Condition monitoring specialist company WearCheck has acquired sister company water analysis company Set Point Water Laboratories.

Adding a new division to WearCheck’s scientific testing structure, the integration of Set Point expands WearCheck’s expertise and services, which include scientific used oil analysis, asset reliability care, transformer oil testing and lubricant-enabled reliability, into water testing.

Set Point Water Laboratories is ISO 17025:2017-accredited and tests water from any source, from drinking water to factory effluent, to determine the presence and levels of potentially harmful substances.

Established as a minerals laboratory in 1998, Set Point introduced water testing in 2013 and expanded with the launch of a Cape Town water laboratory in 2019, achieving accreditation of the Cape Town laboratory in 2020, and thereafter focusing only on water analysis.

“Our laboratory technicians select the relevant tests for the water sample depending on the needs of the customer. They identify what is wrong with the water and advise customers on possible consequences of using / discarding such water,” explained Set Point GM Thelma Horsfield.

Water analysis is conducted using various accredited techniques, including photometric, electrometric, colorimetric, gravimetric, ICP-OES, ICP MS and enzyme substrates, which obtain the best possible results in chemical and microbial analysis of effluent and wastewater, drinking water, processed water, surface water and groundwater.

“In the case of industrial operations needing to dispose of wastewater into a river system, the sea or even simply down the drain, there are strict by-laws that must be adhered to, outlining the acceptable levels of contaminants before disposal, to prevent possible fines or even prosecution. Our water technicians determine the exact levels of contaminants and advise on acceptable levels for safe discarding,” she elaborated.

The company also regularly monitors the water quality from the boreholes used by mining customers to test whether contaminants from the mining process have leached into the water supply.

“Health is a primary reason for many of our customers for drinking water safety, both private and in the restaurant trade for making juices and coffees, and they want to know the hardness of their municipal water as it affects their coffee machines.”

Further, Set Point is currently undertaking water quality checks for a renal unit to ensure suitability for dialysis.

The group has also added alcohol content testing to its services, as well as a newly introduced logistics solution to enable easy movement of water and sanitiser samples.

Through WearCheck, Set Point's water facilities provide analytical services through an extensive network of operations in South Africa and internationally.

Previously, WearCheck was part of the larger Set Point group until the company was bought by current owners Synerlytic in 2019, along with SetPoint Water Laboratories.