1. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Sonde Maintenance and Care 10 th Annual Red River Basin Water Quality Monitoring Training March 5, 2014 Bruce Paakh, MPCA

2. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Introduction The Red River Basin Monitoring Advisory Committee system to assure quality sonde data includes: 1. Well maintained equipment. Annual Sonde CheckUp service for all basin sondes. Assures the sondes are upgraded (both in software & hardware) each year prior to use. 2. Trained field technicians that properly maintain, calibrate, and use sondes.

3. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Sonde Check- Up Day January 2010

4. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Introduction cont. Additional training is available each year in Brainerd by YSI reps for those who want it. It covers the details of probe replacement, diagnosing problems, probe mechanics. Our goal is to provide you what you need to produce reliable data without the extra stuff you wont need with our Red River Basin system. (KISS principle)

5. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 You Need to Know How To: Change a DO Membrane Change Batteries in the 650 Display Calibrate and Use the Sonde Maintain and Care for the Sonde

6. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Basics Dont collect data with a sonde that isnt properly calibrated. We dont want poor quality data in our datasets. Dont use calibration solution that is expired or has been frozen. Use for rinse. Calibration standard is only good for 30 days once it is opened. Record date when opened on bottle & initial.

7. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Help - Only a Call Away A primary reason the MPCA went with YSI when selecting a vendor for WQ sondes was their service. If you need to call YSI, DO IT. They are very good. YSI Technical Service – 1-800-897-4151 You can also call Danni, Wayne, Evelyn, Asher, Joe or myself if you need help. Danni Halvorson 218-280-0515 (c) Bruce Paakh 218-849-4886 (c)

8. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Care of Sonde - Basics Keep calibration cup or storage bottle on the sonde when not in use. Dont let probes dry out. Keep at least a 1/2 inch of water in the cal cup of all YSI sondes. 600 series If you lose or tear the orange o- ring on the storage bottle cap, get a replacement.We have spares & hardware stores have o-rings.

9. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Care continued Store sonde away from temp extremes. Freezing will break pH bulb. Dont leave in vehicle overnight during early spring & late fall. Dont store in hot vehicle during summer. Handle it with care. It will take a beating over time. Being careless can shorten its lifespan. Dont try to take a sonde apart. They are factory sealed and not repairable by us.

10. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Care continued Water shouldnt to get into probe ports or cable connections. Make sure cable is on tight. Should be able to see only 2 threads on sonde when cable is screwed on tight. Moisture in a probe port is the most common reason for trouble with a probe. Cable connector port should be covered at all times, either with cable end or cap. If you need to replace a probe get help.

11. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Care continued To clean pH bulb or sonde body after long- term deployment you can soak entire sonde in white vinegar.

12. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 DO Probes The DO probe requires that the KCl solution & membrane be changed every 30 days when in use. The KCl solution & membrane will also need to be replaced if: - bubbles are present under the membrane; - deposits of dried KCl are apparent on the o-ring or membrane; or - probe shows unstable reading or other problems. Temp sensor and membrane should be dry for calibration.

13. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 D.O. Probe cont. If the silver electrodes (under the membrane) become tarnished (black), they need a fine sanding (2400 grit in maint kit). This must be done correctly or the probe can be damaged. It is unlikely you will need to perform this task. If you feel you need to have this done, refer to your manual for specifics or call for help.

14. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Optical DO Probes For Optical DO probes, the ODO Gain in cal constants should be.85 to 1.15 Problems with wiper parking improperly is due to a motor mount problem inside probe. Turn off wiper in Advanced sensor menu. Set Wipe Interval & # of wipes to 0.

15. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Conductivity / Temp Probes Conductivity probe openings - clean with small brush. Dip brush in clean water & brush in and out 15 to 20 times & rinse. Can use a mild detergent. Temp probe requires no maintenance – just keep it clean. Common problem for cond calibration – not enough cal solution in cup.

16. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 pH Probe If you see deposits on the probe bulb or have a slow response time, the pH probe needs cleaning. Use clean water and a soft clean cloth, cotton swab or pipe cleaner to remove dirt from probe. Be careful not to wedge the swab between the bulb and sensor guard. The glass bulb can break. If you need additional cleaning, refer to manual and or contact one of us. Dont let this probe dry out.

17. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Long-term Storage Remove batteries from 650 display & any 6000 series sondes. Store at room temp & away from moisture & heat. Keep the probes moist without immersing them in liquid. YSI suggests al least.5 inch of water (any type will do) in the calibration/storage cup.

18. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Long-term Storage Continued Use enough water to provide 100% humidity, but not enough to cover the probe surfaces. Make sure the storage vessel is sealed to minimize evaporation. Check the vessel periodically to make certain that water is still present.

19. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Calibration Tips Calibrate in the order that the 650 displays the parameters. DO requires that cond is calibrated. Always do pH 7 before 10. Temp sensor needs to be in cal solution when calibrating each of the probes. Always use enter during a probe calibration & not escape. Escape will abort calibration.

20. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Calibration Tips Always keep the cap on the cal std bottle. Probes that dont stabilize quickly. Check: 1. Is the temp changing? 2. Is the probe dirty? 3. Cal constants out of range? Old probe? 4. Cal standard expired? 5. Enough cal standard in cal cup? Never accept an out of range. You should be able to correct the problem unless probe is bad.

21. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Calibration Tips - Conductivity Always calibrate in specific conductance. When entering the Conductivity Standard enter 1.0 ms/cm & not the 1000 us/cm thats on the cal bottle. Different units.

22. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 D.O. Calibration Tips Dont shake KCl solution for DO probe. Low DO charge - can indicate insufficient or old KCl. High DO charge – recondition probe (sand electrodes), replace membrane and burn it in. If still high – repeat recondition process. If still high – replace DO probe.

23. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Optical D.O. Calibration Tips If you arent having problems with optical DO membrane – dont replace it. Each membrane has its own cal coefficients. If you change it, the coefficients needs to be entered into the 650 display. Main menu > calibrate > optical DO > view cal constant. Water under membrane & inside the o-ring area needs to be dried out.

24. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Turbidity Calibration Tips Turbidity readings that are negative are due to calibrating the zero with distilled water. Distilled water typically has.8 to 1.0 turbidity.

25. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Summary Keep the probes moist, but not immersed. Dont let it freeze or over heat in a vehicle. Minimize rough play - banging into bridges, etc. Keep moisture out of the probe ports and cable connections. Inspect probes for bubbles (DO) & dirt or fouling. Clean on a routine basis depending on use.

26. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Summary cont. Call to get help if needed. Proper maintenance and care of sonde results in dependable equipment that will last a long time. If your sonde is damaged or is acting up, let us know right away so we can get you a replacement probe or sonde. Questions??

27. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 Lunch and Afternoon Schedule Split up group for the afternoon sessions now. Keep an eye on the clock and make your way to either the lab or this auditorium by about 12:15. Those going to the lab right after lunch can drop off their notebooks, sonde, etc in the lab on the way to the cafeteria.

28. Sonde Maintenance and Care March 2014 When You Get to the Lab Find your sonde & take it to a work station. Work as a team to: 1.Replace KCl and membrane, take turns. 2.Turn on handpad. Batteries in? 3.Calibrate sonde. Complete cal sheet. 4.Run 2 blinds and temp probe test & complete and turn in paperwork.