Tips for maintenance, storage of your PH and EC electrodes

Are your PH and EC meters malfunctioning, or not working, slow, or not calibrating?

What to do to make your meters work well, and to make them last long?

First tip: Check batteries - It is very important to have an accurate and fast measurement.

To measure the power of the batteries, use a multimeter in position DCV 20 - A battery that does not have the indicated power will be considered dead, and change.

Example: 1.5V button cell. New, it will have a power of 1.56V, and when it drops from 1.50V, that is to 1.49V, it is dead.

Second tip: Cleaning the electrode

PH: In case your PH meter is slow or does not measure, or does not calibrate, or that the data dances and does not stay fixed. The electrode is most likely dirty. Also, although not generally recommended, light brushing with a soft-haired toothbrush improves the quality of the measurement.
After cleaning, your PH meter will also do well to soak for a couple of hours in PH storage liquid (MA9015).
A bath in cleaning liquid is recommended (On M10030B or bottle MA9016)
EC: In EC, little maintenance is usually given to an electrode. But in the event that your EC measurement does not reach calibration, you can leave the probe in 1 cm of 90║ alcohol for 2 minutes, to dissolve the salts stuck to the irons, which possibly prevent the correct electro conductivity. Storage tips:
PH: For a portable PH meter, it is very important to be stored in humidity (put a damp sponge of storage liquid MA9015) - (Never put distilled or deionized water)
EC: Store dry, no more.
Tips for calibration fluids (buffers):

Calibration liquids are normally for single use only.
Especially in conductivity, which are immediately affected by evaporation, which modifies the concentration of salts
In PH, to calibrate in two points (PH4.01 and PH7.01), try to pass the electrode through tap water when exiting the calibration at pH7.01, so as not to contaminate the PH4.01 buffer. Another thing, the calibration envelopes, after use, can be reused a few times, provided they are hermetically closed (with a seal).
Avoid falls:
For EC PH meters, it is advised to avoid drops to the ground, which can definitely damage the LCD screen. For this reason, in Milwaukee, we recommend the use of the carrying case.
Also, to avoid falls into the water, it is advisable to measure from a glass. In addition to ensuring that your meter does not fall into water, it will also give your meter time to stabilize and thus give a more accurate measurement.