jawbrodt
Well-Known Member
Hey people, I'm sure alot of you have had trouble with the accuracy of digital PH meters, so I'm going to fill you in on a little technique I created, that actually make them useable and accurate. Here's what I do....
Before i test my samples, I fill a glass of water and set it beside me. I know my PH is a stable 6.8, so I use that as a calibration fluid. If your PH fluctuates, you can check the glass of water with a liquid test first. Or, you can buy PH calibration fluid and use that.(I'm too cheap to keep buying the stuff.lol)
Then, I take the meter and check the water a few times, calibrating it in the process. (if your meter is anything like mine, the readings drift upwards or downwards, depending on how it's feeling that day.LOL) Once I've checked the water 5 times or so, and have it right around 6.8, I dip it in the sample and look at the reading. Then i go back to the water, and 99% of the time that reading is fucked up.LOL So then I bring it back into calibration, check it once or twice, then go back to the fert sample. Then back to the water, and adjust if necessary. And so on and so forth......
Sounds like a pain in the ass, but it isn't so bad because after you adjust the damn thing 10 times or so, the calibration will stabilize and hold accuracy, til your finished. That's nice if you have a handful of samples to check. I still check that glass of water beside me, in between each test, just so I know it's holding calibration. If it drifts more than .1, then I bump it up or down again.
Here's the moral of the story.....most of of have colored ferts, and it's not accurate to use the liquid test or the PH strips, because the color will throw them off. So, we have to make due with those electronic pieces' of shit.LOL If you're willing to keep adjusting them for the first 5-10 minutes, they will eventually stabilize and hold accuracy.(within .1-.2, usually .1)
Before i test my samples, I fill a glass of water and set it beside me. I know my PH is a stable 6.8, so I use that as a calibration fluid. If your PH fluctuates, you can check the glass of water with a liquid test first. Or, you can buy PH calibration fluid and use that.(I'm too cheap to keep buying the stuff.lol)
Then, I take the meter and check the water a few times, calibrating it in the process. (if your meter is anything like mine, the readings drift upwards or downwards, depending on how it's feeling that day.LOL) Once I've checked the water 5 times or so, and have it right around 6.8, I dip it in the sample and look at the reading. Then i go back to the water, and 99% of the time that reading is fucked up.LOL So then I bring it back into calibration, check it once or twice, then go back to the fert sample. Then back to the water, and adjust if necessary. And so on and so forth......
Sounds like a pain in the ass, but it isn't so bad because after you adjust the damn thing 10 times or so, the calibration will stabilize and hold accuracy, til your finished. That's nice if you have a handful of samples to check. I still check that glass of water beside me, in between each test, just so I know it's holding calibration. If it drifts more than .1, then I bump it up or down again.
Here's the moral of the story.....most of of have colored ferts, and it's not accurate to use the liquid test or the PH strips, because the color will throw them off. So, we have to make due with those electronic pieces' of shit.LOL If you're willing to keep adjusting them for the first 5-10 minutes, they will eventually stabilize and hold accuracy.(within .1-.2, usually .1)
Any tint from the ferts, will effect the outcome of either type of test, athough it is likely very small. I picked up the habit when i used to use MG, and it used to drive me crazy to be looking for blue, in blue water.LOL I never even tried the strips with that stuff, because of the color. Anyway, so now I'm OCD about it, and I can't stand using strips/liquid if there's any tint to the mix, just because the back of my mind is telling me that the test has been tainted, slightly.LOL My fert gives a slight yellow/tan hue to the water, and when i add Hygrozyme, it gets fairly brown colored. I agree, it probably doesn't effect it more than one shade of color, but that's enough to bother this OCD guy. That's why I obsessively calibrated that piece of crap PH meter until it woked. 
I still have the same ol' cheapo PH meter though, and some 7.01 calibration solution, so next time I break it out,(took a couple months off, and just got started again) I'm going to try out your method. Sounds pretty solid, to me. Thanks man. 
