help with refractometer

buckeyegirl · 01/25/2009, 11:49 AM

I bought a "used in good working condition" refractometer from ebay. It doesn't have a brand name but it looks like this one that all the usual websites are selling

It doesn't have a shadow line in the viewer at all, either with RODI water or water from my tank. The whole gauge is light gray when I hold it up to the light. No matter how much I unscrew the adjustment screw, no shadow line shows up.

It was in my mailbox overnight at 5*, and when we brought it in this morning the outside of the glass was fogged up. After it dried, the inside of the glass still looks like this

Is it supposed to look like that? Any idea why there isn't a shadow line?

Grendel0501 · 01/25/2009, 11:51 AM

Once you put a liquid on it there should be a visible line , try calibrating to see if you can get it to show anything. Maybe it's carlibrated really far in one direction.

buckeyegirl · 01/25/2009, 12:00 PM

Even with the liquid, nothing. I screwed the screw in all the way, then all the way out, still nothing.

edit - I just tried again with salt water and the shadow was there, but it said my salinity was .05. By the time I put the RODI water on it and calibrated it to 0, the shadow had faded away. Now nothing again.

01/25/2009, 11:49 AM	#1
buckeyegirl Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Columbus, oHIo Posts: 152	help with refractometer I bought a "used in good working condition" refractometer from ebay. It doesn't have a brand name but it looks like this one that all the usual websites are selling It doesn't have a shadow line in the viewer at all, either with RODI water or water from my tank. The whole gauge is light gray when I hold it up to the light. No matter how much I unscrew the adjustment screw, no shadow line shows up. It was in my mailbox overnight at 5*, and when we brought it in this morning the outside of the glass was fogged up. After it dried, the inside of the glass still looks like this Is it supposed to look like that? Any idea why there isn't a shadow line?

01/25/2009, 12:00 PM	#3
buckeyegirl Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Columbus, oHIo Posts: 152	Even with the liquid, nothing. I screwed the screw in all the way, then all the way out, still nothing. edit - I just tried again with salt water and the shadow was there, but it said my salinity was .05. By the time I put the RODI water on it and calibrated it to 0, the shadow had faded away. Now nothing again. Last edited by buckeyegirl; 01/25/2009 at 12:18 PM.

01/25/2009, 11:51 AM	#2
Grendel0501 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Memphis Tn Posts: 465	Once you put a liquid on it there should be a visible line , try calibrating to see if you can get it to show anything. Maybe it's carlibrated really far in one direction.