How to Check a Bac Water COA Before You Buy
By the BacWater.fit team · Updated
Short answer. A useful bac water COA names the lot, its manufacture and expiry dates, and gives a measured result next to a limit for each test: benzyl alcohol content, pH, sterility, endotoxins, particulates and fill volume among them. Match the lot number to your kit, check the expiry, and be wary of a certificate that only says 'pass' or has no lot number.
Five things to check
- The lot number matches the lot of the vials you received.
- Manufacture and expiry dates are given, and the expiry leaves you enough time.
- Each test shows a number or an observation, not just 'conforms'.
- Each result sits next to its limit, so you can see the margin.
- The method is named (for example GC-FID for benzyl alcohol, membrane filtration for sterility).
Tests to expect for bac water
- Appearance — a clear, colourless solution
- Identity of the water and of the benzyl alcohol
- Benzyl alcohol content — ours is specified at 0.9% ± 0.1% (v/v)
- pH — ours 5.0–7.0
- Elemental impurities
- Preservative (antimicrobial) effectiveness
- Fill volume
- Particulate matter
- Bacterial endotoxins
- Sterility
Red flags
- No lot number, or one that does not match the kit.
- A single 'pass' stamp with no results.
- A certificate for a different size or product.
- No way to ask the seller a question about it.
How it works with us
Every order ships with the COA of its lot, and you can ask for the COA of the lot we would ship before you pay. Have a lot number already? Send it from our Lot COA page and our sales team e-mails that lot's certificate. Lot COAs are not published on the site.