TDS Meter Vs. Conductivity Meter

[ReefFan]

I was wondering what the real differences were between the two. Theres a decent price difference, but they both appear to be the same in that they give you a good indication of how good your RO water is. Or am i way off on what a Conductivity Monitor does?

All i want is accuracy and reliability. With so many cheap TDS meters being offered on EBay its hard to make a choice, but i definetly need to buy something to monitor my water quality. Im thinking if theres enough benefits to warrant the extra $50 for the Conductivity Monitor, I might just take advantage of MarineDepot's "deal of the day". It'll be discounted 'til 12 midnight so if anyone can help me figure this out id really appreciate it

heres the link.. http://www.marinedepot.com/American...ums-Pinpoint_Monitors-AM1117-FITEMOID-vi.html

-Jay

PS if all thats really needed is an inexpensive TDS meter, perhaps someone has a reccommendation on which brand? The ones Marine Depot offers appear to be the same and the testimonials arnt much help. Then theres all the ones on EBay.

??

 

[pecan2phat]

I was under the impression that people used conductivity monitors in place of refractometers such as on the AC Pro. Thought it measured ns?

 

[Wes]

Conductivity sensors have a much higher resolution and are industry standard for measuring water quality on purified water systems.

In other words a tds meter can show 0 and the conductivity meter will still give you a reading.

That being said I don't think it's necessary to be concerned with levels of purity beyond 0 tds for a fish tank.

In other words I use a cheap tds meter to measure my ro/di water at home...and a conductivity sensor to measure WFI (water for injection) at work.

I think they can be used to measure salinity like mentioned above but I have no experience with using conductivity sensors for that purpose. I do know they can be finicky and need to be calibrated frequently.

Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[ReefFan]

thanks guys, outstanding. A cheapo TDS it is. Maybe HS or HA? They sell em at Marine Depot and I still have a $50 gift cert I gotta use. Seems like H? specializes in TDS meters somewhat so I think it'll be a good choice.

Thanks again MR, very helpful, as usual.