4
Preparing Meter & Reference Electrode for Use
Your new meter will have a 9v battery already installed. Press and hold the 2v range button. The display
window should immediately show “.000” or “.001” or should become either of these values within several
seconds. If there is no number displayed or if a battery symbol is displayed, the battery is weak, dead or
has become disconnected. See “
Installing New Battery
” on page 12.
As received from the factory, a new copper sulphate reference electrode will be dry but some blue copper
sulphate crystals should be visible in the transparent window of the electrode tube. To prepare the
electrode for use, unscrew the top end of the electrode and fill to bottom of threads with distilled or
demineralized water. If electrode is to be used or stored below 32 F (0 C), substitute MCM’s “Electrode
Anti-Freeze Solution” for the water.
With top end of electrode securely tightened, shake the electrode a few times to help the copper sulphate
crystals to dissolve. Wait several minutes and check inside of tube to make sure that there are some
undissolved crystals visible in the tube. This is to ensure that the solution is saturated. If there are no
crystals remaining after shaking the tube, open up the tube and add more copper sulphate crystals. Don’t
worry, you can’t get too many crystals in the tube, but you must have some crystals remaining
undissolved at all times.
Unscrew the knurled thumb nut from end of the electrode and screw electrode into the threaded recess in
the bottom of the body of the meter. Place the banana plug of the red test lead (supplied with meter) into
the red banana jack in the bottom of the body of the meter.
Remove and save the orange plastic protective cap from the bottom end of the electrode tube.
This will expose the porous ceramic plug of the reference electrode so that it can be placed in contact
with soil or water. By this time the porous plug should feel slightly moist.
Meter and electrode are now ready for use.
