Home - Digital PH Meter and Digital 3-in-1 TDS/EC/Temp Meter

The 3-in-1 TDS/EC/Temp Digital Meter allows you to test the quality of your water, while the pH tester allows you to check the acidity/alkalinity of your water.

Suitable for testing drinking water, water filters, hydroponics, aquariums, food, coffee, pools, spa, etc.

TDS/EC/Temp Meter :

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) - the total amount of minerals, salts, or metals dissolved in a given volume of water, expressed in units of mg per litre (mg/l), or parts per million (ppm). The TDS meter may be used to test the purity of water, which affects everything that consumes, lives in, or uses water.

EC (Electrical Conductivity) - Water is a good conductor of electricity, which is why a lot of shock-related accidents happen in bathrooms. But did you know that pure water is an excellent insulator?

Pure water, meaning H2O with no other minerals or molecules dissolved in it, does not conduct electrical current. But once mineral salts start getting dissolved in it, electrical properties of water change drastically. A majority of nutrients used in hydroponics involve salts like nitrates and phosphates.

So adding nutrients increases the EC of the water. If you get the measurement of EC, you can get a pretty good idea of the levels of nutrient concentration in your water. EC is measured using two connected units. These are milliSiemens and microSiemens. For reference, 1 milliSiemens = 1000 microSiemens.

South Africa currently has water contamination issues, with many water supplies exceeding the general TDS recommendation for safe water. Water exceeding 500 parts per million (ppm) is normally considered unfit for human or animal consumption.

The meters are factory calibrated so calibration should not be needed, but if you want to check...

TDS calibration :

1. Press and hold the ON/OFF button to turn the meter on

2. Place the unit in a 500 ppm TDS solution (Not Supplied)

3. Press the HOLD button for 2 seconds, and the display will flash

4. Once the display is stable, press the ON/OFF button to save calibration.

pH Meter calibration :

1. Turn on the pH meter

2. Place the unit in a known pH solution like distilled water which should have a pH of 7 (Not Supplied)

3. Press the CAL button for 5 seconds, and the display will flash

4. Once the display is stable, the unit is calibrated.

TDS Meter Features :

- Can switch between Celcius and Fahrenheit

- ATC (Automatic Temperature Compensation)

- Data hold - press HOLD button 2 seconds

- Auto shut-off - 5 minutes

- Calibration - Done at factory

TDS Meter Specifications :

- TDS range - 0 - 9990 ppm mg/l

- Resolution - 1 ppm (up to 999 ppm), and 10 ppm (1000-9990 ppm)

- Accuracy - +/- 2%

- Dimensions - 155 x 30 x 15mm

- Battery - 1 x CR2032 button cell batteries (Supplied)

- Weight - 58g

- Does not have a backlight

pH Meter :

The basic pH meter has ATC (Automatic Temperature Compensation) with a single-point calibration feature. The pH meter is calibrated at the factory, and should not need to be calibrated when new.

pH Meter Features :

- ATC (Automatic Temperature Compensation)

- Auto temperature compensation gives pH readings almost instantly

- Fast and accurate readings

- Backlit LCD screen

- Calibration - Done at factory

pH Meter Specifications :

- pH range - 0.00 - 14.00

- Resolution - 0.01

- Accuracy - 0.05

- Dimensions - 155 x 31 x 18mm

- Battery - 2 x 1.5v LR44 button cell batteries (Supplied)

- Weight - 52g

Info for hydroponic growers :

Essential for hydroponics growers to ensure your nutrients are the correct strength for each stage of your plant's development.

So what is EC and TDS? These two measurements may be used to determine the strength of hydroponic solution. Although they are widely used they should only be used as a guideline and you should always follow mixing instructions on the label of your plant nutrient.

EC is measured in mS/cm (millisiemens per centimeter). TDS is measured in ppm (parts per million). A TDS value is normally acquired by taking the EC value and performing a calculation to determine the TDS value. However, our meters can do both for you.

Meter manufacturers use one of two conversions. There is the 442 conversion (40% sodium sulfate, 40% sodium bicarbonate, and 20% sodium chloride) which some say is the closest thing to a hydroponic solution. The 442 conversion is approximately 700 x EC in milliSiemens (mS). Then there is the NaCl conversion (sodium chloride) which others say is the closest thing to a hydroponic solution. The NaCl conversion is approximately 500 x EC in milliSiemens (mS).

You can see where the confusion comes from because the same solution will read 2100 ppm on one meter and 1500 ppm on another. That is a difference of 600 ppm which could be devastating to your crop. Both meters are functioning correctly - they are just calculating the TDS using a different formula. So, if you do not calibrate your meter using the correct calibration solution, your meter could give you a very inaccurate reading. The solution is simple, use EC. With EC, no conversion is required so all meters will read the same regardless of the manufacturer.

What's in the box
1 x pH Meter
1 x pH Meter manual
1 X 3-in-1 TDS Meter
1 X 3-in-1 TDS Meter manual
2 x 1.5v LR44 button cell batteries
1 x CR2032 button cell battery