HELP, Refractometer fell into the tank!

[Gorm the languid]

Its exactly what it sounds like.

My refractometer took a trip to rock work. Just perfect timing too. its the H2Ocean D-D refractometer.
Now there is water inside my device which is visible when you look through the eye piece.
Is there thing ruined now? i removed the calibration screw to try and drain it, plenty of water
is coming out but i'm afraid ill have to spend another 87 dollars for to replace this thing which i just cant afford right now.
i was in the middle of doing critical measurements and now i can't do them.. just stuck in limbo.
its currently sitting in a Tupperware container full of rice with the screw removed.

is this thing ruined? what the heck am i supposed to do now?
i'm so angry.

 

[Fish Fan]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I'm sorry to hear about your refractometer. I would continue to *soak* your refractometer in rice, hopefully it comes back to life. In the meantime, can you take a sample of water to your local fish store for testing?

A new refractometer doesn't have to cost $87, I know Amazon has them much cheaper, and I think even PetCo has one that's much cheaper:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/imagitarium-aquatic-refractometer-2703720?store_code=2790&mr:device=c&mr:adType=pla_with_promotionlocal&cm_mmc=PSH%7CGGL%7COMNI%7CCC%7CNA%7CNA%7Cb73rbXfewqRGePhtzBEZSi%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23049435483&gbraid=0AAAAAD97F17Zs81M-8M1aHtA4bruvbh1o&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgZOLkeWekAMVfTAIBR0zJxedEAQYASACEgIJCfD_BwE

Good luck!

 

[leeloo82]

Update on your refractometer? How long did it taketo dry out in the rice? I didnt unscrew mine, maybe I need to. Same boat sorta. I rinsed it under running tap water and actually dunked it in bucket of RODI water. Over time noticed the blue/white demarcation was fading. Thought it just needed to be recalibrated. Nope, just saw there's moisture on inside lens. Sigh, rookie mistake. I let it sit in bucket of rice overnight. Still moisture. Maybe I'll unscrew like you did to see it that works

 

[Gorm the languid]

Update on your refractometer? How long did it taketo dry out in the rice? I didnt unscrew mine, maybe I need to. Same boat sorta. I rinsed it under running tap water and actually dunked it in bucket of RODI water. Over time noticed the blue/white demarcation was fading. Thought it just needed to be recalibrated. Nope, just saw there's moisture on inside lens. Sigh, rookie mistake. I let it sit in bucket of rice overnight. Still moisture. Maybe I'll unscrew like you did to see it that works

I had a look at it recently, theres still some droplets in there but i can see the readout now. Its murky though, like the surfaces inside need to be cleaned. i'm using my old one currently.

 

[UncommonSense]

As a general rule, any time pretty much anything metal is submerged/in contact with saltwater, it should at least be freshwater rinsed!

— ideally, in this case, you should submerge the refractometer in fresh water to dilute the salt residue, then dry it out!

As saltwater dries, it becomes an increasingly conductive and corrosive brine solution; you want to get as much salt out as possible!

(As an interesting example, a friend of mine went swimming in the ocean with one of the first IP68 rated (rated for 1.5 meters of submersion in freshwater) iPhones in his pocket… the phone worked for around six hours after this saltwater swim, before displaying a logic board error and ultimately frying internally… — hindsight being 20/20, he could have soaked this phone in freshwater for a while, THEN dried it out!)

 

[Gorm the languid]

As a general rule, any time pretty much anything metal is submerged/in contact with saltwater, it should at least be freshwater rinsed!

— ideally, in this case, you should submerge the refractometer in fresh water to dilute the salt residue, then dry it out!

As saltwater dries, it becomes an increasingly conductive and corrosive brine solution; you want to get as much salt out as possible!

(As an interesting example, a friend of mine went swimming in the ocean with one of the first IP68 rated (rated for 1.5 meters of submersion in freshwater) iPhones in his pocket… the phone worked for around six hours after this saltwater swim, before displaying a logic board error and ultimately frying internally… — hindsight being 20/20, he could have soaked this phone in freshwater for a while, THEN dried it out!)

Perhaps i should let it sit in some freshwater then?

 

[UncommonSense]

Perhaps i should let it sit in some freshwater then?

Soak it for a few hours, or overnight in RO or RODI water, then dry it out thoroughly!

(Tap water would work too, but we do have access to water with lower TDS as reefers!)

 

[dschuffert]

Perhaps i should let it sit in some freshwater then?

Yes, I agree. I have done this before and rinsed with RODI water before drying it out. All worked out fine for me.

 

[exnisstech]

Grab one of these. If nothing else you'll have it for back up if the other one survives.

EDIT. This one is still in service.

LINK

 

[winzig]

or pay $20 on Amazon

 

[EllWay]

Its exactly what it sounds like.

My refractometer took a trip to rock work. Just perfect timing too. its the H2Ocean D-D refractometer.
Now there is water inside my device which is visible when you look through the eye piece.
Is there thing ruined now? i removed the calibration screw to try and drain it, plenty of water
is coming out but i'm afraid ill have to spend another 87 dollars for to replace this thing which i just cant afford right now.
i was in the middle of doing critical measurements and now i can't do them.. just stuck in limbo.
its currently sitting in a Tupperware container full of rice with the screw removed.

is this thing ruined? what the heck am i supposed to do now?
i'm so angry.

 

[EllWay]

You will be very happy if you buy the Tropic Marin Hydrometer ($40). It is dead accurate and does not require any calibration. Just turn off all flow and drop it in and measure! Works perfectly and I have tried EVERYTHING else. This is super easy to use....no calibration!