Water Quality Sonde help

[snowmaniac]

Hello all,

I am currently using Hydrolab model MS5 sondes with pH, Cond, temp, Optical DO, and chloride sensors; the sondes are logging pH, temp, cond and Cl- on 15minute intervals. The location is the Toronto, ON and temp range has been -15dC to +5dC, deployed in Storm Sewer manholes.
Using Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries, the sondes can only be deployed for a maximum of 10 days before a battery change is required.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I could get more time between battery changes? (ie: different batteries, using car batteries, changing settings within the software, etc.)

 

[tsgrue]

,

Haven't used this model before, but that is much more frequent than the battery changes on other equipment I've had experience with capturing such parameters. None of your parameters seems like it would be energy-intensive to measure. At your sampling rate, that is 960 readings for 10 days - a fair number, but not a lot of datapoints for this type of sampling (in my experience). Would 1 per hour be okay? Have you called tech support?

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tsgrue: site engineering, stormwater
management, landscape design, ecosystem
rehabilitation, mathematical simulation

http://hhwq.blogspot.com

 

[snowmaniac]

Thanks for the quick response tsgrue.

This is my first time using this model also. I didnt mention in my initial post: it uses 8AA cell batteries per sonde, and regular alkaline batteries do not maintain a high enough voltage to power the sondes for more than an hour or two.

I would like to use 1 hour intervals, but my client has requested 15min.int. for greater resolution.

As a similar case scenario: Last winter I was monitoring 3 similar sites using YSI 600XLM? sondes. They used 4AA cell batteries per sonde, and lasted over a month b/w batt. changes... only difference was they were sampling for DO instead of Chloride - everything else identical...

Have you ever used deep-cycle 12V batteries to externally power sondes in long-term deployment? that is the only option I can think of ATM.

I have not asked tech support specifically about this problem, but indirectly while trouble-shooting other problems with the Hydrolab sondes

thanks again for the advise..much appreciated

 

[tsgrue]

.

I have used, and have seen others use, standard car batteries to do this. I have also used these for weather stations, which I think is pretty common.

.



tsgrue: site engineering, stormwater
management, landscape design, ecosystem
rehabilitation, mathematical simulation

http://hhwq.blogspot.com