Maintenance
Cleaning and calibration will always involve some amount of maintenance. Where is the most attention required?
A clean reference should have a potential difference of 0 mV across the junction (it has open pores). On the other hand, dirty references will have a potential difference across the junction. Why is this important?
When measuring pH, the potential difference generated by the process across the pH-sensitive glass membrane is a measure for the pH of the process. This value needs to be compared to the reference, which should, of course, be approximately 0 mV.
However, when the reference sensor is dirty, a potential difference is generated across the junction resulting in the measurement having a slower response rate. In fact, total blockage of the reference will result in a non-responsive measurement. This is what we call a “CHANGEABLE effect.” Luckily, by regular cleaning of the reference sensor, this effect is easily reversed, increasing the sensor lifetime.
A dirty pH-sensitive glass bulb will result in a slow measurement. This - again - is a CHANGEABLE effect, and by regularly cleaning the sensor, the sensor lifetime will increase, and the response rate of the sensor will be at its best.
Each application is different, and optimizing the maintenance cycle is not always straightforward. In some cases, cleaning once a week is sufficient, but when a lot of dirt builds up, or the deposits are very heavy, it can be necessary to clean as often as every eight hours! To complicate things further the type of cleaning liquid required can be different for each application.
Total Cost of Ownership
The initial cost of buying one pH measuring loop is almost the same as one-year maintenance, calibration, and sensor replacement costs. That means by extending the lifetime of a pH sensor the annual costs of these three will go down.

Read more and download our free pH eBook to learn about the best practices that can extend the lifetime of a pH sensor.

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