How do you check PH, any recommended tools.
- Thread starter jonl92
- Start date
TintEastwood
Well-Known Member
Bluelab Ph pen
Worth a peek. One of the most popular.
Care and calibration are important regardless of brand.
Worth a peek. One of the most popular.
Care and calibration are important regardless of brand.
Renfro
Well-Known Member
You get what you pay for. Expect to spend at least 100 bucks to get a good one.
Bluelab, Hanna, Apera all make good ones. I have a Bluelab and an Apera. The bluelab requires calibration less often and would be the one I recommend.
Purpsmagurps
Well-Known Member
hanna has a nice waterproof one 80 bux
HitemwiththeHine
Well-Known Member
I have an Apera and a Blue lab. I had been phing to 6 in coco and checking it with my Apera (which I already knew was slightly off in calibration). Decided to check with the Blue lab and I drifted down to 5.2. I use RO so I'm not worried, I'm changing nothing.
hotrodharley
Well-Known Member
Litmus paper and it’s far cheaper than a meter. It’s more than adequate for our purposes.
Jypsy Dog
Well-Known Member
guitarguy10
Well-Known Member
You get what you pay for. pH paper works fine (I've used it in the lab all of the time), it just doesn't give you an *exact* value but close enough so long as you're not colour blind.
There are many good brands, just make sure to calibrate it regularly and maintain the probe (wash it after use and store it in buffer solution). I would avoid those cheap ones like the plague it's just not worth the risk .
There are many good brands, just make sure to calibrate it regularly and maintain the probe (wash it after use and store it in buffer solution). I would avoid those cheap ones like the plague it's just not worth the risk .
jonl92
Active Member
The little paper sheets change color, red,blue,orange, dark purple. if you put one in nutes which in my case is brown, will it make these test strips harder to read? Or is their like a wax on the paper and the nute/water will drip off.
hotrodharley
Well-Known Member
Solution color won’t affect it. Just be sure to read the results in the time listed on the container. I gave up on meters because the paper is perfect, never needs calibration. Unaffected by temperatures or humidity or etc.
yummy fur
Well-Known Member
I bought a yellow pH meter off eBay for $7, with free delivery. I've been using it for 8 months now and it's dead accurate and stable. I also dropped it in the tank soon after I got it. I fished it out pretty fast. It's not sealed at all, the top comes off exposing the internals to change the battery. In short, although it's crap, it's accurate and survived being dropped in water. Did I say it was accurate.
How do I know, I checked it against some lab grade pH buffer which cost more than the pen, as well as that powered buffer, the 6.86 and 4. Yep dead accurate, when you set it at the 6.9, it reads the 4 perfectly. It's good to get a cheap shitty meter because it will do the job and it will last long enough so that you can calibrate your brain to indicator drops.
Because ultimately the indicator drops are the best way to keep an eye on your pH. They don't drift, they never need recalibrating, and you know instantly if there's a problem. They are only useful between 5.5 and 6.5 which is exactly where we need it. Neutral yellow is 6. Slightly greenish/yellow is 6.2 slightly warmish yellow is 5.8
The tip in using the cheap meters, or probably any meter, is to keep the probe submerged in the 6.9 buffer solution which not being used. But drops is the way to go.
The papers are no good, I tried 3 different brands, not accurate enough to visually assess.
kiwipaulie
Well-Known Member
Bluelab, had mine nearly 10 years and it's still bang on
Coloradogrower710
Well-Known Member
oldbeancounter
Well-Known Member
I agree for the most part, you are better to spend money on a good water filter or buy distilled water as bad water will make growing so much harder than it needs to be.
The drops like below work fairly good as well.
https://thegrowdepot.ca/ph-ec-tds-meters-and-solutions/gh-ph-test-kit
I agree with others if you buy a PH meter buy a good one, price out chemicals before you buy that are needed to run the pen you buy they are not cheap.
A cheap PH pen is big layout of cash only to maybe if lucky exceed what the drops or test paper strips can tell you.
I have unit below, no need to spend this much but it has helped me a lot, almost shit when I found out my water was almost 350 PPM and smells like a pool tastes like one too LOL.
How I run through reverse Osmosis and get 9 PPM
https://www.itm.com/product/hanna-instruments-hi9813-6-portable-ph-ec-tds-temperature-meter-w-cal-check
Add this
https://greenleafnutrients.com/product/mega-crop/?v=3e8d115eb4b3
Boom PH is 6.4 every time(temperature does affect PH the pen I listed adjusts for it).
https://www.itm.com/product/hanna-instruments-hi9813-6-portable-ph-ec-tds-temperature-meter-w-cal-check
(price is in Canadian funny money)
Also if you an air put to aerate water you use on plants ( a good idea)it can change your PH after a while as Co2 is adsorbed by water slowly even sitting in a bucket.
hotrodharley
Well-Known Member
If you buy a pen or meter get a replacement probe in addition to the calibration solutions needed. Then be sure to calibrate at least occasionally.
oldbeancounter
Well-Known Member
most wont send you this with a new pen, if you put certain pens away dry that's it you need a new probe so make sure you get this or it will void warranty
https://www.itm.com/product/hanna-hi70300l-electrode-storage-solution?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImd-I_6ez4gIVxksNCh2K2Q5UEAYYASABEgJWcPD_BwE
that is just one brand they have solution for each brand/function.