In this video, we will cover short-term and long-term storage of your sonde.
We consider short-term storage as anything less than four weeks. Long-term storage is for long periods of inactivity, such as over the winter season or at the end of a monitoring program. If you don’t plan to use your sonde for a month or more, it is best to use long-term storage techniques.
For short-term storage, put about half an inch or 50 milliliters of water in your calibration cup. This can just be tap water or sample water if you’re in the field. If you do use sample water, switch it to tap water when you can to prevent algae growth. You could also put a moist sponge in the cal cup instead. Just be sure not to use deionized water.
Make sure all of the ports in the bulkhead have either a sensor or a port plug installed. Then place the sonde, with the sensor guard installed, into the cal cup and tighten it down. This will create a moist environment for the sensors to sit in until you need to use the sonde again.
To protect the cable connectors, you can install a cable port plug.
With the cal cup on, you can put the sonde in a carrying case if you have one.
For long-term storage, you will need to remove any sensors that have special long-term storage instructions and need to be kept hydrated. This includes pH, ORP, and Optical Dissolved Oxygen. You can either remove sensors that can be stored dry or leave them in the sonde. Sensors that can be stored dry long term are Conductivity/Temperature, Ammonium, Chloride, or Nitrate Ion Selective Electrodes, and optical sensors like Turbidity, fDOM, Rhodamine, Total Algae, and NitraLED. We cover specific storage instructions for each sensor in our other videos.
As you’re removing sensors, clean debris from the ports. Install port plugs in any open ports, including the cable connectors. Always use o-ring grease to keep the ports lubricated. Use a small amount on the rubber part of the pins, just enough to make the surface shiny. Cover the sensor connectors with a dust cap included with your sensor. Sensors should be stored in a temperature-controlled environment.
If you have a sonde with a battery compartment, be sure to remove the batteries before storage. They can leak and corrode if left in the battery compartment for extended periods.
Anytime you use a sonde after having it stored for long periods of time, you should inspect and clean it, replace any damaged o-rings or parts, apply clean lubricant to the ports and connectors, and calibrate the sensors before use.
Please check out our other EXO University videos, and thanks for watching!