Best ppm/ec pen

neckpod

Well-Known Member
My new setup is going to have two flower rooms, so I kind of want those controls since I'm new to hydro. Every time I do something new I learn as much as possible, and do as much as to prevent problems. I've been fairly successful so far. My wife thinks I'm a little mental, because I almost obsess over reading/learning as much as possible.
Yes I'm the same research first and just read lots. I just send all my nutrients back to the main res once a day and adjust ph and ppm there. Been using advanced nutrients sensi range and can confirm ph has been pretty good even with tap water. My tap is only 40ppm eds.

Happy Growing
 

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
Yes I'm the same research first and just read lots. I just send all my nutrients back to the main res once a day and adjust ph and ppm there. Been using advanced nutrients sensi range and can confirm ph has been pretty good even with tap water. My tap is only 40ppm eds.

Happy Growing
Yah I’ve had it against my blue lab stuff Hanna and all. @macsnax how I do mine Rez is I have a food grade 55 gal drum that sits outside of my room and I have a 500gph danner pump that goes around spraying into the top of each tote and have a 4” pvc going back effectively using gravity to go back to the Rez and gets pumped back its a rdwc and works wonders. I also am one of the few that get by without using a chiller because that drum sit right on top on my concrete floor and keeps my temps right at 70 which I’ve found to be the best temps for my grow without getting slime or algae.
 

macsnax

Well-Known Member
Yah I’ve had it against my blue lab stuff Hanna and all. @macsnax how I do mine Rez is I have a food grade 55 gal drum that sits outside of my room and I have a 500gph danner pump that goes around spraying into the top of each tote and have a 4” pvc going back effectively using gravity to go back to the Rez and gets pumped back its a rdwc and works wonders. I also am one of the few that get by without using a chiller because that drum sit right on top on my concrete floor and keeps my temps right at 70 which I’ve found to be the best temps for my grow without getting slime or algae.
That's pretty cool.
 

neckpod

Well-Known Member
Yah I’ve had it against my blue lab stuff Hanna and all. @macsnax how I do mine Rez is I have a food grade 55 gal drum that sits outside of my room and I have a 500gph danner pump that goes around spraying into the top of each tote and have a 4” pvc going back effectively using gravity to go back to the Rez and gets pumped back its a rdwc and works wonders. I also am one of the few that get by without using a chiller because that drum sit right on top on my concrete floor and keeps my temps right at 70 which I’ve found to be the best temps for my grow without getting slime or algae.
Nice setup there, Mine was bought and does have some problems. The return is pumped so it draws water out of the back two pots and the first 2 pots are connected to the brain bucket/res. I also have a main res 250L which is used for mixing nutrients and auto topping off of the nutrients.

The main problem with this system is the pipes are too small and can easily get blocked, I have learned to deal with this but it is a pain.
I plan on upgrading the pots and interconnecting pipes for much larger ones and returning the chilled nutes back to the pots and get rid of the air stones.

I must say coming from growing in soil this RDWC is the shit, i'm growing bigger and faster much faster in veg. LOVE IT!!

But when it come to meters for ph and ppm/ec i manage just fine with the cheaper ones so i guess its just another case of everyone to their own.
 

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
Nice setup there, Mine was bought and does have some problems. The return is pumped so it draws water out of the back two pots and the first 2 pots are connected to the brain bucket/res. I also have a main res 250L which is used for mixing nutrients and auto topping off of the nutrients.

The main problem with this system is the pipes are too small and can easily get blocked, I have learned to deal with this but it is a pain.
I plan on upgrading the pots and interconnecting pipes for much larger ones and returning the chilled nutes back to the pots and get rid of the air stones.

I must say coming from growing in soil this RDWC is the shit, i'm growing bigger and faster much faster in veg. LOVE IT!!

But when it come to meters for ph and ppm/ec i manage just fine with the cheaper ones so i guess its just another case of everyone to their own.
Some of those store bought ones can be a pain. For mine I just switched my 13 gal buckets for a bunch of those 27 gal Home Depot brand totes. Your right on the pipes that’s why I went with 4” your not gonna clog those easy. Mine does everything the boxed kits will do and probably does a better job, plus if it were to over fill I have some overflow protection where I piped the top of my Rez so if it gets to a certain point it flows into a pipe into my basements floor drain plus I can drain to that as well making water changes easy.
 

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
Nice setup there, Mine was bought and does have some problems. The return is pumped so it draws water out of the back two pots and the first 2 pots are connected to the brain bucket/res. I also have a main res 250L which is used for mixing nutrients and auto topping off of the nutrients.

The main problem with this system is the pipes are too small and can easily get blocked, I have learned to deal with this but it is a pain.
I plan on upgrading the pots and interconnecting pipes for much larger ones and returning the chilled nutes back to the pots and get rid of the air stones.

I must say coming from growing in soil this RDWC is the shit, i'm growing bigger and faster much faster in veg. LOVE IT!!

But when it come to meters for ph and ppm/ec i manage just fine with the cheaper ones so i guess its just another case of everyone to their own.
Also not trying to change your mind on the meters if it works for you do it.
 

neckpod

Well-Known Member
Some of those store bought ones can be a pain. For mine I just switched my 13 gal buckets for a bunch of those 27 gal Home Depot brand totes. Your right on the pipes that’s why I went with 4” your not gonna clog those easy. Mine does everything the boxed kits will do and probably does a better job, plus if it were to over fill I have some overflow protection where I piped the top of my Rez so if it gets to a certain point it flows into a pipe into my basements floor drain plus I can drain to that as well making water changes easy.
I went with a shop bought one for speed really and wont be making the same mistake again, I now have much better understanding of dwc than i did when i first started from doing coco grows.
i dont think the totes you talk are available in the uk.
Can you upload a pic of them please would love to see them.
my system while not perfect does more than good enough for the space i have at the min and 8 to 10 oz a plant in a tent under 2 x 600w isn't too bad IMO but would love to go bigger.
all stealth here in the UK as the laws are a joke!
 

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
I went with a shop bought one for speed really and wont be making the same mistake again, I now have much better understanding of dwc than i did when i first started from doing coco grows.
i dont think the totes you talk are available in the uk.
Can you upload a pic of them please would love to see them.
my system while not perfect does more than good enough for the space i have at the min and 8 to 10 oz a plant in a tent under 2 x 600w isn't too bad IMO but would love to go bigger.
all stealth here in the UK as the laws are a joke!
It’s these I get them for about 7 bucks a pop
 

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rollyouron

Well-Known Member
I have spent about 3 grand on pens just in the past several years. I have bought $400 dollar pens and replacement probes. I have bought cheap $50 pens.
Every brand you can think of hanna, milwaukee , oakton,ect... Even no name brands .
I go through pens like every 60 days. I have bought solutions to soak them in after every use, cleaning solutions, activators and bla bla bla ... Done it all.
Then i bought the Apera Instruments PC60 Premium 5-in-1.
This thing came with a very nice case better case then the $400+ hanna i bought.
I cannot break this thing, I have had it for a year now I even bought another one just in case because im used to pens just being junk after so long and don't even need it. ( they even sell replacement probes that are easy snap on snap off the bottom 20 seconds and done, No spending hours hunting the company that makes the replacement probe and spending more on the probe then the damn pen itself.
I measure my solutions, Rinse the probe in RO water use my shirt to dry the probes and prongs put the plastic cover back on the bottom no solution just empty and dry.( as per directions)
I have calibrated it and it has barely lost its calibration each time.
Its fast has lots of modes and they are programmable, It gives you your reading within seconds even has a little happy face to tell you it has been x amount of seconds locked into that reading.

For me this Pen is the Bee's Knees.

P.S it has programmable modes for which ever EC,ppm System you use 500 /700 ect...
So no storage solution for the ph probe? How long you had the meter? I looked it up. Looks nice!
 

rollyouron

Well-Known Member
I have had it a year, No storage solution. You store it dry.
Like i said i just clean it off with my shirt put the lid on and thats it.
Its the best Pen I have ever owned.
I know what my next meter will be. I have a Blue Lab now. I like it but being able to store dry is fantastic!
 
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