PH and ORP probe cleaning questions

[slief]

I have an Apex. I periodically clean the probes with a tooth brush. Its been about a year since I installed my apex and I think its time for a deep cleaning. Actually, it might be time for new probes but before I go down that path, I figured I would try the cleaning and re-calibration.

I read both here and in the manual to soak them in vinegar. Is there a need to dilute the vinegar or is straight vinegar safe? How long should they be soaked to adequetly clean them?

Regarding the ORP probe, I noticed mine has been completely submerged since my last cleaning. The manual notes that its not a good idea for that to happen.. That said, I have noticed my ORP is very high according to my Apex. I know its not accurate. Will my attemps to calibrate likely be an effort in futility?

As I said, my probes are about a year old and are what came with my Apex or at least what I purchased with my Apex. I dont remember if they were lab grade on not but I know both are reading on the high side. It might just be time to replace them which I am fine with assuming thats what I need to do.

I also have a conductivity probe that too is reading high. I think I have had it since the PM2 was released. My plan is to recalibrate it as well. How often does the conductivity probe need to be replaced?

One last question..
If I get replacement probes, is there any reason why I wouldn't want to use the pinpoint probes? If they are OK, would I need to recalibrate ORP or PH with the new probes?

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Probes should be cleaned by soking in vinegar; replace probes when they no longer calibrate or when calibration times increase significantly (e.g., if is takes > 2-3 minutes for PH to settle then it is time to replace).

Cond probe should last forever but you need to clean by soaking in vinegar because you cannot reach the components using a brush.

When using a brush; soft brush, light pressure and only to clean the crusty material loosened by the soak.

Soak for 15, rinse, brush, repeat until clean.

Don't worry about submerged; I've been doing it that way for near 15 years; never had 1 fail.

 

[slief]

Thanks for the reply Ken! So I assume there is no need to dilute the vinegar?
Is there any reason to disconnect the probes from the Apex when soaking them?
How long should they be soaked for?

 

[aquamanic]

Don't soak in vinegar while powered. Unplug from the controller first.

 

[slief]

Any reason to dilute the vingar with water? After cleaning and rinsing, should I soak them in tank water for any length of time prior to recalibrating or should I just rinse and recalibrate immediately after a vinegar bath?

 

[Deleted member 143833]

No need to dilute and technically you can leave it connected; it won't hurt anything but you will get logs for the values while cleaning. if you disconnect the log will register near 12, if you leave it connected it will log near 2.

Rinse in RO (or tank water) and recalibrate. If the probe is healthy then you don't need to soak in tank water before calibration.

15 minute soak, swish then if still not clear 15 more. I've soaked really crusty probes for an hour and the probe came back to life just fine.

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Don't soak in vinegar while powered. Unplug from the controller first.

Curious; why do you say this Alan?

 

[slief]

Thanks guys! I just finished cleaning and calibrating my PH, ORP and Conductivity probes. I err'd on the side of caution and diluted the vinegar by about 50% and soaked for an hour or so and scrubbed with the tooth brush a couple times.I also disconnected which complicated things as I started calibrating and forgot to plug the first probe back in.. It took a couple minutes to realize why it settled immediately.
It was time consuming but I feel better about all my readings now and I am certain things we pretty far out of calibration.

My conductivity now reads 30.6 which is about what my aquamate digital gravity/salinity meter marks it at (1.022). PH is reading 8.05 and orp is 318 and climbing. I need to cross check my PH with a test kit to be completely comfortable but I think all is well.

It was a bit of pain doing all 3 at once, but given that it's the first time I have done this since installing my Apex, I am sure the next time around it wont be so tedious.
Thanks again for the help!

 

[The_Godfreys]

Might add, I did recently have a failure related to the probe being submerged. In my system the controller is in my garage under my tank in my living room. I started getting erratic readings from my PH probe, not drift but instant changes that I knew could not be water chemistry related. I suspected my submerged probe might be the issue. My suspicions were confirmed whan I noticed the connector where the probe connects to the APEX was wet and showing salt creep. I bought a new probe and now do not submerge them. So if your system is set up with the APEX below the tank I would suggest not submerging so if the water should penetrate the seal it will not wick through the cable like mine did.

 

[aquamanic]

Curious; why do you say this Alan?

AquaticLife probes recommends it. This is from their maintenance procedures:

To ensure Probe accuracy, it is recommended that the Probe be cleaned at least every three months. Minerals, algae and slime found naturally in the aquarium will build up on the Probe over time. The Probe will not measure accurately with this buildup. Cleaning the Probe will remove the debris and prolong its life.

Disconnect the Probe from the Controller and unplug the Controller until cleaning is completed.
Place the Probe to be cleaned into a stable cup with either full strength lemon juice or white vinegar (both are weak acids).
Allow the Probe to soak for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the Probe from the cup and wet a cotton swab with the lemon juice or vinegar and gently wipe the Probe with the swab. Gently remove the hardened materials that have built up on the Probe.
Attach the Probe to the Controller and power on the Controller.
For accuracy, recalibrate the Probe after cleaning.

Maybe it doesn't really matter.

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Disconnect the Probe from the Controller and unplug the Controller until cleaning is completed.

Interesting; I suspect it might be more about reducing the chance of pulling the controller out of the mounting than the probe. PH probes can be used to real all levels of range; even that of vinegar so I doubt there is any reason for the warning. Kind of like the warning I saw on the 1/2 and 1/2 -> 'Caution this product contains dairy'

I've been doing it the same way forever; full strength soak, rinse, repeat, calibrate, back in the tank. near 15 year and my probes last a few years

 

[slief]

I've been doing it the same way forever; full strength soak, rinse, repeat, calibrate, back in the tank. near 15 year and my probes last a few years

You certainly simplified things for me. Thanks for the info. Next time around, no disconnect and I wont bother diluting the vinegar either.
Thanks again for the info and support!

 

[TriggersAmuck]

If I have had some probes (pH, Temp, ORP) sitting dry for sometime which were never put to use (didn't get around to installing), is this an issue? There is some crusty debris around the end cap which previously had some form of aqueous solution in it.

Also, how do you mount/hold your probes in place if you aren't totally submerging them?

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Temp doesn't matter but if PH and ORP are allowed to dry out (meaning the liquid inside the rubber cap has dried up) then there is a good chance the probes are no good.

That said I have been somewhat successful at revitalizing dried-out probes. Place the probes in a PH calibration solution (4) and let them sit for many days. After a few days attempt calibration. You can also try placing them in tank water for many days. If they calibrate you should be good, if not


Note: The cap on the temp probe should NOT be removed.

 

[cm11599ps]

How often should the probes be calibrated, cleaned and replaced?

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Really up to you.

The more often you clean/calibrate the more accurate but there are some general practices you can follow:

ORP - If you are not running O3, don't calibrate but rather use the value and direction as indicators; moving up/consistent == healthy tank, moving down == check things out, may be an indication of trouble

PH - Once a month is a good practice but you can also watch the PH readings and if you notice they are moving out of expected range then clean/calibrate. I prefer monthly though I can be lazy and end up with every couple months.

Temp - don't touch it; the probe was calibrated to the controller and shouldn't need calibration.