New toy. Ph meter.

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J

jimim

Bronze Supporter
Jun 20, 2016
3,575
NE/Pa
So I’m trying a new toy. I know a bunch of you all here use them. I tried a cheaper unit and even though I dialed it in it never lined up with my drop ph test. Both the 0014 and 0004 versions forcthe red solution. I’m going to try and set it up tonight and compare it with my old meter.

I just struggle with the colors on the drop test and I am always stressing over the ph level then.

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Nice. Give us progress reports during the season.
 
Here is what it came with. Storage solution. Brush. Buffer solutions with trays so you don’t waste it.

Feels nice. Pretty solid. I like how you can cap it in the storage solution.

I’m going to read a little so I don’t mess it up. Lol I usually dive right in.

Pic of the business end also. F4940D1E-DD9C-42ED-AAA5-DFFFC9493ED6.jpeg65D02589-748A-48C5-8A5B-DB94BF06871E.jpeg
 
Good grief....I'm having PTSD flashbacks of working in the lab...:cry:

Here's the real test...side-by-side comparison - your wife gets to use the phenol red and you get to use the meter. Starting with a water sample in front of you both, the meter capped and switched off and the phenol red capped, I want to know who gets the pH test done first. First one done gets to relax in the pool float while the other one has to serve up cold beverages and fresh towels....:p
 
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I have my first question. It’s a up to 3 point calibration. I figured doing all 3 points will make it more accurate but if you read below attached it sounds like doing 1 point makes it most accurate? Or am I reading this wrong?C5C1CB41-C966-4BFE-9B30-DD173ED37EEA.jpeg
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Good grief....I'm having PTSD flashbacks of working in the lab...:cry:

Here's the real test...side-by-side comparison - your wife gets to use the phenol red and you get to use the meter. Starting with a water sample in front of you both, the meter capped and switched off and the phenol red capped, I want to know who gets the pH test done first. First one done gets to relax in the pool float while the other one has to serve up cold beverages and fresh towels....:p
Click to expand...


Ok it sounds like you are saying that using the pen will take longer and it sounds like it will based on how u have to rinse it before use and dry and then test, but . . .

I second guess myself all the time with those colors of both versions of the drop test!

See above post since you worked in a lab and probably calibrated your fair share. If you can coach me through should I use 1 or 2 or 3 point calibration.

:)

Thanks!
 
All we care about for pool water is pH in the 7s and maybe low 8s. Single point calibration with 7 standard solution is all you need. If someone had high pH fill water into the 8s then maybe calibrate with 7 & 10 to figure out how much MA is needed to get into the 7s.
 
ajw22 said:
All we care about for pool water is pH in the 7s and maybe low 8s. Single point calibration with 7 standard solution is all you need. If someone had high pH fill water into the 8s then maybe calibrate with 7 & 10 to figure out how much MA is needed to get into the 7s.
Click to expand...

I agree with Allen. A single point calibration at 7.00 will be sufficient. If you have the time and want to be super-accurate about it, then calibrate it with the 7 and 10.01 solution. A 3-point calibration would only be needed if one were doing a titration analysis of an acid or base as you need the pH probe to be very linear in it's response over as a wide a pH range as possible. An example of that would be the drop-based borate test in my signature. In that test, one is doing a strong base titration of a weak acid and so you need to accurately measure the pH as it changes when sodium hydroxide is added to the solution. The pH of that analysis spans a wide range, from a pH below 4 all the way up to 9.5. So having an accurately calibrated pH meter is essential.
 
Ok guys. Thanks. I’m not trying to be totally crazy about my ph but because our temperature here varies so much, a ph of 7.6-7.9 makes a huge difference in my csi being in range or out of range since I like to always stay negative but don’t want to fall past the -.3 And the colors are just so close in that range.

I appreciate the responses and help! I’m going to eat something and play around. Going to pull out my old meter too and calibrate it how this one is done with cleaning and dipping it first then calibrating it.
 
Did the pH meter thing for a year or so, gave it up....if it is always calibrated perfectly, cleaned, stored properly, it will work. My problem was the cost of calibration, storage, cleaning far exceeded what was needed using TF100 or K-2006c test kit.
 

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Ok I calibrated my probe.

Questions.

1. How often did u who used them for work calibrate them? This company says like 2xwk.

2. I’m storing it with liquid in cap. There is a fill line. but to lay it down in my kit I have to put more in the cap to cover the bulb. That’s ok right? I know stupid question but.

3. So I measured the sample solutions from the company then. 4.0 right on. 7.0 I keep getting between 6.8-7.0. Is that an issue. Seems like it is.

Jim
 
As I store in the storage solution, if the reading deviates much from 3.77 I'll check the calibration and adjust if required. That's every couple of weeks. Most of the time it's just the fluid needs replacing, but sometimes the calibration needs a nudge.

Try it out as you get to know your meter and you'll get a feel for if and when it may be required.
 
Only because experience has shown me the storage solution I use is pretty constant. It doesn't have a specified pH, but it seems to be consistently 3.77ish, so I just use that. As its down below 4 it's a pretty good indicator of any drift in the zero and span settings.

Once you get your unit dialled in, you'll empirically find little shortcuts that tell you when you need to recalibrate.

The manual for mine says weekly or every 10 measurements, but after 8 years I have a pretty good grip on when it needs adjusting. If I happen to have the beakers of standards out I'll do more frequent checks, but as those drift a couple of hundredths as they age it's just a quick sanity check.

Don't overthink it.
 

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