- Hanna HI 98129 - pH probe was left dry recalibrate ?

[BudToker]

Ommmmmm...

I have been born into the icmag realm...

This is my first post to icmag and I would like to say first that this place is awesome, I love you guys! I appreciate the sharing of information between one another!! You guys rock!!


My question is:

I have a Hanna pH/EC meter (HI 98129). Battery power at 80%. It has been capped for about 6 months. When recently took the cap off I noticed that the pH probe had dried out and there was no water left in the cap. I know that this is detrimental to the probe but I'm unsure of to what extent the damage is and if it is a correctable condition.


Upon testing my tap water I get various readings slowly swinging one way or another. It seems like it is a point to a point and a half low. (Showing 6.5 while I believe my h20 is @ 8.0)


If I purchase the calibration solutions, might I fix the meter by recalibrating? Do I need to purchase a new probe? If so, anyone know of a cheap place to get one? Has anyone had a similar experience with this model?

- BT

 

[Guest]

Yeah, you can fix them.

Digital Analysis, a water treatment company, (link) has a pH probe care page that's about the easiest one to find on the subject. There are more, but they tend to be back in the search results, because there are so many people peddling pH pens.

The glass pH sensing membrane may also require service in some applications. This membrane can become dehydrated or coated with a thin layer of deposits. The best procedure for cleaning or rehydrating the glass is to soak the probe in a pH buffer of 4.0 for several hours. If this does not work then immersing the probe in hot buffer 4.0 solution will usually work.

On another topic, for a moment, it is important to point out that demineralized water should not be used to store a probe. This will actually shorten probe life.A pH probe should be stored in a solution with high ionic strength, preferably a pH buffer solution of 4.0.

What you see up there is the basic deal you're gonna see wherever you go, except retail outlets and hobbyist forums where the people that use them and deal with them don't know wtf they're doing with them.

The reason I just linked you to these people's page is because it's brief, but concise; they're not just speculating on some peripheral sideline, or sayin ''I heard that...'' They're pros in the business- they're not peddling you something so it's pretty dependably, bias-neutral.

Obviously these guys' clientele are pros too, & for everybody at some point, buying a new probe becomes cheaper than the time to fix it. Nevertheless, even with a replacement probe, you might want to keep the old one and give it the old amateur try at bringing it back, just to see if you can do it. All it takes is a few tablespoons of 4.0 solution heated up in the microwave, then storing it a few weeks/months, in the same. That's basically free.

All the sites run by reliable, qualified people say, essentially, similar things. Heating the reconditioning solution is universally suggested, storing it in 4.0 solution is universally suggested, all glass probes are more or less, various replications of the same basic principle, and the method & type glass is similar.

 

[ShroomDr]

i have the exact same HI 98129.

I abuse the shit out of it, ive never used the cap. Sometimes i leave it in the res for days, sometimes i dont use it for days.

I've had it for almost 2 years, and only replaced the pH probe once (and that was because i was trying to clean it too vigoriously with a qtip).


They say to treat it like porcelain, but I sure as fuck havent. I calibrate it once every 3 months, and its normally dead on.

 

[BudToker]

-KiNgMaKeR- Thank you for the link, I've learned something new this evening! And thanks for the break down on pH probe storage. I will try to let my meter sleep in a pH 4.0 buffer as soon as I get some delivered.

ShroomDr Thanks for your reply with your experience with this meter. It made me feel a lot better to hear that you beat up your HI 98129 and it still works after re-cal. I've ordered some calibration solution so hopefully I'll have it back up and running again soon!

- BT

 

[duddits]

i have the exact same HI 98129.

I abuse the shit out of it, ive never used the cap. Sometimes i leave it in the res for days, sometimes i dont use it for days.

I've had it for almost 2 years, and only replaced the pH probe once (and that was because i was trying to clean it too vigoriously with a qtip).


They say to treat it like porcelain, but I sure as fuck havent. I calibrate it once every 3 months, and its normally dead on.

If it doesn't take 1-5 minutes to get a stable reading and starts showing crazy fluctuation readings, you're gold.

 

[BudToker]

UPDATE:
--------

I have recalibrated the meter and it still swings a little here and there but gives me a pretty good read. Thanks again for the advice!

- BT

 

[Guest]

Rgr man I'm glad it's goin on.

 

[duddits]

Piece of mind is a good thing.