Conductivity and pH Probes should be routinely cleaned and calibrated using Bluelab pH 4, pH7 & EC2.77 Calibration Solution to ensure the highest level of accuracy.
Serious commercial growers should clean and calibrate their pH and Conductivity probes every 2 – 3 weeks.
Some growers may need to do this procedure more frequently.
The frequency of cleaning and calibration that is required is all dependent on the cleanliness of the hydroponic system and the type of crop which is being grown.
Growers who regularly dump their tanks and use rockwool as a growing media don’t need to clean and check their probes quite as often as those who use organic medias and accumulate organic matter such as root material, leaf material, biofilm or algae in their systems, or who use nutrient solutions or additives which are oily or have impurities.
A pH4 and pH7 calibration solution should always be your benchmark for accuracy. Never use another meter or controller as your only guide for accuracy as each meter will have its own margin of accuracy e.g. certified with an accuracy of + or – 0.1 pH.
An accuracy of + or – 0.1 pH means that one meter could read 5.7pH (-0.1pH) and the other could read 5.9pH (+0.1pH) in a 5.8pH solution and they could both be considered to be within their certified range of accuracy. This leads to a 0.2pH difference in the reading.
The only way to test if they are reading correctly is to dip them in a sample of pH4 or pH7 calibration solution. The pH probe should always read pH4 in a pH4 solution and pH7 in a pH7 solution. If they are reading incorrectly then the probe should be cleaned and calibrated.
If the pH probe is slow to respond or fails the calibration process, then it is time to replace the probe with a new one.
A conductivity probe should always read EC2.77 when dipped in an EC2.77 Conductivity solution. If an EC probe is dipped in EC2.77 solution and it is shown to read lower than EC2.77 then this indicates that the EC probe needs to be cleaned.
The EC.77 conductivity solution always provides an accurate reference point.
Pure Hydroponics supplies the Bluelab range of pH4, pH7 and EC2.77 Calibration Solutions:
- pH 4, pH7 & EC2.77 Solution x 250ml Bottle – NZ$16.65 + GST
- pH 4, pH7 & EC2.77 Solution x 500ml Bottle – NZ$30.00 + GST
- pH 4, pH7 & EC2.77 Solution x 250ml Bottle – Carton of 6 – NZ$100.00 + GST
- pH 4, pH7 & EC2.77 Solution x 500ml Bottle – Carton of 6 – NZ$180.00 + GST
- pH 4, pH7 & EC2.77 Solution x 18ml Sachet – Box of 30 – NZ$69.00 + GST
- pH 4, pH7 & EC2.77 Solution x 18ml Sachet – Mixed Box of 30 – NZ$69.00 + GST
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Directions:
Simply tip a small quantity of pH 4, pH 7 or EC2.77 solution into a small glass or vial. Clean the tip of the pH or Conductivity probe with the recommended Chamois stick (for Conductivity Probe) or soft toothbrush (for pH Probe) and the recommended probe cleaning solution as directed and then rinse well.
Dip the probe tip into the pH4, pH7 or EC2.77 solution and wait for the reading to stabilise. Then complete the appropriate calibration process for the meter or controller that is in use (making sure to rinse the probe and shake dry as you move between different solutions).
After each sample of pH4, pH7 or EC2.77 solution is used once, tip it out (not back into the bottle) and use a fresh sample of solution from the bottle for the next test.
Bluelab EC Probe Care Instructions
Bluelab pH Probe Instruction Manual
