Measuring salinity from garage water mixing station

[mpatterson42]

My water mixing station is in my garage, which can have temperatures anywhere from 40F to 110F. Is there a way for me to accurately measure the salinity given those temperature swings?

I was looking at a Milwaukee MA871 Refractor but wanted to see if there was a better option.

 

[Rocks reef]

You could bring a sample of the water inside so it is closer to the water temp in your tank and test it that way.

 

[mpatterson42]

True, but I am really lazy and impatient!

 

[Rocks reef]

Well, then brother, you are on your own!!

 

[mpatterson42]

And it's not the ambient temperature of the room I am worried about, it's the temperature of the saltwater (which will be close to the ambient room temperature) and most tools for measuring salinity assume a temperature of around 77F. To heat/cool a sample to that temperature can still take a while.

 

[Red_Beard]

I usually heat mine for a few days while mixing, other than that you could use an auto temperature corecting refractometer, or just bring it in and let it warm up a bit.

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

I have a mixing station in my garage as well. I find that using a hydrometer is reasonably accurate as well as a refractometer, as long as I keep the refractometer in the garage with the water. If the refractometer is the same temp as the sample the temperature compensation seems reasonable. You can also calibrate it with solution you keep in the garage so that it has been calibrated at the same temperature as the sample water.

I do find I need to calibrate refractometers more frequently in the garage and I try to do it whenever there is a change in the weather affecting the temperature.