I have a hard time distinguishing shades of red/pink. I use the PH test in the TF-100 kit and struggle with the colors. Any suggestions on maybe a electronic version or another kit? Not looking to spend a lot, the PH is really the only one I have an issue with, I use the drop test for Chlorine so I can see colors change.
Recommendation for PH tester
- Thread starter rjg202
- Start date
rmontgomery
Well-known member
I use the Apera PH20. It was a little on the pricey side, but I wanted something that did well holding it's calibration. You need to buy a storage solution also to maintain the calibration for extended periods. I also got tired of playing guess the pH color.
- Nov 30, 2019
- 854
- Pool Size
- 8500
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Apera PH60. Requires calibration occasionally but I do it about once a month though it's never off by more than .05.
DanF
Silver Supporter
- Mar 17, 2019
- 594
- Pool Size
- 12500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
I also got frustrated trying to match colors on the Taylor comparator. I just picked up the Apera PH60, and used it for the first time today.
Calibrated it first, and it seemed to work well. How do you folks test your water -- directly in the pool, or by bringing a sample inside to test?
Calibrated it first, and it seemed to work well. How do you folks test your water -- directly in the pool, or by bringing a sample inside to test?
- Nov 30, 2019
- 854
- Pool Size
- 8500
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I put a water sample in a small glass jar. I set the PH60 in it and let it stabilize while I'm doing other tests.
up,
I tried a pH meter once and it just seemed to just keep increasing pH as it sat there... How long does it take to "stabilize" and once it does, how stable is it??
Thanks,
Jim R.
- Nov 30, 2019
- 854
- Pool Size
- 8500
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
After it 'stabilizes' in 2 or 3 minutes or so, it will continue to drift up very slowly by a few hundredths before it times out. I assume the drift is related to temp change of the sample during the test. If it times out while I'm doing the rest of the tests, or if it doesn't, I use the last reading I see. In any case, it usually rounds up or down to the same number.
Up,
I don't think I wanted 3 minutes... My meter was cheap and probably no good now..
I hate the color tests and think I may try your style pH meter. Can't be worse than what I have now...
Thanks,
Jim R.
I don't think I wanted 3 minutes... My meter was cheap and probably no good now..
I hate the color tests and think I may try your style pH meter. Can't be worse than what I have now...
Thanks,
Jim R.
rmontgomery
Well-known member
Mine stabilizes in a few seconds and has a little smiley face when it locks in. Doesn't move after that.
Ryan
rmontgomery
Well-known member
Since it is waterproof, I just stick it in the water to cover the measurement part of the probe and wait for the smiley face indicated it is done. Usually only takes about 5 seconds
rmontgomery
Well-known member
I have a PH20, he has the PH60. PH60 is accurate to within +/-0.01, PH20 is +/-0.1. I guess the 0.01 takes longer.
Ryan
DanF
Silver Supporter
- Mar 17, 2019
- 594
- Pool Size
- 12500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Mine only took about 10-15 seconds to stabilize. Hope I was doing it right.
DanF
Silver Supporter
- Mar 17, 2019
- 594
- Pool Size
- 12500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Do you clean/rinse yours with distilled water before each test, or only at calibration?
Last edited:
- Nov 30, 2019
- 854
- Pool Size
- 8500
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Stoopalini
Gold Supporter
- Jun 8, 2020
- 590
- Pool Size
- 14060
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Just chiming in to say I recently picked up an Apera PH60, and it's great! Being colorblind, it's frustrating to have to chase someone down in the house to compare the colors. And then depending on who I find, they interpret the colors differently; so I've been concerned with consistency.
When I ordered my TF-100, I also ordered a pH meter from tftestkits.net. When it arrived, the LCD screen was cracked, so they sent me a replacement. They said to just throw the 1st one away.
So I actually tried both of the pH pens from tftestkits.net, and neither read accurately. I even bought calibration and storage solutions from AtlasScientific, instead of relying on the powder that came with the meters; but neither would read accurately on the pool water, nor our fishtank water, nor our tap water. If I calibrated it for the 4.00 pH solution, it would be off for the 7 and 10 solutions, and visa-versa ...
So I finally broke down and bought the Apera PH60 for $80, and used the calibration solutions which came with it to calibrate it. It's dead on for all 3 calibration solutions, and seems to be accurate for the pool, fish tank, and our tap water
I notice when 1st turning it on, and placing it into the water ... it does jump around a lot for a few mins. Like +10 to -2 jumpy readings. Once it's been on for a few minutes, it stabilized and then reads very quickly, even when moving it between samples (ie: pool water, to fishtak water, to tap water) it only takes 3-4 seconds for the smiley face to appear and the reading to stop moving around.
I wonder if the probe needs a bit of time to warm up maybe? I think I read that somewhere else, that you should turn on a pH probe a few minutes before using it to take a measurement. Something about the electrical current passing through the tip causing a temp rise (or resistance change maybe) for the 1st few minutes?
Either way, I'm so glad I got it; It definitely makes life a lot easier for me!
When I ordered my TF-100, I also ordered a pH meter from tftestkits.net. When it arrived, the LCD screen was cracked, so they sent me a replacement. They said to just throw the 1st one away.
So I actually tried both of the pH pens from tftestkits.net, and neither read accurately. I even bought calibration and storage solutions from AtlasScientific, instead of relying on the powder that came with the meters; but neither would read accurately on the pool water, nor our fishtank water, nor our tap water. If I calibrated it for the 4.00 pH solution, it would be off for the 7 and 10 solutions, and visa-versa ...
So I finally broke down and bought the Apera PH60 for $80, and used the calibration solutions which came with it to calibrate it. It's dead on for all 3 calibration solutions, and seems to be accurate for the pool, fish tank, and our tap water
I notice when 1st turning it on, and placing it into the water ... it does jump around a lot for a few mins. Like +10 to -2 jumpy readings. Once it's been on for a few minutes, it stabilized and then reads very quickly, even when moving it between samples (ie: pool water, to fishtak water, to tap water) it only takes 3-4 seconds for the smiley face to appear and the reading to stop moving around.
I wonder if the probe needs a bit of time to warm up maybe? I think I read that somewhere else, that you should turn on a pH probe a few minutes before using it to take a measurement. Something about the electrical current passing through the tip causing a temp rise (or resistance change maybe) for the 1st few minutes?
Either way, I'm so glad I got it; It definitely makes life a lot easier for me!
DanF
Silver Supporter
- Mar 17, 2019
- 594
- Pool Size
- 12500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Love my PH60 also. Wife likes it too - I no longer bother her with color questions.
I will have to try and turn it on for a few minutes prior to testing, as mine jumps a bit prior to settling down as well.
Note: I called Apera last week and asked whether calibration with the 4 and 10 solutions was necessary if I was only using the PH60 to test pool water. They said no; just calibrate with the 7 solution.
I will have to try and turn it on for a few minutes prior to testing, as mine jumps a bit prior to settling down as well.
Note: I called Apera last week and asked whether calibration with the 4 and 10 solutions was necessary if I was only using the PH60 to test pool water. They said no; just calibrate with the 7 solution.
- Mar 5, 2020
- 3,073
- Pool Size
- 66000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V35
I also have the Apera pH60, very happy with that. I once logged the pH-reading over time:
That measurement was done by just putting the meter in the sample, nor further stirring or shaking to have reproduceable conditions. The grey curve is just rounded to to one digit, that would probably be close to a measurement with the Apera pH20.
By stirring the tester in the water sample and shaking the water droplets off the sensor bulb a couple of times, the reading will stabilize a lot faster compared to the shown curve (I think the main effect is to make sure that any remains of distilled water that have been used for rinsing are being removed and/or diluted into the sample). Doing that, the reading will be as accurate as a standard colour based test after maybe 30 seconds. That should be sufficient to make a quick test to verify that pH is OK or not OK. To really make use of the 0.01 accuracy of the pH60, you should wait at least about 3 mins. Not really required to apply TFP methods, but you are actually able to see the pH-trend with daily measurements pretty quickly like that.
As long as you work "clean" and keep the meter calibrated, the measurements are very reproduceable. In the beginning, I was very OCD about checking the calibration every single time before using the meter. By now, I am confident that calibrating the meter about once a month is sufficient. I always use 3M KCl storage solution, I don't know how stable the calibration would be without doing that - probably fine as long as the meter gets used regularly and there is at least a droplet of water in the cap when storing the meter.
Main advantage of the pH60 over the pH20 is in my opinion that the sensor head can get replaced when it fails, i.e. less creation of landfill.
That measurement was done by just putting the meter in the sample, nor further stirring or shaking to have reproduceable conditions. The grey curve is just rounded to to one digit, that would probably be close to a measurement with the Apera pH20.
By stirring the tester in the water sample and shaking the water droplets off the sensor bulb a couple of times, the reading will stabilize a lot faster compared to the shown curve (I think the main effect is to make sure that any remains of distilled water that have been used for rinsing are being removed and/or diluted into the sample). Doing that, the reading will be as accurate as a standard colour based test after maybe 30 seconds. That should be sufficient to make a quick test to verify that pH is OK or not OK. To really make use of the 0.01 accuracy of the pH60, you should wait at least about 3 mins. Not really required to apply TFP methods, but you are actually able to see the pH-trend with daily measurements pretty quickly like that.
As long as you work "clean" and keep the meter calibrated, the measurements are very reproduceable. In the beginning, I was very OCD about checking the calibration every single time before using the meter. By now, I am confident that calibrating the meter about once a month is sufficient. I always use 3M KCl storage solution, I don't know how stable the calibration would be without doing that - probably fine as long as the meter gets used regularly and there is at least a droplet of water in the cap when storing the meter.
Main advantage of the pH60 over the pH20 is in my opinion that the sensor head can get replaced when it fails, i.e. less creation of landfill.
- Mar 5, 2020
- 3,073
- Pool Size
- 66000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V35
Now it's summer here in Australia, and I noticed that my pH-reading stabilizes a lot faster, pretty much in a few seconds. After reading a bit more about the temperature compensation of pH-meters, I am starting to understand what was going on. Back in September, my pool water was still pretty cold, about 13°C (55°F). My pH-meter is stored inside at room temperature, about 22°C (70°F).
What I think must have happened is this:
When starting the test, the water sample is still pretty much at 55°F, but the internal temperature sensor of the pH-meter is still at 70°F. The pH-meter will measure a voltage and calculate a corresponding pH thinking that the temperature of the sample is 70°F, that means that the temperature compensation will interpret the measured voltage as a pH that is closer to pH=7, i.e. smaller for pool-typical pH-values in the higher 7s. Then the temperature probe will slowly cool down, and the voltage will be interpreted as further away from pH=7, i.e. the pH will slowly drift up, until the temperature sensor shows the actual water sample temperature (which in the meantime will have started to increase towards room temperature when running the test on the kitchen bench). Then water sample and temperature sensor will continue to get warmer together, and the pH should start getting smaller again, showing the actual temperature dependence of the water's pH - but I didn't wait long enough back then to see this happen.
Now it's summer, and pool water temperature and pH-meter storage temperature are very similar (around 22°C-25°C (70°F-77°F) - La Niña year, not very hot so far and no pool heating), resulting in more or less instant stabilization of the pH-reading.
What I think must have happened is this:
When starting the test, the water sample is still pretty much at 55°F, but the internal temperature sensor of the pH-meter is still at 70°F. The pH-meter will measure a voltage and calculate a corresponding pH thinking that the temperature of the sample is 70°F, that means that the temperature compensation will interpret the measured voltage as a pH that is closer to pH=7, i.e. smaller for pool-typical pH-values in the higher 7s. Then the temperature probe will slowly cool down, and the voltage will be interpreted as further away from pH=7, i.e. the pH will slowly drift up, until the temperature sensor shows the actual water sample temperature (which in the meantime will have started to increase towards room temperature when running the test on the kitchen bench). Then water sample and temperature sensor will continue to get warmer together, and the pH should start getting smaller again, showing the actual temperature dependence of the water's pH - but I didn't wait long enough back then to see this happen.
Now it's summer, and pool water temperature and pH-meter storage temperature are very similar (around 22°C-25°C (70°F-77°F) - La Niña year, not very hot so far and no pool heating), resulting in more or less instant stabilization of the pH-reading.
Last edited:
- Oct 25, 2015
- 5,182
- Pool Size
- 25000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Folks,
I've used the Hanna Phep for a little over a year and a half. It has a built in detection for stabilized reading and usually stabilizes in 10-15 seconds or so. I used it about 4 times per week. Portable pH meters have a definitive life since you can't replace the electrolyte in the glass probe. Mine has just now failed so I'm replacing with the slimmer pH checker model. The pHep is accurate to .1 pH units and costs about $40. They have one accurate to .01 pH units and it's priced a lot higher but still under $100. Both the pHep and the checker versions have auto stabilization and temperature compensation. I think it looks like Apera and Hach both have similar quality and features.
Chris
PS I used several of the cheaper brands and found them unusable within a couple weeks of use but I haven't tried the TF Testkits version
I've used the Hanna Phep for a little over a year and a half. It has a built in detection for stabilized reading and usually stabilizes in 10-15 seconds or so. I used it about 4 times per week. Portable pH meters have a definitive life since you can't replace the electrolyte in the glass probe. Mine has just now failed so I'm replacing with the slimmer pH checker model. The pHep is accurate to .1 pH units and costs about $40. They have one accurate to .01 pH units and it's priced a lot higher but still under $100. Both the pHep and the checker versions have auto stabilization and temperature compensation. I think it looks like Apera and Hach both have similar quality and features.
Chris
PS I used several of the cheaper brands and found them unusable within a couple weeks of use but I haven't tried the TF Testkits version