Measuring PH accurately

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marty said:
There needs to be a TFP youtube vid on how to post youtube vids, lol.
Is this a decent brand? are those pills still good?
Heres the link http://youtu.be/vvNIGh-qZek

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So out of the two what one would be the definite reading?
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I use the Lamotte ColorQ more than the Taylor. From what I have seen over the past two years, I trust the Lamotte ColorQ . BTW, it does calibrate itself each time you run a sample.
 
Palintest meters, from the video, are fairly good. They tend to be on the somewhat expensive side. They have a few quirks, like all of the electronic units. For example their FC upper limit isn't all that high.

A number of people have reported ColorQ units that seem to be working just fine, but are actually off fairly substantially. This isn't all that common, but it is disturbing that you can't tell that there is a problem unless you are cross checking to another test kit.
 
JasonLion said:
Palintest meters, from the video, are fairly good. They tend to be on the somewhat expensive side. They have a few quirks, like all of the electronic units. For example their FC upper limit isn't all that high.

A number of people have reported ColorQ units that seem to be working just fine, but are actually off fairly substantially. This isn't all that common, but it is disturbing that you can't tell that there is a problem unless you are cross checking to another test kit.
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Sounds good. I think to calibrate I just test a sample with clean tap water and press one of the 2 buttons(3 if you count the power button) then light comes on for about 30 seconds.

From the help I got from TFP I already have this if i need to test a high CL reading.
(hope pic works)
41ZmvgXTaRL._SX300_.jpg
 
JasonLion said:
A number of people have reported ColorQ units that seem to be working just fine, but are actually off fairly substantially. This isn't all that common, but it is disturbing that you can't tell that there is a problem unless you are cross checking to another test kit.
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I cross check because so many people claim these units are junk and worthless. So by cross checking every once in a while confirms that the unit is still functioning as it should. We have to have advanced enough in technology to have accurate readers that don't rely upon a humans eye to tell what color something is.
 
JasonLion said:
The least expensive electronic meters can't be calibrated, and so are useless. The mid-rage ones all use different sequences to calibrate, so you need to find a copy of the manual (often available online).

I would not trust a PH meter that costs less than $100. It might work for a while, but the less expensive ones are amazingly unreliable. They provide the illusion of precision, while lacking any true dependability.

Unless you have significant color blindness, or need to measure PH several times a day every day, the color matching PH test really is your best choice. The extra effort required to keep the electronic meters in calibration is more trouble than it is worth otherwise.
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I second the quality issues Jason outlines here. I depend on good pH meters to help make my living and good ones simply are not cheap. Cheap ones are basically worthless in a very short time. I've tried most and this has proven true over and over again.

That said there is a pH pen made by a company I use upper end meters from and I want to try one. They are getting good reviews so far from a couple of folks I trust. If they keep proving out, I will try and possibly splurge on one myself. These run about 150.00.
 
I just read this and laughed because I always have the same issues as the guy who started this thread with reading the colors... Then noticed I am the guy that started the thread years ago. Im literally cracking up right now :)

Thanks for the unintentional laugh :)
 
I use the Oakton 30 pH meter. You'll need to get a couple pH buffer solutions but, they're not all that expensive.
Oakton is a reputable outfit. I use some of their testers regularly at work.
It's a good double junction probe with Automatic Temperature Compensation + you can do multi-point calibration on it.

$100 will get you everything you need.. and will last you years. My eyes may not ;)

Best of luck in finding a solution that works for you.
Respectfully,
 

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Brushpup said:
I second the quality issues Jason outlines here. I depend on good pH meters to help make my living and good ones simply are not cheap. Cheap ones are basically worthless in a very short time. I've tried most and this has proven true over and over again.

That said there is a pH pen made by a company I use upper end meters from and I want to try one. They are getting good reviews so far from a couple of folks I trust. If they keep proving out, I will try and possibly splurge on one myself. These run about 150.00.
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Just restating what I mentioned above.

I'm sorry, and do not mean to sound rude, but I would not suggest the Oakton pH meters at all. I have never seen one of those remain reliable for more than a month. Honestly, I have never seen any meter at that price point have any longevity, and by that I mean more than a few months, even when cared for meticulously.

With any pH meter, care, storage, and calibration are essential for dependable results. You must have fresh calibration buffers/storage solutions on hand at all times, because without them, a meter becomes useless in a short time. Also, pH sensors do have to be replaced every so often as well, no matter how good they are. Depending on what they are exposed too, this can be as often as a year or less. I would think most Pool Owners would get a couple of years out of a good sensor, if they cared for it extremely well.

Repeating, MyronL arguably makes the best handheld pH instruments you can buy, and I rely on one every single day for systems requiring critical pH parameters with very tight ranges. Of the many I have tried, they have proven time and again to be the most reliable and long lasting. Even these have quirks at times, but are usually easy to overcome. The unit I carry is vastly too expensive for any average pool owner. However, the company has come out with some simple instruments for pH/ORP/TDS etc. and I have heard very good things about them from a couple of people. If I were suggesting an "economical pH meter it would be one of these. I may have to break down and try one out. They run about 150.00, and may well be worth the investment for people having real trouble with the color block/Phenol red test. Based on years of experience with their other products, these would be the most likely I would try in the "cheap" pH measurement category.

http://www.myronlmeters.com/Myron-L-PT2-Ultrapen-Multiparameter-pH-temperature-p/dh-up-pt2-ss.htm
 
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