pH, Conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen Meter

This Hanna Instruments portable meter measures the three core water quality parameters on one instrument.

Why it is measured

pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen are the trio that describes a water body's condition. Carrying one instrument instead of three means all three readings come from the same sample at the same moment, which is what makes them interpretable together.

Where it is used

• field water surveys
• aquaculture management
• wastewater process control
• environmental monitoring

Electrode, meter and calibration

An electrochemical meter is three things that fail separately: the electrode, which ages and eventually dies; the meter, which rarely goes wrong; and the calibration, which is only as recent as the last time somebody did it. Almost every bad reading traces to the first or the third.

Budget for electrodes as consumables, store them wet in storage solution rather than water, and calibrate against fresh buffers at the temperature you will measure at.

Practical note

Each parameter has its own electrode with its own maintenance; a multiparameter meter simplifies the carrying, not the upkeep.

Supplied as one model.