Power the meter on. Insert the probes or electrodes into the female jack of the electrical conductivity meter. Calibrate the electroconductivity meter using the control solution. Place the electrodes or probes in the control and press the "Calibrate" key, or refer to the manual for model-specific symbols. Keep the probes in the solution until the reading displays. Put the probes in the provided standard solution until you are ready to acquire your sample.
Remove the probes from the standard. Wash the probe off with a jet of distilled water. The number of probes in electrical conductivity meters varies, but it is usually two. Place both probes into the aqueous solution and press the "Test" key. Remain still until the reading is complete. Record the reading manually, or "Store" the data. Remove the probes and rinse with distilled water.
Compare the results. Compare your data with known values to find dissolved solids content or salinity content. Find this information in textbooks or online by searching the given value x and the phrase "electrical conductivity of x." Electrical conductivity of pure water will approach zero, while water containing metallic compounds will give a higher reading. The more salinity a sample has, the higher the electrical conductivity result.