Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 45 MicroTSG, User Manual, Page: 104 / 143

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Cleaning Materials
Water
De-ionized (DI) water, commercially distilled water, or fresh, clean, tap water is recommended for rinsing, cleaning, and
storing sensors.

On ships, fresh water is typically made in large quantities by a distillation process, and stored in large tanks. This
water may be contaminated with small amounts of oil, and should not be used for rinsing, cleaning, or storing
sensors
.
Where fresh water is in extremely limited supply (for example, a remote location in the Arctic), you can substitute
clean seawater for rinsing and cleaning sensors. If not immediately redeploying the instrument, follow up with a
brief fresh water rinse to eliminate the possibility of salt crystal formation (salt crystal formation could cause small shifts in
calibration).

The seawater must be extremely clean, free of oils that can coat the conductivity cell. To eliminate any bio-
organisms in the water, Sea-Bird recommends boiling the water or filtering it with a 0.5 micron filter.
Triton X-100
Triton X-100 is Octyl Phenol Ethoxylate, a mild, non-ionic surfactant (detergent). Triton X-100 is included with
every CTD shipment and can be ordered from Sea-Bird, but may be available locally from a chemical supply
or lab products company. It is manufactured by Mallinckrodt Baker (see
http://www.mallbaker.com/changecountry.asp?back=/Default.asp for local distributors). Other liquid detergents can
probably be used, but scientific grades (with no colors, perfumes, glycerins, lotions, etc.) are required because of their known
composition. It is better to use a non-ionic detergent, since conductivity readings taken immediately after use are less likely to
be affected by any residual detergent left in the cell.
100% Triton X-100 is supplied by Sea-Bird; dilute the Triton as directed in Rinsing, Cleaning, and Storage Procedures .
Bleach
Bleach is a common household product used to whiten and disinfect laundry. Commercially available bleach is typically 4 % -
7% (40,000 – 70,000 ppm) sodium hypochlorite (Na-O-Cl) solution that includes stabilizers. Some common commercial
product names are Clorox (U.S.) and eau de Javel (French).
Dilute to 500 – 1000 ppm. For example, if starting with 5% (50,000 ppm) sodium hypochlorite, diluting 50 to 1
(50 parts water to 1 part bleach) yields a 1000 ppm (50,000 pm / 50 = 1000 ppm) solution.
Tygon Tubing
Sea-Bird recommends use of Tygon tubing, because it remains flexible over a wide temperature range and with age. Tygon is
manufactured by Saint-Gobain (see
www.tygon.com ). It is supplied by Sea-Bird, but may be available locally from a chemical
supply or lab products company.
Keep the Tygon in a clean place (so that it does not pick up contaminants) while the instrument is in use.
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