TDS .5 vs .7 conversion factor?

FootClan

FootClan

Well-Known Member
Talked to Hanna they told me my TDS pen had a 0.5 conversion factor. I said "is that good?" lol... he said that some are 0.7 and some are 0.5......I said " which one is better? does it matter? and why are there two and what is conversion factor even mean in the first place?"

He didnt explain anything that made sense and from what i gathered he said some hydro guys like .7 over .5 and that i should call my nute Co. and ask them if there nutes are ment for a .7 or .5 conversion factor and once i did that to call him back and then he can have a better idea of what i need..

So i called Humboltwholesale(H&G) and long store short they dont know or dont care they just told me to follow the feed chart.......So i asked my dad(engineer) and a few other people, looked online but havent found anything that tells me exactly what is the difference and how it applys to me and what i need to look for in the future when getting nutes and tds meters in regards to the .5 and .7 conversion

If it dosnt matter then i dont even care but the hanna guy seem to think it matters and everyone else dosnt seem to care eather way..

So im wondering if anyone can school me real quick.
 
Tahmi.Guhnn

Tahmi.Guhnn

Active Member
FootClan said:
Talked to Hanna they told me my TDS pen had a 0.5 conversion factor. I said "is that good?" lol... he said that some are 0.7 and some are 0.5......I said " which one is better? does it matter? and why are there two and what is conversion factor even mean in the first place?"

He didnt explain anything that made sense and from what i gathered he said some hydro guys like .7 over .5 and that i should call my nute Co. and ask them if there nutes are ment for a .7 or .5 conversion factor and once i did that to call him back and then he can have a better idea of what i need..

So i called Humboltwholesale(H&G) and long store short they dont know or dont care they just told me to follow the feed chart.......So i asked my dad(engineer) and a few other people, looked online but havent found anything that tells me exactly what is the difference and how it applys to me and what i need to look for in the future when getting nutes and tds meters in regards to the .5 and .7 conversion

If it dosnt matter then i dont even care but the hanna guy seem to think it matters and everyone else dosnt seem to care eather way..

So im wondering if anyone can school me real quick.
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tds is not what you want to check there are about 3 or 4 conversion factors for tds. it converts from EC which is standard. i dont know the differences between the conversions it seems like a pain in the ass compared to just getting and EC meter.
 
FootClan

FootClan

Well-Known Member
Tahmi.Guhnn said:
tds is not what you want to check there are about 3 or 4 conversion factors for tds. it converts from EC which is standard. i dont know the differences between the conversions it seems like a pain in the ass compared to just getting and EC meter.
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Ok i get that its the conversion rate from PPM to EC but how does the conversion work....and you say theres 3 or 4 ive only seen two whats the other two?? and still would like to know how it applys to me....like i said no ones seems to know or care but i cant get a straight answer that puts the question to rest.....still waiting
 
Tahmi.Guhnn

Tahmi.Guhnn

Active Member
FootClan said:
Ok i get that its the conversion rate from PPM to EC but how does the conversion work....and you say theres 3 or 4 ive only seen two whats the other two?? and still would like to know how it applys to me....like i said no ones seems to know or care but i cant get a straight answer that puts the question to rest.....still waiting
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BAM. yall need to learn how to use google.....

View attachment 1321077
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Here is the reason that I heard. EC has 2 conversions, .5 and .7. It is because of the stupid european vs american standards.

Most nutes tell you how much ml/gal or tsp/gal to add for certain PPM. If you have a meter then you will easily see which one they are talking about then once you mix the nutes you would know both the PPM and EC.

If you cant figure any of that out then just use 1/2 of the recommended dose for the manufacturers nutes. Measure the EC and PPM from that batch of water and adjust the mixture up or down depending on the performance of your plants.
 
FootClan

FootClan

Well-Known Member
Tahmi.Guhnn said:
BAM. yall need to learn how to use google.....

View attachment 1321077
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ok so .5 on an EC is the same as 250 ppm?? still dont get how that helps me and why it matters.... and you act as if my question is dumb but my question isnt even half as dumb as all the dumb questions people ask on this forum......what temp is best? or what potsize should i use....or what does PH mean..give me a break this is not well known stuff here im asking.......
 
FootClan

FootClan

Well-Known Member
NLXSK1 said:
Here is the reason that I heard. EC has 2 conversions, .5 and .7. It is because of the stupid european vs american standards.

Most nutes tell you how much ml/gal or tsp/gal to add for certain PPM. If you have a meter then you will easily see which one they are talking about then once you mix the nutes you would know both the PPM and EC.

If you cant figure any of that out then just use 1/2 of the recommended dose for the manufacturers nutes. Measure the EC and PPM from that batch of water and adjust the mixture up or down depending on the performance of your plants.
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Ok so my tap is 200ppm out the tap and when i added my nutes im at 1130ppm......now please explain how my TDS being .5 verse .7 is affecting my readings i still dont get it...... I guess what im saying is WHY do i need to know wether or not my TDS is .5 OR .7 conversion factor i still dont get what im suppose to do with this information??\

am i not suppose to do anyting with the info?....do i just say my TDS is .5 conversion and then go about my buiss as usuall or am i supose to change somthing in my grow now that i know its .5 conversion?? still dont get what it all means and how im suppse to use the info for my advantaage.....telling me that .5 ec is the same at 250ppm how does that help me?/ am i just over complicating this or is everyone else just under explaining it to me.....Is there not a simple answer to the question........WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW OR EVEN CARE WHAT MY COVERSION RATE IT?? DOES IT MATTER??
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
FootClan said:
Ok so my tap is 200ppm out the tap and when i added my nutes im at 1130ppm......now please explain how my TDS being .5 verse .7 is affecting my readings i still dont get it...... I guess what im saying is WHY do i need to know wether or not my TDS is .5 OR .7 conversion factor i still dont get what im suppose to do with this information??\

am i not suppose to do anyting with the info?....do i just say my TDS is .5 conversion and then go about my buiss as usuall or am i supose to change somthing in my grow now that i know its .5 conversion?? still dont get what it all means and how im suppse to use the info for my advantaage.....telling me that .5 ec is the same at 250ppm how does that help me?/ am i just over complicating this or is everyone else just under explaining it to me.....Is there not a simple answer to the question........WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW OR EVEN CARE WHAT MY COVERSION RATE IT?? DOES IT MATTER??
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If you have a .5 EC it could mean 2 different PPM's. It really doesnt matter because other people might use the other conversion when talking about ppm's. And that EC to PPM chart showed earlier really f'in confused me because supposedly 3 different meters give 3 different PPM's for each EC reading.

2 things are important. PH and EC. PH because it needs to be within a range for good growth. EC because it tells you how much crap is in the water. It doesnt tell you what that crap is and in fact doesnt tell you all of the crap in there. But ultimately the point is that if you know the EC of your nutrient you can adjust up or down depending on if you have nute burn and/or deficiencies. This is known as dialing in your grow and only you can do it for your particular setup.

That probably didnt help much.
 
Tahmi.Guhnn

Tahmi.Guhnn

Active Member
NLXSK1 said:
If you have a .5 EC it could mean 2 different PPM's. It really doesnt matter because other people might use the other conversion when talking about ppm's. And that EC to PPM chart showed earlier really f'in confused me because supposedly 3 different meters give 3 different PPM's for each EC reading.

2 things are important. PH and EC. PH because it needs to be within a range for good growth. EC because it tells you how much crap is in the water. It doesnt tell you what that crap is and in fact doesnt tell you all of the crap in there. But ultimately the point is that if you know the EC of your nutrient you can adjust up or down depending on if you have nute burn and/or deficiencies. This is known as dialing in your grow and only you can do it for your particular setup.

That probably didnt help much.
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thats because there is more than just two conversion factors. that chart gives you the ec based on the conversion factor that your tester uses. so you figure out what conversion factor you have, look at what ppm you reader is saying and the slide over to the left and BAM theres your EC

that clear it up buddy?

and your right PPM is confusing i dont know why they still sell those meters when an EC meter solves the whole problem and debate
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Tahmi.Guhnn said:
thats because there is more than just two conversion factors. that chart gives you the ec based on the conversion factor that your tester uses. so you figure out what conversion factor you have, look at what ppm you reader is saying and the slide over to the left and BAM theres your EC

that clear it up buddy?

and your right PPM is confusing i dont know why they still sell those meters when an EC meter solves the whole problem and debate
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I have a blue ray trunchon in front of me. It displays the EC (lets say 1.0 for example) It also shows both PPM scales 700 & 500 and CF of 10.

So no, it doesnt clear it up buddy...
 
Tahmi.Guhnn

Tahmi.Guhnn

Active Member
NLXSK1 said:
I have a blue ray trunchon in front of me. It displays the EC (lets say 1.0 for example) It also shows both PPM scales 700 & 500 and CF of 10.

So no, it doesnt clear it up buddy...
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ok your tester converts EC to PPM using the .5 and the .7 conversion factors. so if you look on the chart where the EC says 1.0 and go right there is the 500PPM and the 700PPM and the CF being 10 that are showing up on your meter. i think your over thinking this one buddy.

and i dont know why you would want to convert EC to PPM when PPM is based on EC to begin with and EC is universal where PPM isn't. as you can see you have two different PPM readings for your one EC. and you never know what PPM your nuitrient company uses so EC is the safer bet.

that clear it up?
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Tahmi.Guhnn said:
ok your tester converts EC to PPM using the .5 and the .7 conversion factors. so if you look on the chart where the EC says 1.0 and go right there is the 500PPM and the 700PPM and the CF being 10 that are showing up on your meter. i think your over thinking this one buddy.

and i dont know why you would want to convert EC to PPM when PPM is based on EC to begin with and EC is universal where PPM isn't. as you can see you have two different PPM readings for your one EC. and you never know what PPM your nuitrient company uses so EC is the safer bet.

that clear it up?
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No, it doesnt clear it up.

Go look at the conversion charts and you can clearly see that EC shows a different PPM for each companies meter. PPM means parts per million. It should be a set number for a set EC across the board. This would make it impossible to compare nute levels between 2 people using a different meter.

I dont have a problem with any of it. I just go off of 1/2 of the manufacturers recommended nutes per volume of water and adjust from there. I use PPM because it is what the manufacturer refers to.
 
Tahmi.Guhnn

Tahmi.Guhnn

Active Member
ppm should not be the same across the board for a given EC because ppm is based on a conversion factor that is applied to the EC. ALL PPM READINGS DONT MEAN THE SAME THING. yes PPM means parts per million but the tester converts PPM based on the EC (electical conductivity) that is between the probes. the probes dont count individual specs, its just two rods that send electricity from one probe to the other. the time it takes and the strength of the signal from one probe to the other determines how much salt content is in the water which in lamens terms is EC. the tester then takes this number and converts that number to PPM which is why there are different readings on the chart for the EC

now does that clear it up?
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Tahmi.Guhnn said:
ppm should not be the same across the board for a given EC because ppm is based on a conversion factor that is applied to the EC. ALL PPM READINGS DONT MEAN THE SAME THING. yes PPM means parts per million but the tester converts PPM based on the EC (electical conductivity) that is between the probes. the probes dont count individual specs, its just two rods that send electricity from one probe to the other. the time it takes and the strength of the signal from one probe to the other determines how much salt content is in the water which in lamens terms is EC. the tester then takes this number and converts that number to PPM which is why there are different readings on the chart for the EC

now does that clear it up?
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Can we agree that these meters are scientific instruments and PPM/EC is a scientific measure of the salts in solution?

So, if you look at your chart.... At an EC of 1.0 and a CF of 10 (which is simply EC * 10).

Hanna's PPM reads 500 PPM
Eutechs PPM reads 640 PPM
and the Truncheon reads 700PPM (which I have already stated, both are on my truncheon meter).

Now, if PPM is simply the conversion of EC... Why are there 3 different PPM readings for the same EC across 3 manufacturers? What is the point of that?

I dont think you are going to manage to explain it to me from the data provided. PPM has no relation to EC according to that chart because each manufacturer has a completely different conversion.
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Personal attacks will get you warned and eventually banned...

The meter measures EC, I understand that and how to use it. Now pull your head out of that box and realize that we are talking the real world here and there is no way to convert PPM to EC unless apparently you know the meter that was used to determine PPM.

Supposedly according to you if I have an EC of 1.0 then I have 500 ppm of solution in the water if I use a hannah meter and I have 700 ppm of solution if I use a Trunchon meter. You havent explained how the mixture suddenly changed by 200ppm but I guess I should just already understand that through osmosis or something...

I addressed the original poster. I did not request your lesson nor do I appreciate you continually harassing me because I cant make sense of your illogical explanations about why the PPM magically changes depending on the tester. Sorry...
 
NLXSK1

NLXSK1

Well-Known Member
Tahmi.Guhnn said:
what i cant get over is how fucking stupid you are......
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One last time.

You have a resevoir of nutrients that measure 1.0 EC

There are 3 scientists standing in front of you and each has a different meter.

You ask scientist number 1 what the PPM conversion is from his meter and he says that at EC of 1.0 there are 500 PPM of electrically conductive particles in the water.

You ask scientist number 2 what the PPM conversion is from his meter and he says that at EC of 1.0 there are 640 PPM of electrically conductive particles in the water.

You ask scientist number 3 what the PPM conversion from his meter and he says that at EC of 1.0 there are 700 PPM of electrically conductive particles in the water.

PPM = Parts Per Million. There can only be one correct answer for the number of electrically conductive particles in the solution.

And ultimately your answer is that it is because of the conversion factor the company uses... All 3 answers cannot be correct if we are truly talking about parts per million.
 
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