Just bought a bluelab ph pen.

Skyrim

Skyrim

Member
So I just got the bluelab pen because my Oakton pen dried up on me, and no longer calibrates properly. Calibrating it doesn't seem like a problem at all, but the instructions it comes with to keep the probe in good condition are somewhat tedious. Apparently I'm supposed to let the probe soak in the KCI storage solution it came with for 24 hours. I'm supposed to calibrate after every use, and clean it with dish soap. I'm supposed to soak it in the storage solution after every use for 24 hours. It says use 3-5 drops of the storage solution in the cap to keep the probe wet. Can I just put water in it and call it a day? No ph pen I've ever had came with so many instructions. At least it has a 1 year warranty.
 
I have emailed BLUELAB about this very same thing.

They recommended to me that you either use KCI or plain tap water.



J
 
jondamon said:
I have emailed BLUELAB about this very same thing.

They recommended to me that you either use KCI or plain tap water.




J
Click to expand...


So how do you store it/clean it? My oakton was super simple. This seems way more time consuming then a ph pen should be.
 
Skyrim said:
So how do you store it/clean it? My oakton was super simple. This seems way more time consuming then a ph pen should be.
Click to expand...

After use I rinse the probe with clean water, refill the cap with water to resaturate the sponge and cap it.

BLUELAB also recommended leaving the pen in a glass of tap water for storage.


J
 
It tells you when it needs to calibrated. The little check mark goes away. You can store in water or KCI. They recommend cleaning before each calibration.
 
brodietheconeking said:
i have had 1 of the cheapest ph pens £9.99 for 2 years now and its spot on!,doesnt take much maintaining either
Click to expand...

But Brodie how do you know its spot on?

Obviously with calibration but if its only a single point calibration then its never going to be spot on. You'll always get +/-.2 differences with single point calibration.

Do you dump your calibration solution after use or drop it back in the bottle?

Do you clean the probe regularly or are salts allowed to dry on the glass? This can give innaccyrate readings etc.

Lots and lots of things to do with pH meters to keep them in good working order.


A guy I know used to use a cheapo pH pen and I asked him about his storage and cleaning etc.

Then he bought a BLUELAB and calibrated both pens to check for discrepancies, his cheapo single point cal was almost 0.4 different to that of the BLUELAB.


Now I'm not saying the BLUELAB are the best as there are others out there that probably outperform them but I believe the BLUELAB 2 point was correct and the single point was off.

In coco for example this could be a huge difference between allowing easy access to Ca and Mg at 5.8ph vs locking it out at 5.4ph.




J
 
jondamon said:
But Brodie how do you know its spot on?

Obviously with calibration but if its only a single point calibration then its never going to be spot on. You'll always get +/-.2 differences with single point calibration.

Do you dump your calibration solution after use or drop it back in the bottle?

Do you clean the probe regularly or are salts allowed to dry on the glass? This can give innaccyrate readings etc.

Lots and lots of things to do with pH meters to keep them in good working order.


A guy I know used to use a cheapo pH pen and I asked him about his storage and cleaning etc.

Then he bought a BLUELAB and calibrated both pens to check for discrepancies, his cheapo single point cal was almost 0.4 different to that of the BLUELAB.


Now I'm not saying the BLUELAB are the best as there are others out there that probably outperform them but I believe the BLUELAB 2 point was correct and the single point was off.

In coco for example this could be a huge difference between allowing easy access to Ca and Mg at 5.8ph vs locking it out at 5.4ph.




J
Click to expand...

i calibrate it with my local area ph water wich is always 7.3! and it always reads 7.3 and i used it on calibration solution too and its correct like you say yes it may be slightly out but not that i know of!,my friend paid £90 for his pen and mine always reads the same as his -.- all i gotta do to clean it is put a tissue over the end and suck out excess water then straight back in the box!
 
brodietheconeking said:
i calibrate it with my local area ph water wich is always 7.3! and it always reads 7.3 and i used it on calibration solution too and its correct like you say yes it may be slightly out but not that i know of!,my friend paid £90 for his pen and mine always reads the same as his -.- all i gotta do to clean it is put a tissue over the end and suck out excess water then straight back in the box!
Click to expand...

Allowing a probe to dry means they pretty much die.

They generally come shipped dry and need hydrating before use.

Could be your mate has fucked his pen too lol.



J
 
Also calibrating with water is a bit dubious.

Municipal water can change in pH day to day.

Of gassing can cause a drop in pH too.

Take a glass of water straight out the tap, test pH, allow to sit for 24 hours and that pH again. It will be a different reading.



J
 
jondamon said:
Also calibrating with water is a bit dubious.

Municipal water can change in pH day to day.

Of gassing can cause a drop in pH too.

Take a glass of water straight out the tap, test pH, allow to sit for 24 hours and that pH again. It will be a different reading.



J
Click to expand...

yeah,i always ph a day or to after and get a different reading,not sure whether it was just chlorine and just escaping from the water,this ph pens instructions say to keep the probe dry
!
 
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