Reading salinity using the Milwaukee Digital Refractometer | BRStv How-To

[randyBRS]

Hey guys!

Thought I'd follow up last week's hand held refractometer with a digital one from Milwaukee! This one is by far my personal favorite and helps me read salinity in seconds between all my tanks!

Thanks for watching!

 

[SharkLaser]

I bought one of those last year. The accuracy, compared to a regular refractometer is pretty bad. And I've been cleaning the well religiously after each use. It also uses distilled water to calibrate and there is no way to calibrate using 35ppm salt water sample. As a result, it started giving me consistently false readings using both my tank water and the 35ppm calibration solution. The number of drops of sample water you put in the well also seems to affect the result. So I finally gave up and went back to the tried and true handheld refractometer. Now it's collecting dust in storage.

 

[SaltMan]

I have this same refractometer and I get inconsistent readings that are all over the place, even retesting the same sample the reading changes. For me, I do not trust the accuracy and it just sits there not being used. I have tried it several times and use it the same way as in the above video but it just doesn't provide a result I can use. With so many positive reviews, I must have got a lemon. My experience results in a zero star recommendation.

 

[Brisay]

I bought the Milwaukee several months ago from BRS. It does work exactly as advertised except for 1 thing. It consistently overreads the result by 0.002. Along with distilled water , it comes with a bottle of calibration fluid listed to read at 1.025. However it always reads at 1.027. I am now subtracting 0.002 in my head every time I test my tank water . Not a major math problem I know , but it would be nice to have a way to adjust the Milwaukee to read properly and match the calibration fluid .

 

[SPS Junky]

I use Milwaukee's digital refractometer and love it. I always have it on a table or on my supply cart so it's level as opposed to holding it in my hand while testing. I've never had any issue with inconsistent readings. I had a conversation with a guy at Milwaukee when I first bought it just to get useful tips, and he mentioned that most who get inconsistent readings are not thoroughly cleaning the lense as recommended after each use which can lead to inconsistent readings. I clean mine every time with distilled water and a soft towel, and results are always consistent when tested against my handheld/lense unit. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Kyl]

The stated sample accuracy is +/- .002, which means a potential swing of four points between a reading. Ie 1.026 actual reported as 1.024 to 1028.

The other thing is about calibrating the unit (zeroing with RODI). Milwaukee states in the instructions that calibration should be done before measurements are made, are results ignoring this to be trusted?

 

[pelphrey]

As mentioned above, I didn't like the readings. I sold it and went back to the cheaper refractometer. Much easier for me.

 

[puffy127]

I bought the Milwaukee several months ago from BRS. It does work exactly as advertised except for 1 thing. It consistently overreads the result by 0.002. Along with distilled water , it comes with a bottle of calibration fluid listed to read at 1.025. However it always reads at 1.027. I am now subtracting 0.002 in my head every time I test my tank water . Not a major math problem I know , but it would be nice to have a way to adjust the Milwaukee to read properly and match the calibration fluid .

I bought this from amazon a while ago and had the same thing happen - consistently overread 0.002. I cleaned mine with RODI and wiped it with a microfiber towel between every sample, so it wasn't an issue with not cleaning it well. Plus as Kyl mentioned, the instructions say to calibrate before every reading. I bought it to save effort, but it ended up being more trouble than just using the regular refractometer. Returned it right away.

 

[Montu]

I'm using it but I had one DOA and the other will randomly throw errors, when validating with the included solution it's off by .01 and when using the 35ppt solution is off by .02

Sadly this is better than the manual ones I have tried....but I guess it just goes to show salinity doesn't have to be that precise...

 

[dragon99]

Mine has been so consistent I haven't used my refractometer since I purchased the Milwaukee Nov last year. It holds calibration extremely well. I check the calibration every time, but I've only needed to re-zero a few times (twice that I can remember).

 

[chillaxing24/7]

I have had this unit for over a year and it can with two bottles. One was distilled water to zero it out and another of the light green reference solution that's 1.025. In the video he uses the reference solution to zero it which is wrong. You have to use the distilled water. And it has to be distilled not rodi water. I found that out because my water salinity was way off and I contacted Milwaukee and they said to use distilled not rodi. I thought they were pretty much the same but the company said no. I switched back to store bought distilled and it started working fine again.

 

[randyBRS]

My personal refractometer has been working like a champ for years now! Personally, I'm ok with the +/- 0.002 s.g. variance with this unit, as I always calibrate with RODI water and consistently mix my water to the same salinity every time. Regardless of the potential variance, if there were a difference between my tank's current salinity versus the water change water, I doubt a 20% water change dilution will be able to significantly increase or decrease my overall salinity. So far so good, for me!

In the video he uses the reference solution to zero it which is wrong.

Trust me, that was absolutely the included distilled water from Milwaukee! Poured it myself.


-Randy

 

[puffy127]

True, but you are paying $100 for that .002 variance.

 

[chillaxing24/7]

My personal refractometer has been working like a champ for years now! Personally, I'm ok with the +/- 0.002 s.g. variance with this unit, as I always calibrate with RODI water and consistently mix my water to the same salinity every time. Regardless of the potential variance, if there were a difference between my tank's current salinity versus the water change water, I doubt a 20% water change dilution will be able to significantly increase or decrease my overall salinity. So far so good, for me!



Trust me, that was absolutely the included distilled water from Milwaukee! Poured it myself.


-Randy

Ok was just wondering because in the video it showed a picture of the reference solution right before doing the calibration. Not trying to be an butt about it I just hope someone else can learn from my mistake. Love you guys' work. I learned a lot from the videos, that's why I try to buy from y'all when ever I can to give back.

 

[randyBRS]

Ok was just wondering because in the video it showed a picture of the reference solution right before doing the calibration. Not trying to be an *** about it I just hope someone else can learn from my mistake. Love you guys' work. I learned a lot from the videos, that's why I try to buy from y'all when ever I can to give back.

Oh no, please don't worry about it. There was no offense taken at all. Sometimes the magic of video editing is a bit misleading, but I honestly appreciate any feedback about these videos. You guys really help to sharpen our game when we make them! (Case in point, I try not to scream at people in my videos anymore.... Hahaha!)

Thanks so much for watching! I'm really glad that even these How-To videos can stir up some interesting reefing conversations!

-Randy

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I need to pick up one of these!

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I bought the Milwaukee several months ago from BRS. It does work exactly as advertised except for 1 thing. It consistently overreads the result by 0.002. Along with distilled water , it comes with a bottle of calibration fluid listed to read at 1.025. However it always reads at 1.027. I am now subtracting 0.002 in my head every time I test my tank water . Not a major math problem I know , but it would be nice to have a way to adjust the Milwaukee to read properly and match the calibration fluid .

Ok I thought I was crazy but I am the exact same situation, and I have been doing the same math just now started to wonder so thats why I'm reading this.

 

[DWill]

Ok I thought I was crazy but I am the exact same situation, and I have been doing the same math just now started to wonder so thats why I'm reading this.

I bought one during the Black Friday sales. I returned it a few days after I bought it. Same issue. It read consistently high.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I bought one during the Black Friday sales. I returned it a few days after I bought it. Same issue. It read consistently high.

I got mine this past blk Friday, and it has read the test agent consistently at 1.027 and the calibration solution and my r.o water at 1.000. So I am getting 2 other testing solutions today to see what they say one at 1.029 and one @ 1.0264 I will add some pictures for someone to see

 

[ReeferBud]

Been using mine for years. Find it to be better and easier than other methods.

all instruments have an inherent error... +/- 0.002 is not bad... the human eye reading from a hobby grade refractometer is probably worse

and for folks worrying about absolute precision and consistency in salinity, the ocean experiences these changes regularly. Have many times scuba dived through haloclines and corals on the reef seemed just fine