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IslandCrow
07/02/2006, 11:54 AM
Can a PH probe be soaked in vinegar without damaging it? The reason I'm asking is because I'm getting tiny spots of coraline on the glass bubble on my Pinpoint PH probe. So far, I can still keep it calibrated without a problem, but I'm sure it's going to keep growing on there, and you can't exactly get rid of that stuff with a soft bristled toothbrush, which is the suggested way to clean it. I'm pretty sure soaking it in vinegar for a few hours should get it clean, but I have no idea what effect that might have on the probe itself. Any experiences?

mburnickas
07/02/2006, 01:02 PM
no clue but will bump it for ya.

Oh, I also clean my ORP probe in vinegar

IslandCrow
07/08/2006, 12:24 PM
Well, it doesn't look like anyone knows, but the good news is, I found the answer. For anyone who's curious, I called American Marine, and they told me it's safe to clean the probe in either vinegar or a bleach solution. If he gave me the ratio of bleach to water, I can't remember, but I know a 50/50 vinegar soak is pretty good at dissolving coraline, so that's what I'm going for. If I run into any problems, I'll post again.

Could I get a bump?

mburnickas
07/08/2006, 12:29 PM
I would use vinegar over bleach.

IslandCrow
07/08/2006, 03:27 PM
Agreed! I don't use bleach for much of anything unless I feel it needs to be disinfected, and then it gets rinsed off very well and left to dry out. I use vinegar to clean pretty much anything that's going to go into my tank, and it seems to work even better than bleach in most instances.