EC / PPM & TDS Meters

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Aquamaster H600 Pro Substrate pH – EC – PPM – TDS – Temp Handheld Inc CaseAquamaster H600 Pro Substrate pH – EC – PPM – TDS – Temp Handheld Inc Case
Aquamaster H600 Pro Substrate pH – EC – PPM – TDS – Temp Handheld Inc Case
$710.65 $734.95
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Aquamaster H600 Pro PH – EC – PPM – TDS – Temp Handheld Inc CaseAquamaster H600 Pro PH – EC – PPM – TDS – Temp Handheld Inc Case
Aquamaster H600 Pro PH – EC – PPM – TDS – Temp Handheld Inc Case
$556.15 $599.95

One measurement, three labels

What the probe actually senses is electrical conductivity — EC, in mS/cm. PPM and TDS are conversions of that same figure onto another scale, not a different measurement. Meters do not share one conversion, so the same solution can read 1000ppm on one instrument and 1400ppm on the next. Choose a unit, learn the scale your meter uses, and stay on it.

The range

The Truncheon. Grow rooms have used Bluelab's Truncheon for years because it is waterproof and you dunk it. It comes in a standard scale and a commercial scale for heavier commercial feeds.

Pens. Pocket meters keep it simple: Bluelab's Conductivity Pen, AZ Instruments' waterproof EC/TDS pen and the Essentials pen. Aquamaster's E50 and E60 add PPM, TDS and temperature in sharp-priced pro housings.

Combos and monitors. Feed strength is also on every pH & EC combo meter. The Bluelab Guardian sits on the tank and watches EC around the clock.

Calibration. You set an EC meter against a conductivity standard. 2.76/2.77 CF and EC1413 solutions from Bluelab, Aquamaster and Growth Technology come in sizes from 20mL sachets up.

Three EC habits

  1. Measure at the reservoir, same time daily. Drink pushes EC up; uptake pulls it down. The day-to-day trend tells you more than any one snapshot.
  2. Check EC before and after adding nutrients. Those two dips are the only way to know the strength you actually mixed, not the strength you meant to mix.
  3. Calibrate against a standard, monthly at least. EC electrodes store dry, unlike pH probes — they still drift.

EC / PPM & TDS Meters FAQ's

They are the same physical reading, written in different units. The instrument measures electrical conductivity (EC); TDS and PPM figures are then calculated off that using a conversion scale — commonly 500 or 700. Two meters can therefore disagree on ppm and still agree on EC. When you change meters, compare in EC.

There is no single target. Crop, stage and the nutrient brand's chart set the band — cuttings and seedlings want a weak mix, heavy flowering wants the strongest. Do not chase one magic number. Follow the chart, then use the meter to confirm what you actually mixed and to watch how the reservoir moves between top-ups.

Rinse the probe, stand it in a conductivity standard — 2.76/2.77 CF or 1413 µS are the usual references — and set the meter so the reading matches. Use a fresh pour every time and never return used solution to the bottle. Once a month is enough for most rooms; commercial setups do it more often.

No — EC probes skip that step. The electrodes sit clean and dry, with no KCl, which is a big reason a Truncheon lasts. After each reading, rinse the probe in fresh water so nutrient salts do not crust on the electrodes.

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