Digital Refractometer Help

[Reefer4ever]

How do I calibrate this thing? It is a Milwaukee Model: T75. It says Sharp TDS WP. Also, how do I tell what the salinity is, like 1.025, 1.026, etc.? Thanks

[Gseclipse02]

Milwaukee T75 Waterproof TDS Tester

Accurate and reliable Waterproof TDS tester
Range: 0 - 1999 ppm
Resolution: 1 ppm
Accuracy: ± 2% full scale
Calibration: 1 point manual
Electrode: Replaceable MA73075
Temp. Compensation: Automatic 0 - 50°C
Battery Life: 250 hours of continuous use
Battery Type: 3 x 1.5V
Environment: 0 - 50°C / 100% RH
Contact Milwaukee directly at 252 443.3630 on all warranty issues

[Gseclipse02]

were did you see that it told you salinity

[Reefer4ever]

were did you see that it told you salinity

No where. It says I am to calibrate it to 1382 but it is acting weird. I put the end into the solution and screwed the screw till it says 1832 as directed and let it stable. Then I take it out and turn it off. I turn it back on and put it back into the solution and it reads something totally crazy like 1400-1450. I have no clue how I do this! Please help!!!

[Reefer4ever]

I was asking if there is any equation or way to convert 1382 into something like 1.025, 1.026, etc.

[Gseclipse02]

Contact Milwaukee directly at 252 443.3630

best help i can give lol ive never messed with mine

[Reefer4ever]

Do you have this same refractometer? Should I just throw away the calibration solution? I tried testing the tank water and it said 1. It says that this means it is over range...

[StevenSeas]

Thats not a refractometer, its a TDS meter. One measures the salinity of water (what you are looking for) while the other measures the total dissolved solids of water. People measure TDS of the water they use before making up saltwater but thats the only use of TDS in reefing that I am aware of.

As far as an equation or something to go from TDS to salinity there isnt such thing, b/c a TDS meter will pick up other things such as floride, calcium, silicates, etc

[Reefer4ever]

So I would be better going with a refractometer that has the little flippy thingy on it that you dip in the water and then hold up to the light while you look through it so I am actually testing for salinity rather than what ever the heck a TDS meter does for me?

[Gseclipse02]

rather than what ever the heck a TDS meter does for me?

Total Dissolved Solids (often abbreviated TDS) is a measure of the combined content of all inorganic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inorganic) and organic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_compound) substances contained in a liquid in: molecular, ionized or micro-granular (colloidal sol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_(colloid))) suspended form. Generally the operational definition is that the solids must be small enough to survive filtration through a sieve the size of two micrometer. Total dissolved solids are normally discussed only for freshwater systems, as salinity comprises some of the ions constituting the definition of TDS. The principal application of TDS is in the study of water quality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_quality) for streams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream), rivers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River) and lakes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake), although TDS is not generally considered a primary pollutant (e.g. it is not deemed to be associated with health effects) it is used as an indication of aesthetic characteristics of drinking water (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_water) and as an aggregate indicator of the presence of a broad array of chemical contaminants.
Primary sources for TDS in receiving waters are agricultural (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture) and residential runoff, leaching of soil contamination (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_contamination) and point source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_source_(pollution)) water pollution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution) discharge from industrial or sewage treatment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewage_treatment) plants. The most common chemical constituents are calcium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium), phosphates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphate), nitrates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrate), sodium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium), potassium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium) and chloride (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloride), which are found in nutrient (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient) runoff, general stormwater (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormwater) runoff and runoff from snowy climates where road de-icing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De-icing) salts are applied. The chemicals may be cations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cation), anions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anion), molecules (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecule) or agglomerations on the order of one thousand or fewer molecules, so long as a soluble micro-granule (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granule) is formed. More exotic and harmful elements of TDS are pesticides (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide) arising from surface runoff (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_runoff). Certain naturally occurring total dissolved solids arise from the weathering and dissolution of rocks and soils. The United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) has established a secondary water quality standard of 500 mg/l to provide for palatability of drinking water.
Total dissolved solids are differentiated from total suspended solids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_suspended_solids) (TSS), in that the latter cannot pass through a sieve of two micrometers and yet are indefinitely suspended in solution. The term "settleable solids" refers to material of any size that will not remain suspended or dissolved in a holding tank not subject to motion, and excludes both TDS and TSS.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_dissolved_solids#cite_note-0) Settleable solids may include larger particulate matter or insoluble molecules

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_dissolved_solids

[Gseclipse02]

Ps. you can destroy your TDS meter if your putting it in S/W

[Reefer4ever]

What do I put it in then?

[Gseclipse02]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+do+i+calibrate+my+TDS+meter


lol jp

but there is a solution from what i read ... ill check on wed if we stock that solution for you

[Gseclipse02]

http://www.milwaukeetesters.com/pdf/ph-ec_info.pdf


this page may help you

[ErikH]

You want the TDS of your FW to = 0

That's why we invest in RO/DI units.

[Reefer4ever]

Okay. So I use this to test my RO/DI water? Zero is the best because you do not want any dissolved solids like copper in the water to go into my tank?

[Gseclipse02]

yes 0 is the best

[Kristy]

Okay. So I use this to test my RO/DI water? Zero is the best because you do not want any dissolved solids like copper in the water to go into my tank?

YES! You can test your water before and after going through the RO/DI for comparison to see that it is doing its job. But the reason that it's important to test for TDS is because over time, your filters become less effective and have to be changed out for new ones. You really cannot tell other than checking the TDS on the water after it has come out of the RO/DI filter. It should read zero. When it starts creeping up, you know it's time to invest in new filters.

[CoryDude]

Zero is best, but you can let it creep up to about 10-12 and not see any major side effects.

[Big_Pun]

agree with cory, and if the tds meter was new it should of come calibrated from factory

[hclchicken]

You're supposed to pipette it on to the refractometer. Not dip it in the water :(