Testing common household items with a GC...
Here's a couple of good ones for those with a common GM counter...
Doing a 24 hour test on the clothes dryer lint trap can tell you a thing or two about the air, water and overall environment in which you live. Set it on the removable trap (after it's full of lint) for 24 hours to get the average.
CAUTION:
Most handle this kind of household waste as if it is clean but this dust could be a "hand grenade" waiting to go off inside of you and/or your family...
...true and proven stuff.
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Try a old water filter...
Most water faucets have screens that make a great and simple test. Test em for at least 5 hours with all the bits that were trapped in it... It's a water over a rock thing
![Smile :-)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
If you have a water filter take the foam sediment filter and dry it out OTA (out of the living area) and test it for a 24 hour average.
These are great ways to monitor the environment in which you (and your friends and family) live...
HELP:
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Why do a background test of equal time first and waste all that extra time?
Every counter on the planet is in-fact a little bit different. No two guitars or even the amps that power them are exactly the same. Even the current that powers them (AC power especially) may not be the exact same in any given location.
If no 2 guitars are ever exactly in tune... It's the over all tuning that makes the sound for any band... The same is true with GC's, scintillation and all the other detection methods for monitoring these elements. Most common GM tubes are simply a wire stretched between 2 points inside a glass tube.
The background test is your tuning...
Your counter and environment are unique. Try to do a background test in the same spot (minus the sample) that you will perform the real test. Then simply subtract the background results and you have your reading for the sample.
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Your overall average will tell you the actual reading when testing any item. A GC will need to spend some time on the object to show you any substantially accurate results...
...With the Inspector GC you can do a simple background test for 30min. before testing the object for 30 to see a quick result (run both test in the exact same location, back to back)...
Interesting and informative stuff that could save your life....
...and remember a GC only knows something is there, not what it is.
Stay safe, don't panic, eyes open.