PPH-1 pH Sensor by TrolMaster | Reservoir Probe, BNC, 3.6 m Cable

The TrolMaster PPH-1, and the Rule Nobody Tells You

A pH electrode is the most fragile part of any control system, and it is the part people treat like a cable. Every pH probe has to be stored with its cap on and filled with the correct probe storage solution. A probe that has dried out will malfunction, and a dried probe returned without its cap is not covered under warranty. The hardware itself is simple: a BNC terminal, a 3.6 m lead and a cylinder that drops into a tank. The terminal connects to an AMP-2 board on an Aqua-X NFS-1, or an AMP-3 board on the NFS-2 and NFS-3. A Green-X GCS-1 and a Tent-X TCS-1 also take the AMP-3, so this is not an irrigation only part either. Working range is 32 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit at 90 percent humidity or below. Packed size is 275 mm by 85 mm by 95 mm.

Probe Storage, Calibration and How Long One Lasts

Probe storage solution is not pH buffer and it is not distilled water, and the difference matters. Storing an electrode in distilled water strips ions out of the glass bulb and shortens its life directly. A capped probe in the right solution will sit on a shelf for months and come back working. Calibration is the other half, and two point calibration against fresh buffer beats a single point every time. Buffer goes off once opened, so date the bottles and throw them out rather than stretching them. Expect a working electrode to drift slowly and then stop holding calibration altogether. That is the end of its life, not a fault, and no amount of cleaning brings it back. A site running one reservoir should keep a spare on the shelf, because a dead probe stops the controller reading anything. Rinse with clean water between readings and never wipe the bulb, since wiping builds a static charge on the glass. Growers who follow those few habits get years out of an electrode instead of months.

Key Features

• What it is: A pH electrode for a reservoir, on a 3.6 m lead
• Terminal: BNC, straight into the sensor board
• Board for NFS-1: The AMP-2 sensor board takes this electrode
• Board for NFS-2, NFS-3, GCS-1 and TCS-1: The AMP-3 sensor board takes it instead
• The storage rule: Cap on, filled with proper probe storage solution
• Warranty: A dried probe returned without its cap is not covered
• Never store in: Distilled water, which strips the glass bulb
• Calibration: Two point against fresh buffer, and date the bottles
• End of life: It drifts, then stops holding calibration at all

Technical Specifications