Sample collection

How to collect your sample

A NABL-accredited result is only as good as the sample we receive. Two minutes spent collecting correctly is what separates a defensible report from a wasted one.

Drinking water — physico-chemistry

• Container: any clean, food-grade PET bottle (a 2 L mineral water bottle, rinsed three times with the sample water, works).
• Volume: 2 L for the Basic panel, 5 L for Standard and Full IS 10500.
• Flush before sampling: open the tap fully and let water run for 2–3 minutes to flush stagnant water out of the pipe.
• Fill completely: minimise air-gap. Cap tightly.
• Label: write your Sample ID (we email it to you) and the collection date and time on the bottle.
• Keep cool, ship fast: store at 4–10 °C until shipped. Sample should reach the lab within 48 hours.

Drinking water — microbiology

• Container: sterile bottle that we ship to you with the order. Do not use your own bottle for micro testing — results will be invalid.
• Volume: 250 mL.
• Sterilise the tap: wipe the tap with the alcohol swab from the kit. Flame the metal tip if possible. Let cool 30 seconds.
• Flush: 2 minutes of full flow.
• Fill aseptically: do not touch the rim or inside of the cap. Leave a small air-gap (10–20 mL) for mixing. Cap immediately.
• Keep cold and ship same day: 4 °C in the insulated mailer from the kit. Sample must reach the lab within 24 hours.

Heavy metals (preserved)

We ship a kit with an HDPE bottle pre-dosed with concentrated nitric acid. Wear gloves, fill to the mark with sample, cap tightly, and ship in the insulated mailer. No need to refrigerate.

Coir / cocopeat

• Volume: 2 kg representative grab for RHP / EN compliance panels.
• Representativeness: draw from at least 5 different points across the lot or shipment, mix in a clean tray, then take the sub-sample. Single-point grabs are not representative and may not match RHP/EN guideline expectations on re-test.
• Container: sealed ziplock or HDPE bag. Label clearly.
• Moisture: ship as-is — do not dry. Physical properties (bulk density, WHC, air content) are measured at the as-received state.

Chain of custody

Each order is assigned one or more Sample IDs in the format GAL/WT/2026/0001. Write this on the bottle and on the shipping label so it never gets separated from the sample. On receipt the lab logs the sample under this ID in our LIMS, and every email from us thereafter quotes it.

Got a sample that doesn't fit any of the above? Email info@greenlink.in with details — many specialist matrices (industrial wastewater, process water, ground-water remediation) need a tailored sampling plan that we'll send back to you.