Probes and Sensors

Information and functions related to probe maintenance.

EC Probe Maintenance

Days since last cal: Displays the number of days since the EC probe was last calibrated.
Days since new: Displays the number of days since the EC probe was replaced.
Calibrate EC 1000ppm: Calibrates the probe to 1000ppm. The EC reading must be stable in the 1000ppm calibration solution in order for this to function. A message and beep will confirm successful calibration.
New EC Probe: Sets the “Days Since New” counter to 0.

pH Probe Maintenance

Days since last cal: Displays the number of days since the pH probe was last calibrated.
Days since new: Displays the number of days since the pH probe was replaced.
Calibrate pH 7.00: Calibrates the probe to 7.00. The pH reading must be stable in the 7.00 calibration solution in order for this to function. A message and beep will confirm successful calibration.
Calibrate pH 4.00: Calibrates the probe to 4.00. The pH reading must be stable in the 4.00 calibration solution in order for this to function. A message and beep will confirm successful calibration.
New pH Probe: Sets the “Days Since New” counter to 0.

Prime Pumps

Prime Pump 1, 2…: Used to prime the selected pump. Press and hold the Select button to turn on the pump. Release when the tubing is correctly primed.

Priming the Pumps

Before using your FLORATek to add nutrients and pH solution to your water, you must first prime the dosing pumps. This ensures that as soon as the pumps are turned on, the nutrients and solution drip into the reservoir.

To prime the pumps:

Make sure your pH solution and nutrients are properly installed, with tubing going from the container to the input (left) side of the pump, then from the output (right) side of the pump to the probe mount above the surface of the water
Navigate to the Prime Pumps menu
Press and hold the desired pump number to prime that pump

Switching Between pH Solutions

Important

When switching between pH up and pH down solutions, it is important to flush the tubing with water to prevent the pH solutions from coming into contact with each other:

Remove the suction end of the pH solution tube from the solution container
Remove the end of the pH solution tube from the probe bracket and place it into the pH solution container. This will pump the solution out of the tubing back into the container
Use the pump prime function to drain the pH tube
Once the tubing is drained, place both ends of the tubing into a glass of water
Use the pump prime function again to flush the tubing for about 1 minute
Remove the suction end from the water and continue priming to pump all water from the tube
Once the tube is empty, install the new pH solution and prime the pump

Dosing Pump Setup

Setting up your dosing pumps is essential for the FLORATek control to function correctly. The control automatically assigns pumps depending on how many dosing pumps are installed and your pH configuration.

To connect remote pump expansion modules, first set up the main FLORATek 4 control. When you are ready to pair a pump expansion, plug it in and then select “Connect Remote Pumps” in the Remote Pumps submenu. Your control will automatically find and pair with the remote pump module. Remote pumps can only be paired one at a time, and are paired sequentially.

The FLORATek 4 control can track how much pH and nutrient solutions it has pumped. You may then view current solution levels on the Solution Levels information screen (found by pressing left or right from the main status screen). Every connected dosing pump will have a submenu to view its current level and reset the level when you refill it.

The control also has the ability to save custom names for all of the nutrients. These labels will be used on the solution levels information screen as well as the data logs and other displays.