Frequently Asked Questions
We have compiled a listing of questions about our company, services, and the industry that might be useful in learning more about Craft Products and the subject of water treatment.
Q: What is the Association of Water Technologies (AWT)?
The Association of Water Technologies (AWT) was founded in 1985 to provide small water treatment companies with a forum for interaction, development and to provide reasonably priced liability insurance. Since then, it has developed into a comprehensive, international trade association that provides training, technological information, and independent certification of water technologists.
Q: What is a Certified Water Technologist (CWT)?
The designation of CWT is an objective certification of the abilities and business ethics of applicants as overseen by the Association of Water Technologies. It is based on verifiable work experience (minimum of 5 years), skill of application in various water treatment areas as attested by both peers and customers, and a comprehensive examination on a variety of water treatment topics. It includes a signed declaration of ethics and professionalism and requires continuing professional development for re-certification.
Q: What is the sales and services area for Craft Products Company?
Craft is a worldwide provider of water treatment products and services. For clients outside of the Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia area, we are able to travel for onsite consultations and projects or recommend one of many qualified companies we work with if you prefer a local water treatment specialist.
Q: Are there limits on where Craft Products can supply water analysis products?
Through our partnership with UPS, we can ship water analysis products to virtually any part of the world. There are restrictions and guidelines that mandate what products may be shipped via certain modes of transport used by common carriers (Class 1 Corrosives cannot be shipped by air, for example). Craft will work with you on determining the best way to get products to you in a timely manner and work within any transport restrictions
Q: Why shouldn't I just buy the cheapest reagents that I can find?
Often, the only way to make reagents cheaper is to either use less expensive raw materials (such as non-reagent grade acids) or to bypass some of the time consuming production procedures. This invariably leads to lower quality products which yield unreliable results. Our customers count on our In-process Quality Control and ACS or Ultra Pure Grade raw materials that assures guaranteed quality every time.
Q: Does Craft Products Company make custom reagents?
We currently produce custom reagent formulations of all types, including powders, indicators, and liquids. We can provide a price on custom formulations of any batch size from a single pint to hundreds of gallons.
Q: What is the difference between water analysis and water treatment?
Water analysis is the science of finding out what is in a sample of water. This refers to both the biological components as well as the chemical components. Water treatment is the application of mechanical or chemical means to alter the properties of water in order to allow it to be most efficiently used for a specific purpose. These two disciplines are related in that the only way to properly apply water treatment is to first analyze the water to determine what and how much water treatment is required.
Q: Our engineer told us that the closed loop in our facility does not require chemical treatment. Can that be true?
In our years of experience we have seen closed loops that have performed well without any chemical treatment, but they are less than one tenth of one percent of the total. In general, a loop, whether hot, chilled, tempering, or process, will benefit greatly from properly applied water treatment and will run longer and more efficiently for its lifetime. Conversely, an untreated loop, unless it is part of that less than one in a thousand, will eventually run poorly and be a maintenance headache for many years until it is somehow remediated or replaced.
Q: Our engineer told us that the evaporative cooler in our facility does not require chemical treatment. Can that be true?
Evaporative coolers and evaporative condensers are just like cooling towers in that they evaporate relatively large amounts of water, leaving the impurities behind. These impurities concentrate and if left untreated, can severely reduce the efficiency of the unit. In addition, the temperatures within these units are usually ideal for the growth of many microorganisms, including infectious varieties. In this case it can actually be considered irresponsible not to treat them.