hanna combo meter

[areUkind]

hey ya'll! been having some trouble this last grow with nute lockout and i've recently discovered that my hanna combo meter is no longer working properly and more importantly, i cant seem to calibrate it...

after a good rinsing and calibration in the 7.0 & 4.1 solution, my meter is reading the 7.0 high and the 4.1 significantly low so id assume there is no redemption for the meter...

anyone else have the same issues??

im wondering if it it more worth while to get a new meter or to just replace the probe...

let me know what youre experience is

thanks in advance!

 

[ShortStackz]

What model meter is it? Can you calibrate it manually or is it the kind where you hold down the button and it automatically locks on to whatever ph solution you have?

 

[areUkind]

auto lock.... its the hanna combo hi98129, hi98130

 

[HydroJen]

All hand held meters suck. Unreliable. Go old school with the dropper bottle. Works every time...unless ur color blind, I guess

 

[ShortStackz]

How long have you had it for? Ive had the same one before & if after calibration it doesnt hold within -/+.1 of the PH solution then the ph probe needs a change. When I had that meter it usually started crappin out after 6-7months. Also be careful as mine wasn't as waterproof as it was supposed to be.

 

[areUkind]

How long have you had it for? Ive had the same one before & if after calibration it doesnt hold within -/+.1 of the PH solution then the ph probe needs a change. When I had that meter it usually started crappin out after 6-7months. Also be careful as mine wasn't as waterproof as it was supposed to be.

haha! yeah waterproof is a joke but yeah its been about a year now so i guess its time to change the probe but once said probe has been changed, is it just the ph reader that is new or is it also the ec/ppm meter probe as well?

 

[ShortStackz]

The glass ball thing is the ph meter & the metal bar/stick? next to it is what measures ec/ppm so only the ph will be new. Just make sure to rinse & keep it moist to get the most out of it.

 

[Aerohead]

All hand held meters suck. Unreliable. Go old school with the dropper bottle. Works every time...unless ur color blind, I guess

This is good advice, The drops will never lie to you...

 

[areUkind]

sounds like i got a decent amount of time out of it as it stands. how can i be sure that my ppm meter is working correctly before buying a new probe vs buying a new ph meter...

 

[ShortStackz]

Drops are ok but if your doing hydro like me & check about every other day & need to add ph up or down then check again & most likely add & check again so ph is right then a probe is imho a must have.

 

[ShortStackz]

sounds like i got a decent amount of time out of it as it stands. how can i be sure that my ppm meter is working correctly before buying a new probe vs buying a new ph meter...

PPM meters are like toyotas & hondas thats why most meters dont sell replacements for them. But for me I log my ppm readings with whatever amount of nutes to the gallon & if that changes/becomes unstable by more than 50-100ppms i'll just replace it.

I gone thru some pretty $$$ meters before & now I have a cheapo seperate ph & ppm meter that has not needed calibration since 8+months.

Edit: My advice if your getting a meter get one that has replacements for cheap as even the most exspensive ones will need replacment sooner or later

 

[areUkind]

PPM meters are like toyotas & hondas thats why most meters dont sell replacements for them. But for me I log my ppm readings with whatever amount of nutes to the gallon & if that changes/becomes unstable by more than 50-100ppms i'll just replace it.

I gone thru some pretty $$$ meters before & now I have a cheapo seperate ph & ppm meter that has not needed calibration since 8+months.

Edit: My advice if your getting a meter get one that has replacements for cheap as even the most exspensive ones will need replacment sooner or later

sounds like a good idea... i think my probe will come out to 40 bucks which i think is also about the same price for the cheapest ph meter so all in all... i guess ill have to go for the new probe...

 

[Eatatjoes]

I question the reading of the drop test kits. If your using organic nutes or colored nutes and the water is already pink/brown then how accurate can the color code be?

 

[areUkind]

I question the reading of the drop test kits. If your using organic nutes or colored nutes and the water is already pink/brown then how accurate can the color code be?

good call... my water will soon be very dark brown thanks to my already brown canna nutes plus molasses....

 

[supersmallgiant]

The glass ball thing is the ph meter & the metal bar/stick? next to it is what measures ec/ppm so only the ph will be new. Just make sure to rinse & keep it moist to get the most out of it.

That's not the way I understood it. Glass bulb = ph, metal stick = temp, and the flat part with the gap in it is EC. The gap is there to measure the resistance (electrical conductivity) of the solution. Maybe I'm out of my mind though...

 

[FreezerBoy]

I question the reading of the drop test kits. If your using organic nutes or colored nutes and the water is already pink/brown then how accurate can the color code be?

Drops kept my salt water aquariums thriving; An environment far more critical than growing weed. While a res of several gallons appears dark, once you get 5ml in a tiny vial, you'd be surprised how clear it looks.

On another note, keep a journal. Make a note of final readings when you draw a tub of fresh water, add X amount of nutes and X drops of pH up or down. If one day your readings seem bogus, make a batch according to your notes and that should keep you safe until you get new parts or equipment.

 

[growshopfrank]

Before you toss the pen try hanna HI 7061 general cleaning solution (soak the tip for 1/2 hour) with any luck at all it will do the trick.

 

[growshopfrank]

I question the reading of the drop test kits. If your using organic nutes or colored nutes and the water is already pink/brown then how accurate can the color code be?

Some growers run the sample through a paper coffee filter before using indicator drops with good results
A easy way to test the ph of a growing medium is to pour some RO water through it and test the runoff which will give you the ph of the media

 

[ShortStackz]

That's not the way I understood it. Glass bulb = ph, metal stick = temp, and the flat part with the gap in it is EC. The gap is there to measure the resistance (electrical conductivity) of the solution. Maybe I'm out of my mind though...

ya thats jus my guess with that as those are the two main parts usually see

 

[grow101]

And you both are right =)