Bluelab pH Controller Wi-Fi BCTPHC02 | Peristaltic pH Dosing for Tanks to 2,000 gal

What the Bluelab pH Controller Wi-Fi Does on the Wall

The controller reads pH from 0.0 to 14.0 at 0.1 resolution and ±0.1 accuracy at 25 °C, with a separate temperature probe for automatic temperature compensation. When the reading leaves the band the grower has set, the built-in peristaltic pump runs and puts pH up or pH down into the tank. It doses one direction only, chosen in the settings. The pump is variable speed with a maximum of 120 ml per minute, and the unit handles reservoirs up to 2,000 US gal or 7,600 L. On-time is set in seconds and off-time in minutes, so the solution mixes between doses and the probe sees the result before the next one. As a tuning rule, three dosing cycles should move the reading by no more than 0.1 pH. Safety lockouts stop the pump from running away on a bad reading. When a high or low alarm trips, all dosing stops until the measurement is back inside the limits. After a power cut it comes back on its own and carries on. Built-in Wi-Fi puts the live reading, the alarms and the controls into the Edenic app on a phone, with data logging behind it. The Wi-Fi can be switched off for a room that wants no radio. The box holds the controller, a replaceable double junction pH probe and a temperature probe on 2 m cables, plus a suction cup probe holder. There are also 4 m of PTFE dosing tube, two 1/8 in PVDF joiners, four mounting screws and pH 7.0 and 4.0 calibration sachets. Calibration is two-point by default, three-point with pH 10.0 if wanted, driven from the CAL button with the display walking through it. After 30 days the LEDs flash to ask for a fresh calibration. Power is a 100 to 240 V supply with Type A, C, G and I plugs in the box, 5 V DC at 1.5 A into the unit. The warranty is two years on the controller and six months on the pH probe. The unit weighs about 2.15 lb and mounts on a wall or hangs from a support within reach of the tank.

Setting Up an Automatic pH Doser So It Cannot Do Harm

An automatic pH doser is a machine that adds acid to a tank without a human present. The setup is what keeps that from going wrong. Put the pH probe as far from the dosing outlet as the reservoir allows, on the suction cup, fully submerged, and never bend the stem. A probe next to the outlet reads every dose as a cliff and the controller chases its own tail. Keep the probe cables clear of pump wires. Run the inlet tube to the bottom of the stock container and the outlet above the tank's maximum level. Then a siphon cannot drain the acid into the reservoir on its own. Concentrated acid or alkali damages the pump tubing, so keep within limits such as nitric below 35 percent and sulfuric below 30 percent. Most pH up and pH down made for hydroponics runs undiluted, and a diluted stock gives the controller smaller steps and less chance of overshoot. Start in monitor mode for a day. Watch how far the tank drifts and how fast, then set the band, the on-time and the off-time around that rather than around a guess. A wider band with a longer off-time is the safe first setting, and three doses should move the reading a tenth and no more. Set the high and low alarms a few tenths outside the control band. A failed probe then trips the alarm and stops dosing before it empties the stock bottle. Check the reading against a handheld pen once a week. A controller that disagrees with the pen wants a calibration. A probe that will not calibrate wants replacing before it is trusted with a tank. Log how much stock the tank takes each week. A rising dose is rising alkalinity in the water or a reservoir that wants changing. Mount it where the phone gets signal, and let the app carry the alarm to wherever the grower is.

Key Features

• pH 0.0 to 14.0, ±0.1 at 25 °C: 0.1 resolution, with a temperature probe for ATC.
• Built-in peristaltic pump: Variable speed, up to 120 ml per minute, up or down.
• Reservoirs to 2,000 US gal: 7,600 L.
• Safety lockouts and alarms: Dosing stops in alarm; auto-resume after a power cut.
• Built-in Wi-Fi, Edenic app: Live reading, alarms, control and logging; Wi-Fi can be disabled.
• Two or three point calibration: pH 7.0 and 4.0 sachets in the box, pH 10.0 optional; reminder after 30 days.
• Replaceable probes: Double junction pH probe and temperature probe on 2 m cables.
• 4 m PTFE dosing tube: Acid resistant, with 1/8 in PVDF joiners.
• Two year warranty: Six months on the pH probe, Bluelab code BCTPHC02.

Technical Specifications