Turbidimeter Calibration

Turbidimeters need to be recalibrated every two months. The calibration kit is located in the AguaClara Lab in Hollister Hall. Perform the following steps to successfully calibrate turbidimeters.

1. Get the turbidity standards kit from the AguaClara lab in the basement of Hollister Hall.

2. Wipe down the standards vials with Kim wipes if they have any dust on the outsides of them (the turbidimeters measure turbidity by shining a beam through the vial, so dust, dirt, or scratches messes that up).

3. Turn on the power strip, and plug in the turbidimeters as necessary.

4. Turn on the first turbidimeter (pick one).

5. Remove the top of the turbidimeter (unhook the horizontal pins holding the top of the turbidimeter in place and slide the top of the turbidimeter up and out).

6. Hit the 'mode' button to start calibration.

7. When the screen displays '1000' next to 'config', slide the 1000 NTU standard vial into the top of the turbidimeter and hit the 'enter' button (a leftward pointing arrow). Wait as the screen counts down to zero.

8. When the countdown is done, the screen will flash '10' next to 'config'. Put the 1000 NTU vial back in the standards kit and slide the 10 NTU standard vial into the turbidimeter. Hit 'enter' again and wait for the screen to count down to zero.

9. Repeat for the 0.2 NTU sample as above. Now the turbidimeter is calibrated.

10. Turn off the turbidimeter. Repeat steps 4-9 for the remaining turbidimeters.