyll
- Total suspended solids (TSS)
Its polyurethane seals and black latex tubing are durable and resistant to sunlight and water exposure. However, these materials can leach very small amounts of mercury, phosphorus, or trace metals, making the Alpha sampler less suitable for ultra-trace chemical analyses.
Recommended for:
- Limnology
- Fisheries research
- Aquaculture
- Lake monitoring
- River monitoring
- Environmental field work
- Educational use
Beta™ Water Sampler
The Beta sampler was developed specifically to minimize contamination during chemical sampling.
It replaces the Alpha's polyurethane seals with ASA plastic seals and uses amber latex tubing selected to reduce the potential for introducing trace contaminants into the sample. This makes it better suited for measuring metals and other chemical constituents at very low concentrations.
Typical applications include:
- Trace metals
- Mercury
- Lead
- Cadmium
- Copper
- Zinc
- Nickel
- Other ultra-low level chemical analyses
Although the Beta is optimized for trace-metal work, it can also be used for biological sampling. The trade-off is that its seals are somewhat less durable than those on the Alpha.
Which Should You Choose?
| Application | Recommended Sampler |
|---|---|
| General water quality | Alpha |
| Limnology | Alpha |
| Fisheries research | Alpha |
| Plankton sampling | Alpha |
| Nutrient sampling | Alpha |
| Suspended solids | Alpha |
| Chlorophyll | Alpha |
| Heavy metals | Beta |
| Trace metals | Beta |
| Mercury analysis | Beta |
| Regulatory chemical monitoring | Beta |
For most users—including universities, environmental consultants, fisheries biologists, aquaculture facilities, and government agencies performing routine water quality and biological sampling—the Alpha Water Sampler is the preferred choice because it is more durable and fully adequate for the vast majority of field applications.
Choose the Beta Water Sampler only if your laboratory will be analyzing trace metals or other ultra-low concentration chemical constituents, where even very small amounts of contamination from sampler components could affect the results. This is why the Beta is commonly specified for regulatory trace-metal monitoring and specialized chemical investigations.
