i just can't get the PH drops to work, i got 2 different brands. it's so hard for me to read the scale, the of the water changes depending where you look, if it's sunny vs artificial light for example, and the color of the background too... how can i make sure the reading is correct? i struggle a lot to interpret the color of the water
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Ph meter, error during calibration
- Thread starter lilnug420
- Start date
I cant use drops either.
Leave the PH meter in a calibration solution of 4ph for 24hrs to rehydrate the tip. If this doesn't fix it it's toast.
You need to get some Storage solution.. Probes tip must !! be kept wet.. Probes or meters should not be dry.. Ive seen this often do to the length of time they sit before being bought.
Also, DO NOT USE RO/DI to store PH probes. It will kill the lifespan of the probe. Tap water only use if there's nothing else. The pH electrodes in distilled or deionized water as this has little to no ions present and will cause the ions to leach out of the glass bulb and will render your electrode useless.
Leave the PH meter in a calibration solution of 4ph for 24hrs to rehydrate the tip. If this doesn't fix it it's toast.
You need to get some Storage solution.. Probes tip must !! be kept wet.. Probes or meters should not be dry.. Ive seen this often do to the length of time they sit before being bought.
Also, DO NOT USE RO/DI to store PH probes. It will kill the lifespan of the probe. Tap water only use if there's nothing else. The pH electrodes in distilled or deionized water as this has little to no ions present and will cause the ions to leach out of the glass bulb and will render your electrode useless.
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bluelab is decent for a replacement. I liked my old Milwaukee ph meter better though. The GH drops are fine too. I used GH drops in hydro many times without any issues.
More Overkill
Member
I got 3 of those yellow PH meters they are good and accurate when calibrated.
Ca++
Well-known member
Quite a few there, but you might need to spend $5 to get free shipping. 20 Eu's gets you into real meter territory. The dollar one's use a tiny glass electrode, and while the meter displays to 0.1 the electrode might have a 0.2 accuracy. Move over to the meters with removable tips, and some get the 0.01 electrode iirc. It's just two levels of decency we are looking at. The rubbish and the half decent. It's this glassware of interest. Once the factory have bought in the right probes, the rest is just packaging. Look for things like water resistance and batteries like the tv remove. A nice screen size. Perhaps temperature, as a decent meter is temperature compensating, so proof it knows the temp is interesting. It may tell you if uses a reference electrode, but about now the spec is loosing relevancy. You just want the good glass, as seen in the accuracy specifications. It would be nice if they sell spare tips, as it's replaceable. However, most shops are not trying to give aftersales, just sales.
I shake the drips off with a flick of the wrist, and pop the cap on. Ideally, stand it in a jar, or prop it up. As the lid will gather water over time, and need emptying.
All I'm doing is keeping near 100% RH in there. So it can't dry. If it does dry, you might recover it, but the reading will take longer to settle. Dry it 2 or 3 times, and more likely, it will be screwed.
The real problem with paying $15, is that people may not respect them as much as a $150 branded one. If you share the grow, be sure they know it was $150, because you just wanted to treat yourself.
Ca++
Well-known member
This link should shine some light on realistic expectations. For example, you can spend 20 euro's on one of them cheap flat meters, but it also comes with temperature&RH readings, that it bluetooths to a phone app. This probably isn't the full story though. The bluetooth connection usually just tells the meter what the wifi password is. While the meter tells the phone it's address. So you can check your numbers from anywhere. While datalogging them, if you wish.
With 0.05 accuracy, it's fair. It's another dollar to drop the crap, and give you the 0.01 accuracy of decent kit.
At 26US you get one I might consider. 0.01 still, in a waterproof housing, with replaceable tip. I think @linde is showing us it.
While the Yieryi site brings it all together, they don't manufacture. They go places like tomtop and many aliexpress sellers do. You can get them cheaper, but it's this site where they know what they are selling.
I have my eye on this bad boy
https://shop.yieryimeters.com/produ...-monitoring-tester-kit-for-aquariums-seawater
There is a 6 in 1 version now on Ali. It can select between EC TDS PPM SALT S.G and costs about 40$ plus damages. You can read your tank and temperature from anywhere, and it graphs out the history. What's really useful, is the BNC connected pH probe. That is standard stuff, and costs a tenner.
If you look at Bluelab, they want 300US for something similar. One user here struggles with the Bluelab, as it measures EC as 0.0 so at EC 1.0 the feed changes 10% before the meter notices, if using the EC scale. In comparison, this is 0.000 which offers 100x more resolution. Though that is no guaranty of accuracy, with a tank that could support bio growth.
Still. There is some lovely kit worth getting excited about, if you really hunt for it.
The above with dosing outputs lands around 60 euros, if you really want something to play with (and I'm getting close now, so I must sign off)
pH Meter
Shen Zhen Yage Technology Co., Ltd registered the brand "YIERYI" in 2016, The main products are: PH meter, Tds ec meter, Do meter, Orp meter, soil meter, refractometer. Our products are widely used in: aquariums, hydroponics , aquaculture, environmental protection, swimming pools, beauty salons...
shop.yieryimeters.com
At 26US you get one I might consider. 0.01 still, in a waterproof housing, with replaceable tip. I think @linde is showing us it.
While the Yieryi site brings it all together, they don't manufacture. They go places like tomtop and many aliexpress sellers do. You can get them cheaper, but it's this site where they know what they are selling.
I have my eye on this bad boy
https://shop.yieryimeters.com/produ...-monitoring-tester-kit-for-aquariums-seawater
There is a 6 in 1 version now on Ali. It can select between EC TDS PPM SALT S.G and costs about 40$ plus damages. You can read your tank and temperature from anywhere, and it graphs out the history. What's really useful, is the BNC connected pH probe. That is standard stuff, and costs a tenner.
If you look at Bluelab, they want 300US for something similar. One user here struggles with the Bluelab, as it measures EC as 0.0 so at EC 1.0 the feed changes 10% before the meter notices, if using the EC scale. In comparison, this is 0.000 which offers 100x more resolution. Though that is no guaranty of accuracy, with a tank that could support bio growth.
Still. There is some lovely kit worth getting excited about, if you really hunt for it.
The above with dosing outputs lands around 60 euros, if you really want something to play with (and I'm getting close now, so I must sign off)
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Ca++
Well-known member
Mini Professional Online pH Meter Water Quality Tester Waterproof Water Quality Monitor Water Quality Analysis Device with Temperature Compensation ATC Function and Backlight
Mini Professional Online pH Meter Water Quality Tester Waterproof Water Quality Monitor Water Quality Analysis Device with Temperature Compensation ATC Function and Backlight
www.tomtop.com
Only a 0.1 probe, but a 0.01 is $8 delivered (again.. I dunno)
$10 a chuck isn't bad, for people that want a new one every few months. Batteries cost more than that.
Sergeant Stedenko
Member
I've had an Oakton Acorn Ion/pH meter for over 18 years. Using a double junction electrode.
It just works and is spot on when I calibrate. Same goes for my Oakton conductivity meter.
Drops and colorimetric tests are for cheap chumps.
It just works and is spot on when I calibrate. Same goes for my Oakton conductivity meter.
Drops and colorimetric tests are for cheap chumps.
They might be cheap but they work, too. (Provided the one reading it has good vision.)
I hate calibrating and I always forget to do it, and I am more sure of a colorimetric test than an uncalibrated ph reader. I can easily put the ph down to 0.1-0.2 precission with that.
I hate calibrating and I always forget to do it, and I am more sure of a colorimetric test than an uncalibrated ph reader. I can easily put the ph down to 0.1-0.2 precission with that.
Ca++
Well-known member
I just picked up a second $3 ph meter. I'm using one clean, for my tank. One dirty, for the runoff. If one moves much, I will probably notice quickly. They have been alright. I have the $3 EC one's to. Clean and Dirty areas. It's actually an EC meter that wandered off, but I spotted it straight away. My truncheons are probably going in the bin before long. They are woefully wrong. Meaning years of using them, has produced no hard facts.
I'm going to step up the the $10 combination meters soon. I see no reason they shouldn't be as good as my older oaktron/eutech, which no longer has good spares support. A new tip was $60 and basically it was old stock. Rendering the purchase, and the meter, pointless.
I'm going to step up the the $10 combination meters soon. I see no reason they shouldn't be as good as my older oaktron/eutech, which no longer has good spares support. A new tip was $60 and basically it was old stock. Rendering the purchase, and the meter, pointless.
