Looking for Affordable EC and pH Auto Controllers

[notoriousweed]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking to purchase automatic EC and pH controllers for my grow setup, but most options seem to be quite expensive. Does anyone have recommendations for reliable yet affordable automatic controllers? I'm on a tight budget and would greatly appreciate any suggestions or feedback on where to find the best deals.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Orange's Greenhouse]

What you want is not cheap. If you DIY it you're looking at about 300-400 USD for pH control. But need to programm your own microcontroller.
If you don't want to do that or require more reliability you're looking at 4 digit prices or more.

I don't understand what you mean with EC control? Do you have any idea how different ions are taken up by plants?

 

[notoriousweed]

I JUST BOUGHT THIS FOR ARROUND 200$

Specifications of Automatic Digital pH Controller Kontrol:​

Brand: Prosystem Aqua.
Model: Kontrol 01 pH.

• Dosing Pump.
• LCD Display.
• Automatic Proportional Dosing.
• Max Pressure: 1.5 bar.
• Flow Rate: 40 ml/h.
• Operating Temperature: 0 to 100°C.
• Accuracy: ± 1% F.S.
• Current Output: 4 ÷ 20 mA (± 2%).
• pH Measurement Range: 0-14 pH.
• Resolution: 0.01 pH.
• pH Measurement Accuracy: ± 1% F.S.
• pH Regulation Range: 3-8 pH.
• Single Point Calibration: pH 7.
• Set Point: 2 independent adjustable points, 10 A 250V.
• Dosing Programming Capability: Acidic or alkaline dosing.
• Standard Power Supply: 100 - 240 V - 50/60 Hz.
• Protection Rating: IP 65.
• Weight: 1.8 kg.

Included with the Automatic Digital pH Controller:​

• Automatic pH Controller + Dosing Pump (Kontrol 01).
• BNC pH Electrode: SPH-1-S-1.5 with a 1.5 m cable.
• Wall-Mount Connection Support.
• pH 7 Calibration Solution (70 ml).
• Accessories: Suction tube, discharge tube, injector.

 

[Orange's Greenhouse]

The normal, cheap, pH electrodes are not meant to be submersed continously. They degrade quickly due to ionic strength of the solution and biofilm build up. Cleaning and calibration can extend their life.
The better electrodes meant for this application are 200-300 each.

 

[notoriousweed]

The normal, cheap, pH electrodes are not meant to be submersed continously. They degrade quickly due to ionic strength of the solution and biofilm build up. Cleaning and calibration can extend their life.
The better electrodes meant for this application are 200-300 each.

How often would I have to wash it? Would isopropyl alcohol be good for cleaning the electrode?

 

[Orange's Greenhouse]

How often would I have to wash it? Would isopropyl alcohol be good for cleaning the electrode?

Maybe?

With that I mean it will be fine to use for pH electrodes but I can't tell you if it will be sufficient to clean it. Depending on what type of dirt it accumulates there is a large range of cleaning solutions available and necessary.

 

[Ca++]

Each setup is different. A lot of people go dtw with proportional dosers. You are under $200 that way. I did dtw for about $50 but it depends on your skill set. I have a F&D tank fills and sets each day, which could be done for $200 with internet monitoring.

With any of these, internet monitoring could save your grow. $50 buys a constant immersion temp EC pH monitor, that can let you know if things get out of wack. Unforeseen problems like aeration bubble accumilation around the probes, or split peristaltic tube. Of course, it could be the monitor suffering from problems, not the dosing. All kit adds another problem. Some of the best dosing is simply done on a timer, and the drift corrected every few days. Repetitive actions like knowing you need a cup full, before you even open the door, are easy to time. The more bottles you have, the more cost though.

In these pics you see a couple of blue peristaltics over a tank, and a row of seconds timers. This would be easy to copy, with plug in timers at $15 each, that have 12v adapters plugged in, straight to these kind of pumps. Which can be found boxed with speed dials on, but as they can be sized as low as 2ml per minute, even the seconds timer is a bit fancy. If a whole minute is too long, just water down the acid.
Feed is a bit aggressive for the silicone pipe these $10 pumps ship with. IIRC phosphoric is also bad, but nitric fine. You want the cream coloured tube, sold as pharmed, I forget it's true name. All this can be found on the chemical compatibility lists.

While dosing is running, you really want a good pump kicking in, that gives the tank a stir and the probe a constantly changing flow around it. Dose where the fluid is quickly seen by the probe. That may pause dosing which the tank mixes, but is better than dosing a stagnant area of the tank to crazy levels, before the probe notices.

There can be more to setting it up correctly, than simply buying it. Ensuring your feeds are mixed, like shaking the bottles, has provided it's own problems.

Edit: I forgot the pic