This Fucking pH Tester

[mikecar312]

2. get the storage solution, and always always always keep the electrode wet with the storage solution, above all whatever you do ...dont let the electrode go dry

I've owned many different ph meters in my life and only one (my tri-meter) has come out the box with the electrode stored in solution. I always wondered why the meter can be manufactured, shipped and sold dry without breaking but once we get them we are suggested to keep it wet. maybe because of salt build up or something.

i've owned a few of the oakton ph meters too. i always clean and store my meters in solution but just like the others, they eventually gave the same err message that the original poster was talking about. i use a cheap milwaukee ph600 now, its been good for a few months but we'll see how that goes, at least i'll have extra cash to buy another one when it eventually breaks.

 

[dynamitejack]

The Oakton PH meters are "disposable" meaning you don't have to worry about keeping the probe wet and once they quit working you buy another. They are good for about a year and from time to time they have manufacturing defects. Everything from china has manufacturing defects here and there.

 

[dune]

I use this same meter with no problems and and i dont clean or store it properly. I just keep my 7.0 cala solution by my rez. check my pen. test rez solution. and check the cala again. ez pezy and you know if ur meter is shitting out on u. Sound like urs is just fucked and you need a good rep at ur grow store and they usually will just throw u a new one. GL to you. thing has a 1 year factory warranty. Now my 30 dollar ppm pen is a whole nother can of worms.

 

[grow nerd]

I've had similar issues on literally every brand of pens, and although these Oaktons seem to be more reliable than the other brands (incl. Milwaukee & Hanna) in my personal experience, I will say that I've had to return 2 Oakton pH2's recently due to one going bad suddenly after working perfectly for a couple months, and the replacement for that one that would not calibrate out-of-the-box.

I always keep a bottle of the GH liquid tester to cross-check every once in a while, and as a backup.

 

[Marshall]

I have been through several meters. I have had ops from 4kw to 30kw so tossing PH meters was a very small price to pay.

Hannah PH champ, 49$ from local store. Never had one last for more than a few months. Always got out of whack. But I still would buy more because $49 was cheap in the scheme of things and if I dropped it in a rez it was not a big loss.

hannah gro check combo meter, PH/EC/PPM meter. Awesome meter. I used this in my large op checking multiple rezes. The downside is the calibration knobs so exposed but they never created problems. Using one of these now. 3 weeks w/o using, just calibrated it and it was dead on for PH and TDS.

Milwaukee SM101. great meters. They do not handle being set in a puddle of water in a E&F table though. At this point I decided to go with the hannah.


OP how old is the unit? See if it has a warranty.

 

[habeeb]

You have one of two issues going on...

1. Simplest & easiest... change your batteries... yeah, it makes that much of a difference.

2. Just as likely... the glass membrane is cracked, bleeding solution into the reference gel... that needs to be replaced entirely.



And what FB said... these things are problematic.

all true, very good info

for storage solution, you don't have to use it, tap works fine, but then will require more cleaning, and could lead to electrode failure sooner ( I think, not sure ) , but I have used tap water on my electrodes for 3-4 years and works perfectly fine even today.

now as people say, I've said this for years now, bluelab is good for the money, but if you want a very quality Ph meter, turn to hach.

 

[robbiedublu]

pH pens are crapshoots at best. If you're spending less than $500, what you have is essentially a toy. Go the pen route, you'll have to expect this from time to time. Sucks but, it's what pens do.

Spend $500 on a pro quality pen, or just buy ph test paper. A roll that will last for 6 months costs about $8. No calibration required. I've never understood why folks mess about with ph pens or meters.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Here's something I never considered....

(Hanna)

The glass bulb at the end of the pH electrode is sensitive to electrostatic discharges. Avoid touching this glass bulb at all times. During operation of instrument, ESD wrist strap should be worn to avoid possible damage to the pH electrode by electrostatic discharges. Any variation introduced by the user to the supplied equipment may degrade the instrument's EMC performance.

 

[Highlight]

Deleted

 

[sunnydog]

This is one of the reasons I turned to organic soil..............
PH meters SUCK!!!

SD

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Don't assume a formula has to be reinvented every time you use it. Even if it's organic, get one or more of your buffering ingredients whacked and it's all whacked, plain and simple.

You growers that assume pH makes no difference are either lucky to have your pH within range or you're assuming facts you can't prove.

By and large, pH meters do suck. If one uses accurate measurements with known quantities (whether it's organic, salts or alien poopy balls) they'll get better ranges w/o having to meter incessantly.

One of these days I swear I'll see a post that declares guano and tea cures cancer.

 

[Hydrofarm420]

I've got a Hanna and a Milwaukee pen and had only minor problems with the hanna. The gentleman at the hydro supply basically said calibrate once a week with the proper solutions, either alkaline or acid, and store in clean tap water or pH buffer solution. I store it in tap water, sometimes dont calibrate it for a month, and I've dropped it in the res twice now(the Milwaukee). I know my tap water is pH 7.1 and even with the poor treatment it will still be within .1 of actual. What Discobiscuit says is absolutely true as I've gotten my hands close to the electrode tip and the reading went way low for a second before my hand was moved. Didnt know why til I read this(thank you sir for the info). As far as drops go, that doesnt seem to be a viable option for anyone in hydro as the ones at my hydro shop have a range from about 4.0 to 8.0. As the pH swings it changes from a greenish yellow to an orangish red. Thats a very large range to be shooting for 5.6 to 5.8 and the human eye is not accurate enough to detect the difference in color between those 2 readings. In soil where pH can swing a little more this wouldnt be as much of an issue but for hydro it just doesnt seem feasible. I would either go with the bluelab that everyone recommends or do some serious research. The pH testing equipment used by horti-heads is garbage (including bluelab, i had to say it) compared to the $10,000 meters used in labs. If you want true accuracy sell your car and buy a lab quality meter. Then again my friend, if you're pullin 30K grows you might be able to afford one without the sale of your vehicle lol. Either way good luck. Peace.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

It's tough to read drops w/o natural light. I bought the WalMart aquarium drop kit and Floranova makes it virtually impossible to read.

I've also got the Haha Checker, wouldn't be surprised if it's the worst meter on the market. If you drop this one in the rez it'll prolly work better! just kidding

 

[Yes4Prop215]

ive had two of those oakton pens.....they work pretty good for the most part...just need to be recalibrated every month or so....i like them because they are waterproof


my main complaint is that it likes to read .2 higher sometimes....not that big of a deal....i keep alot of 7.0 reference solution around and sometimes it reads 7.2 so i just adjust accordingly..


this thread is making me consider buying a nicer one though....my buddy up north has a 1500 dollar science lab PH meter that he stole from his old job.....seems like overkill though.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

I've seen many used, lab-quality meters on ebay. Have no idea of their life expectancy. Pricing replacement probes wasn't that easy last time I checked.

Might be a good deal here and there.

 

[ak-51]

I went to the hydro-shop today and they were real nice and just swapped mine out for a brand new one. I got back home and it works fine so far; good thing too since my res was way off of where I had blindly adjusted it to. Luckily I haven't seen any ill effects of it being off. Hopefully I just got a bunk unit and this one will be good and last a while.

Thanks for all the replies if I didn't thanks anybody individually already!

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Mine just started acting up. You know something is wrong when stabilization goes up, then down, then up etc etc. Prolly time for a new probe.

 

[LittleAmsterdam]

Digital PH Testers take a lot of maintenance to perform up to par every time! I gave up a long time ago after trying another probe & another manufacture.

I feel most comfortable with the PH indicator solution. Cheap and accurate every time !

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Yep. Calibration and proper storage solution makes a difference. According to my user instructions, the glass bulb is susceptible to electrostatic discharge. An ESD wrist-strap is recommended.

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

You get what you pay for. Why is this so difficult to understand?
A good pH meter will start about $300. Hach, Thermo Orion, Horiba all make quality stuff. Oakton and Hanna also make professional grade stuff. I would consider pH and EC pens as disposable. Handheld meters will last much longer.
Also, consider a double junction electrode next time.
I've got over 5 years on my double junction electrode. Accurate reading within 20 seconds.