Measure dissolved and total iron in bore water, drinking water and process water with Milwaukee Instruments photometers. Both meters read 0.00-5.00 ppm Fe using the USEPA phenanthroline method – choose the portable MW14 for routine field checks, or the Mi408 PRO kit for laboratory and compliance work. Full selection guide below.
Measure dissolved and total iron in bore water, drinking water and process water...
Iron handy photometer
Range: 0.00 to 5.00 p…
Iron (High Range) Professional Photometer
0…
Iron reagent set (100 tests)
Iron in water occurs in two forms: ferrous iron (Fe2+), which is dissolved and leaves water clear until it oxidises, and ferric iron (Fe3+), which is already oxidised and shows as the familiar red-brown staining. A photometer measures total iron by adding a phenanthroline reagent that develops an orange colour in proportion to concentration, then reading that colour optically. The result is a numeric ppm value rather than a colour-card comparison, which is what makes it defensible for compliance reporting.
Iron is the most common complaint in Australian bore and groundwater supplies. It causes orange staining on fixtures and laundry, a metallic taste, and it feeds iron bacteria that form slime in pipework and pumps. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines set an aesthetic value of 0.3 mg/L for iron – well within the 0.00-5.00 ppm range both meters cover. If you are commissioning a bore, sizing a filtration system, or checking whether treatment is still working, a photometer gives you a number you can track over time. Iron is rarely the only parameter worth checking on a bore — most programmes pair it with pH meters, TDS meters and turbidity meters to build a complete picture of the supply.
Both meters cover the same 0.00-5.00 mg/L iron range at 0.01 mg/L resolution, so the choice is about how the result will be used rather than what it can measure. The MW14 is a single-parameter handheld photometer for routine iron checks in the field – compact, battery powered, and priced for teams that need a reliable number quickly. The Mi408 PRO is the instrument to specify when the reading has to stand up in a report: it follows an adaptation of USEPA Method 315 and Standard Methods 3500-Fe B, publishes its optical train (tungsten lamp with a 525 nm narrow-band interference filter), accepts either reagent packets or liquid bottles, and ships as a complete kit with two cuvettes, reagents, a hard carrying case and wiping tissue.
Both instruments are colorimetric and consume reagent with every test. Replacement iron reagent is available separately so testing never stops mid-programme.
Add a phenanthroline reagent to a water sample and read the resulting colour with a photometer. The reagent reacts with iron to produce an orange tint whose intensity is proportional to concentration, and the meter converts that to a ppm reading. Both meters on this page use this method across a 0.00-5.00 ppm range.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines set an aesthetic guideline value of 0.3 mg/L for iron. Above that, staining, taste and odour complaints become likely, even though there is no health-based limit at typical concentrations.
No. These are water-quality instruments for bore, drinking, process and aquaculture water. They cannot be used for ferritin, serum iron or any medical testing - for that, speak to a pharmacy or pathology provider.
Ferrous iron (Fe2+) is dissolved and leaves water looking clear; ferric iron (Fe3+) is oxidised and causes visible red-brown staining. The phenanthroline method reads total iron, covering both forms once the sample is properly prepared.
Yes. Bore and groundwater are the most common applications for iron testing in Australia, where iron causes staining, metallic taste and iron-bacteria growth in pipework. A photometer lets you baseline a new bore and then verify that filtration or treatment is still performing.
The Mi408 PRO is supplied as a kit including reagents to get started. Both instruments consume reagent per test, so replacement iron reagent is available separately for ongoing testing programmes.
