SmartRef News

Salt makes your live sweet and your pool fresh It's important to keep an eye on pool salt levels and to check them periodically to see if adjustments are needed - but with SmartRef Digital Refractomer it has never been easier. Like a holiday by the sea - relax at your saltwater pool In recent years, also due to the corona-related retreat into privacy, setting up pools in the garden has become increasingly popular. Here the saltwater pool is a wonderful alternative to the traditional chlorine water pool. Although saltwater pools contain significantly less salt than the sea, they still give the feeling of swimming in the sea. The health aspects are also not to be despised: swimming in salt water has a positive effect on asthma and allergies - no annoying chlorine that irritates the respiratory tract and skin. The minerals found in salt water can help balance the skin's oil production and support the skin's barrier to retain moisture. In addition to the positive effects on the body, salt water also has a positive effect on the mind, helping to reduce stress and anxiety. The optimum pool salt level The ideal salt level for a saltwater pool is between 2.7 - 3.4 ppt (2700 - 3400 ppm), whereby the optimum level is 3.2 ppt (3200 ppm). At this level, the pool provides the health benefits listed above. However, if the amount of salt in the pool water is too high or too low, undesirable side effects can occur. If there is too little salt in the pool water, not enough chlorine is produced which is needed to prevent the growth of bacteria and algae. In addition, too little salt in the pool is also a sign that the pool is loosing salt because of e.g. rainwater getting into the pool. On the other hand, too much salt (5-6 ppt: 5000-6000 ppm) can attack and corrode the metal equipment in the pool. This might happen when you put too much salt in your pool or when high temperatures in the summer cause the water to evaporate and the salt to concentrate in your pool. In this case, the water must be diluted to reduce the salt content. When your pool is full, you need to partially drain it to add some fresh water. You see, in order to maintain optimal pool water chemistry, it is necessary to measure the water salinity regularly. Keep your pool intact - measure the salinity with the SmartRef Digital Refractometer The digital refractometer SmartRef in combination with the Reef Meister app offers you an easy and smart solution to measure and monitor the salinity in your pool. Use SmartRef to test the salt level when first filling the pool. Slowly add the salt to the pool and measure the salinity regularly to avoid dissolving too much salt. SmartRef is also your faithful companion throughout the bathing season to monitor the correct salt content at regular intervals. How often should you measure the salt level in your pool? Measure the salinity in your pool: at least every month after intensive rain after heavy use after refilling fresh water to your pool In just 5 steps to your measurement result Download the free Reef Meister app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Activate Bluetooth on your smartphone or tablet. Switch your SmartRef on. Connect SmartRef with the app. Pipette only 0.4 mL of your pool water in the sample well and press measure. Within seconds the result is shown on the screen of your app in ppt (=ppm), SG 20/20, or PSU, as you wish. If you are interested in documentation and if you like to log your measurements, just create a tank in your Reef Meister mobile app and store your measurement results in the tank. Results can also be graphically displayed over a period of time. Checking the salt level for your saltwater pool couldn´t be easier!

Measuring salinity in reef tanks is crucial for any saltwater aquarium owner. Learn what to consider when taking measurements and how best to proceed. A saltwater aquarium brings a piece of the mysterious sea into your home. Watching beautiful fish, invertebrates, and corals can have a positive impact on your well-being and reduces stress. Therefore, marine livestock nowadays counts as one of the most popular pets worldwide. Salinity in reef tanks: If you have decided to introduce such a lovely hobby into your life or if you are already a happy owner of a saltwater aquarium, you need to provide a natural and healthy environment for your marine dwellers. In order to achieve this, the aquarist needs to know certain values, like temperature, light, pH, and more. One of the most important parameters an aquarist needs to consider is the saltwater salinity. The salinity or salt water content describes the concentration of dissolved salts in water. This parameter averages at around 35 ppt (parts per thousand) or 1.026 SG (specific gravity) for natural seawater. Therefore, this value is most often used for marine aquariums. In general, it is said that saltwater tanks with fish only can have a lower salinity than reef aquariums because fish accept lower salinity than corals. Why do I have to measure the saltwater aquarium salinity? Marine fish can’t survive in water with too low salinity levels, because their bodies contain a high concentration of salt solution. On the other hand, too high-salinity levels cause stress for the fish, because they need to implode their osmoregulation system to protect themselves from the high salt content in the tank. Incorrect salt levels in the aquarium harm the sea inhabitants and can lead to death... As this is the worst scenario an aquarist can imagine, it is recommended to keep an eye on the salinity in your reef tank. Frequent measurements allow you to react quickly when salinity changes and avoid major impacts on marine life. How often do I need to measure the salinity in my saltwater tank? It is recommended to check the salt content of your aquarium on a regular basis. In general, it is important to measure the salinity of the first mixture and when doing water changes.  BLENDING SALT IN WATER: The first time you need to check the salinity is when you blend a new saltwater for your reef aquarium. The manufacturers of the salt mixture usually specify how much salt is needed to achieve the desired salinity. Ideally, you should use reverse osmosis water or distilled water for dilution, to avoid impurities in the tank. Once the sea salt is fully diluted in the water, you need to check the salinity to determine if the desired salinity has been achieved or if you have added too much or too little sea salt to the water. It is recommended to repeat the measurement over the next few days to verify that the salinity doesn’t change before welcoming your tank dwellers to their new home. WEEKLY SALINITY MEASUREMENTS: Once a stable salinity environment for your tank dwellers has been achieved, weekly measurements should be performed to verify that the salinity level is within the optimal range. This is necessary because water evaporates daily and the salt ions remain. As a consequence, the salinity level increases. WATER CHANGE: Most aquarists perform a 10 to 20 % water change every one to two weeks to remove waste products from the inhabitants and maintain the nutrient levels in the reef tank. To make the water change as relaxed as possible for your marine livestock, the salinity of the saltwater must be measured before it can be added to the aquarium. This is because a rapidly changing salt content in the aquarium leads to high stress levels for the tank dwellers, which you want to avoid. Checking the salinity with SmartRef digital refractometer: Now it’s easier and faster than ever to keep an eye on the salt content of your saltwater tank. The digital refractometer SmartRef with the Reef Meister mobile app supports you at each step when you have to check the saltwater salinity. All you have to do is to take a 0.4 mL sample of your aquarium and the SmartRef with the Reef Meister mobile app will give you the temperature-compensated result for the salinity in ppt, PSU, and specific gravity in seconds. With a single tap, the result can be directly saved in corresponding projects.   To verify that the salinity level in your marine aquarium is constant you can graphically follow the history of the values over time. This helps you to quickly check the consistency of the salinity and alerts you at a glance if you need to take action.   Let SmartRef be your tiny assistant to ensure the well-being of your tank dwellers!      

The team at Clawhammer Supply has published a very informative article in which they go into detail about the possible measuring devices that can be used to calculate ABV in beer, wine, spirits, and more. In addition to a classic hydrometer and refractometer, they present the SmartRef Digital Refractometer and EasyDens Digital Density Meter with the corresponding Brew Meister App. Our latest implemented ABV measurement feature with both devices - the EasyDens & SmartRef Beer Combo - is highlighted as well.  Click here for the article: How to measure the alcohol content

What is cutting oil? Cutting oils are metal working fluids that are used as coolants and lubricants for processes like drilling, turning, milling or grinding. The main function of the cutting oil is the sufficient cooling of the contact zone between the tool and the work piece. The proper concentration of cutting oils during machining increases cutting speeds, efficiency, surface quality and reduces cost and power consumption. A distinction is made between straight oils (non-water miscible) and water miscible cutting fluids (emulsions). The two types differ in their lubricating and cooling properties. Today, the water-miscible cutting oils are the most commonly used types, due to their good cooling capacity and price. The emulsion is made by mixing the cutting oil concentrate with water to the needed dilution ratio. The typical cutting oil concentration is normally between 4% and 10%. However, the proper concentration depends on the machine and application.   When to measure the cutting oil concentration? The first concentration measurement should be done when mixing a new cutting oil-water solution. If the dilution is too weak, the cutting oil mixture and used tool might have a shorter lifetime, corrosion protection is insufficient and the lubrication properties are lower. Whereas, if the mixture is too high, the risk of foam-building, and cost increase. Once the correct dilution ratio is reached, the water-miscible cutting oil concentration needs to be checked frequently because its composition can change during usage. Possible reasons for a concentration change can be bacterial growth, evaporation of water or contamination.   It is important to check the cutting oil concentration to  ensure employee safety. prolong lifetime of machine and tool. prevents corrosion. allow the machine to run at a higher speed. ensure consistent quality of the produced products. save cost.   Measuring procedure of cutting oil concentration with the SmartRef Digital Refractometer: With our digital refractometer SmartRef and the Lab Meister mobile app, the cutting oil concentration can be measured quickly and reliably. The SmartRef measures the sample in °Brix and applies the user-specific correction factor automatically to the measurement result. The correction factor can be set between 0,5 and 3,0 in the settings. Documentation is one of the most important aspects of monitoring cutting oil concentrations on a regular basis. Using Lab Meister mobile app, measurement results can be saved directly in logs and displayed graphically over time. In this way, the user can quickly identify differences in the cutting oil concentration and decide whether it is time to replace the cutting oil mixture or not.   It has never been so quick and easy to keep an eye on the concentration of the cutting oil!  

Using a refractometer during your beer brewing and fermentation process is now more straightforward than ever thanks to the digital refractometer SmartRef and the Brew Meister mobile app. This guide will show you how to correctly use the SmartRef to enhance the quality of your homemade beer. Start your brew day When you start your first brew day you will need four main ingredients: drinking water, a mix of ground malted grains, yeast and hops. Plan one day for the actual brewing process and three to five weeks for fermentation and maturation of the beer. If you want your homebrew to result in the finest beer possible with its special aroma, you should use only high-quality raw materials and the most accurate measurement equipment. Beer brewing process Create a SmartRef batch in the Brew Meister mobile app before you start brewing. This way you can organize all future measurements of your homebrew in one batch. Go to the section Batches, and create a new SmartRef batch for your beer. Once the raw materials are prepared, the milled malt is mixed with hot water in the mash tun. Fermentable sugars are extracted from grain starches and concentrated, which is then called wort. When mashing is finished, the wort is filtered in the lauter tun in order to separate the solids from the liquids. To extract the residual sugars during sparging, the mashed grains have to be rinsed with brewing water. As a key control parameter for future alcohol estimations, the wort concentration in Plato or specific gravity (SG) should be monitored during the brewing process. These measurements are performed in seconds by the SmartRef. Results are already temperature compensated.   Next, hops are added to the wort to give your beer its unique aroma, bitterness, and flavors. The wort is then boiled in a kettle. Malt enzymes are deactivated in this stage, and undesired volatile aromas such as proteins and tannins are removed. The wort is concentrated to the original wort as the water level decreases during evaporation. When the boiling process is finished the wort is transferred into a whirlpool and let to rotate. The trub (remaining proteins and hops) is held back, and the clear wort can be poured out. After the boiling process, the wort is cooled down to about 15 °C to 20 °C. In order to track the fermentation process, it is important to take another measurement with your SmartRef.  Please make sure to filter the wort sample, i.e. through a coffee filter, before you take a reading. With only 0.4 mL wort you can get quick and accurate measurement results. The Plato/SG value at the measurement screen is already wort corrected. This defines the original gravity (OG) of your beer. After the measurement was performed successfully, save and define the result as an OG reading to your batch. The original gravity also offers you a rough estimate of the alcohol content in your beer. The wort correction factor (WCF) is applied to the initial Brix reading from the refractometer to get the wort concentration in Plato and SG. Brix measures the dissolved sugar content in aqueous solutions. Since wort consists of more ingredients than just sugar and water, a correction of the initial Brix reading is required to ensure accuracy. The WCF is preset to a default setting of 1.03 in the app. You can change the WCF universally via Settings or individually in every batch. The wort is finally transformed into beer upon adding yeast, which turns the malt sugars into alcohol and CO2. To check if the fermentation works well and to verify how much alcohol is already produced, daily measurements with the SmartRef are recommended. To ensure the repeatability of the measurement results please degas your samples before each measurement. When determining the wort concentration of your beer during fermentation with any refractometer, an additional alcohol correction is necessary. Choose one of the offered formulas (Sean Terrill or Standard) for your batch and the calculations are automatically handled for you by the Brew Meister mobile app. After you take a reading of the fermenting wort, save the result to the same batch, where the corresponding OG is already defined. The alcohol correction is then applied to your measurement results directly in the batch. Once the selection for OG is done in the batch, all subsequently stored values are automatically alcohol-corrected. This is shown by a small orange dot beside the result in the list of the batch.     In the batch the measurement results of your brewed beer are graphically plotted per day. This allows you to quickly see if the fermentation works well. After the selection of final gravity (FG) you get an estimation of the alcohol content of your beer at every step during fermentation. The est. alcohol content is calculated based on your OG and FG selection. (Learn more) This way, you can easily determine, when it's best to stop your beer's fermentation and transfer it to a keg or bottles. Then, after a few weeks of aging, you can enjoy your home-brewed beer. We wish you happy brewing with SmartRef!    

Step by step guide on how to start your first measurement with SmartRef: 1. Download the mobile app for SmartRef Before you can use your digital refractometer, you have to download the Lab Meister mobile app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.   When you open the app for the first time you can choose between different projects. Depending on what you would like to measure, you either continue with Lab Meister mobile app or you can download one of the other available apps for SmartRef.   2. Sample Preparation Before you start your measurement, you have to prepare your sample depending on its condition: Liquids containing CO2, (like beer) will cause bubbles in the sample area, which lead to invalid measurement results. For that reason you should degas your samples before measurement. For samples containing suspended solids, it is recommended that the sample is filtered or sieved (0.5 mm mesh diameter) before measurement. Viscous samples (such as honey) have to be homogenized by stirring thoroughly (~5 minutes) at room temperature. Additionally, sieve the sample if it contains any coarse material.   3. Connect your SmartRef to your mobile phone Activate Bluetooth on your mobile phone. Open the Lab Meister mobile app and turn on the device by pressing the power button. The status LEDs next to the power button start blinking. This indicates that your SmartRef is ready for the connection. Click “Connect” and the Lab Meister mobile app will establish a connection between your mobile device and SmartRef. After the connection has been succesfully established, the status LEDs are permanently on.               4. Cleaning Check if the prism surface and sample well are clean before you proceed. For cleaning, use a few drops of distilled water or ethanol and a soft tissue. If the prism surface is not clean enough the integrated SmartGuide+ will give you a warning during measurement. (Learn more...) 5. Zero Adjustment A water check should be performed before starting a measurement series. This is necessary to ensure the accuracy and reliability of your measurements. Depending on the selected unit of measurement, the result should be e.g. 0.0 °Brix, 0 ppt, etc. within the respective accuracy. If you get a result that deviates from the target value of your sample by more than the given tolerances, you need to adjust the device by performing a zero adjustment. The zero adjustment can be performed quickly in the app: Apply distilled water on the measuring surface until the sample well is filled up to the marked height (> 0.4 mL are required in order to get proper measurement results). You can simply perform the zero adjustment directly in the section Measure at the "More options" sign in the upper right corner. After the adjustment, clean the sample well and prism surface according point 4. NOTE: Make sure that the prism surface and sample well are completely clean before making a zero adjustment to ensure that the measurement results are not affected by contamination.   6. Measurement Now, you can start your measurement. Apply the prepared sample on the measuring surface using a plastic pipette or plastic syringe until the sample well is filled up to the marked height. To start a measurement, tap on “Start” in the Measure section. The measuring result can be directly saved in a preexisting or new log. 7. Cleaning Between and after each measurement, the prism surface and sample well need to be cleaned according to following instructions: Wipe off the sample or use the provided plastic pipette to remove the sample from the sample area. Rinse the sample area with a suitable cleaner (e.g. distilled water or ethanol). Empty the sample well using a plastic pipette/syringe. Dry off any remaining droplets with a clean and soft cloth (cotton or microfiber). Note: Do not use aggressive solvents (e.g. Acetone) to clean the device. Only use approved and compatible cleaning agents, otherwise your device could suffer permanent damage.   8. Storage When you have finished your measurement series for the day and the SmartRef is cleaned, store the device in a dry environment away from direct sunlight and temperature extremes.   If you need assistance with the measurement process with SmartRef, please contact our support team at support@my-smartref.com.