Conductivity meter.
Testing the conductivity of water is measuring water's ability to conduct electricity. The conductivity of water depends primarily on the concentrations of ions within it. For example, distilled water will measure below 2 umhos/cm compared to potable water that can range up to 1500 umhos/cm.
Significance
Testing for conductivity can say a lot about the quality of a water body. Although geology is the primary factor in water conductivity, pollution also can affect conductivity readings. Nitrates, phosphates and chlorides can cause high conductivity readings, where oil spills and other organic materials will lower the conductivity reading.
Features
Water conductivity is measured with a probe and a meter that applies a voltage between two electrodes. When the electrodes are submersed in water, the drop in the voltage is calculated for conductivity. The drop is due to the resistance in voltage from charged ions in the water.
Types
There are two types of conductivity meters: a two-probe and a four-probe. The two-probe meter is the one that is most commonly used. The benefit with this probe is that it can be attached to almost any kind of meter to test water conductivity. The four-probe reduces polarization errors and and can cover a large range of conductivity readings. Because of its sophistication, the four-probe is more expensive than the two-probe.
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