Bluelab EC Pen - Manual (Page 4)

4
Contact details Limitation of liability
Bluelab Corporation Limited, 8 Whiore Avenue, Tauriko Industrial Park, Tauranga 3110,
New Zealand, Ph +64 7 578 0849 Fax +64 7 578 0847 Email [email protected]
www.getbluelab.com
Under no circumstances shall Bluelab Corporation Limited be liable for any claims,
losses, costs and damages of any nature whatsoever (including any consequential
loss) that result from the use of, or the inability to use, these instructions.
6.0 Troubleshooting
Trouble Correction
EC pen gives low readings Low readings usually mean the probe is
contaminated. Clean the probe and retest in a
known solution. Ensure unscented cleaner is used
eg. Bluelab Conductivity Probe Cleaner, Jif, Liquid
Vim, Soft Scrub, Cif cream or Viss.
EC pen gives high readings Calibrate pen in a known standard solution. Check
the table in section 4.0 for what solution to use for
your selected conductivity unit.
Screen does not turn on Replace battery.
7.0 Technical specifications
Range
0.0 - 10.0 EC, 0 - 7000 ppm (700 ppm),
0 - 5000 ppm (500 ppm/TDS)
0 - 50 °C / 32 - 122 °F
Resolution
0.1 EC, 10 ppm (700), 10 ppm (500)
1 °C / 1 °F
Accuracy
± 0.1EC @ 25°C (@2.77EC)
± 50 ppm (ppm 500) @ 25 °C (@ 1385 ppm)
± 70 ppm (ppm 700) @ 25 °C (@ 1940 ppm)
± 1 °C / ± 1 °F / ± 2 °F
Temperature compensation Automatic
Operating temperature 0 - 50 °C, 32 - 122 °F
Calibration Factory calibrated / manual calibration optional
Units EC, 700 ppm, 500 ppm, °C, °F
Power source 1 x AAA alkaline battery
Information about the scales available on the
Bluelab EC Pen
EC
Is a measure of electrically charged nutrient ions in a solution and is the only
absolute measure of conductivity.
Pure water will not conduct electricity. Water usually conducts electricity because it
is full of impurities, in our case, electrically charged nutrient ions. The two black dots
on the end of a conductivity probe are called electrodes. When these are placed
in a solution, an electrical current passes from one electrode, through the water to
the other electrode and counts the number of electrically charged ions present. This
represents the units measured - EC.
ppm measures parts per million
There are many different scales used for different industries around the world and
for many different reasons! Did you even know there are more than two scales? The
most widely used scales in Hydroponics are the 500 scale, 650 scale and the 700
scale.
What’s the difference?
The ppm 500 scale is based on measuring the KCl or potassium chloride content
of a solution. The ppm 700 is based on measuring the NaCl or sodium chloride
content of a solution. Individual nutrient ions have different electrical effects! The
true ppm of a solution can only be determined by a chemical analysis. ppm cannot
be accurately measured by an EC meter. They are present on Bluelab products as a
conversion guide only. The conversion is as follows;
2.4 EC x 500 = 1200 ppm (500 scale) or 1200 ppm / 500 = 2.4 EC
2.4 EC x 700 = 1680 ppm (700 scale) or 1680 ppm / 700 = 2.4 EC
If you are wanting to measure your solution in ppm, you will need
to know the following:
• What ppm scale is your meter using?
• Which calibration standard should you use for your meter?
• What ppm scale is my nutrient referring to?
The instrument is only as
accurate as the probe is clean!
Bluelab cleaning kits
Full colour instructions
Calibration solutions
Decanter vessels
Bluelab probe cleaner
Toothbrush
Bluelab pH Cleaning and Calibration Kit:
Full colour instructions
Conductivity standard solution
Decanter vessel
Bluelab probe cleaner
Bluelab chamois (probe
cleaning instrument)
Bluelab Conductivity Probe Cleaning Kit: