What does an EC meter test?

What does an EC meter test?

An EC meter makes testing and monitoring the electrical conductivity of water simple. EC water conductivity test equipment can be used in the field to take direct measurements of water. The probe that is inserted into the water sample applies a voltage between electrodes.

What does EC mean on a pH meter?

electrical conductivity
Measuring pH and electrical conductivity (EC) can be used to check the quality of irrigation water, calibrate fertilizer and acid injectors, and measure nutrients and availability for plant uptake in applied fertilizer solutions and the root zone.

What is good EC for drinking water?

Generally, the amount of dissolved solids in water determines the electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity (EC) actually measures the ionic process of a solution that enables it to transmit current. According to WHO standards, EC value should not exceeded 400 μS/cm.

Does EC affect pH?

Adding nutrients to an EC that is lower than it should be raises the electrical conductivity of the water. The pH affects EC in this manner due to the extra salt content that it adds to the water. What is this? The more salt, the higher the conductivity of electricity in the water.

What is the difference between EC and pH?

As discussed, pH is the measurement of a specific ion (i.e., hydrogen). On the other hand, electrical conductivity is a non-specific measurement of the concentration of both positively and negatively charged ions within a sample.

What is EC value of water?

Although every fertilizer has its own fertilizing value, it is possible to generalize and say that an EC of 1.0 mS/cm contains up to 1.0 gram of measured salts per 1 liter of water.

What is EC in water quality?

Electrical conductivity (EC) estimates the amount of total dissolved salts (TDS), or the total amount of dissolved ions in the water. EC is controlled by: geology (rock types) – The rock composition determines the chemistry of the watershed soil and ultimately the lake.

What causes high EC in water?

It is worth noting, however, that impurities such as salt in seawater for example, cause very high EC readings as the water contains a large amount of dissolved salt. This is because when salt is dissolved, it separates into ions (electrically charged atoms).

What is the normal conductivity of water?

0.5 to 3 μs/cm
The conductivity of pure water is in the range 0.5 to 3 μs/cm. Lake and river water in the U.S. is much higher, generally ranging from 50 to 1500 μs/cm. Streams that support good populations of freshwater fish have conductivities in the range 150 to 800 μs/cm.

How do you calculate EC of water?

Due to EC being an indicate of dissolved solids in your water supply, it can be utilized to calculate TDS. In order to determine the actual TDS value, you must multiply the EC value by 1000 and divide that number by 2. To calculate the EC value, multiply the ppm value by 2 and divide by 1000.

What is a high EC level?

High EC levels can indicate you are supplying too much fertilizer or that your plants are not absorbing the nutrients, both of which can lead to a salt toxicity leaf burn. Measuring the Fertilizer EC Figure 1.

What should my EC be in veg?

During the vegetative growth stage, it’s best to keep the EC in the 1.2-1.6 range for most plants. If the EC rises above 1.8 during the vegetative growth stage, just add more water to the reservoir to lower the EC. If the EC is too low, just add more fertilizer.

How do you reduce EC in water?

How to lower EC. If you take an EC measurement that’s too high, there are a number of things you can do to remedy this. In hydroponics, you can simply add more (pH-balanced) water to your reservoir. This will effectively dilute the concentration of salts, which will lower your EC.