ph meters and ph adjustment regime questions!!

davecave

davecave

Member
Ok so I got two ways to test my aerogardens ph, I got the two prong 3way tester from gen hyd and I got the one that comes with the ph up down kit that everyone knows. So I use both these tools and they both give me different results! The 2 prong almost always reads alkaline and only reads acidic when I dose the water with about ten cc of ph down. The up/down kit tester will read read acidic for what the prong read alkaline! Which should I trust or should i just buy a ph/ppm pen?? Well I'm gonna buy it, but which should I trust in the meantime? Also, should I b having to adjust ph each day?:joint:
 

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HSA

Well-Known Member
Davecave: how old is your meter and when was the last time you re-calibrated it? I use both when something is unusually different. I trust the General Hydro liquid test kit more, it's just so damned slow. I'd suggest you go through the re-calibration procedure and then compare the results of the two. When I do it they come out pretty close and I keep using the electric stick . Close enough for government work anyway. HSA
 
davecave

davecave

Member
HSA said:
Davecave: how old is your meter and when was the last time you re-calibrated it? I use both when something is unusually different. I trust the General Hydro liquid test kit more, it's just so damned slow. I'd suggest you go through the re-calibration procedure and then compare the results of the two. When I do it they come out pretty close and I keep using the electric stick . Close enough for government work anyway. HSA
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How do I re-calibrate the two prong? I just bought it this month from amazon...
 
Phillip J Fry

Phillip J Fry

Active Member
i think the ph stick i have messed me up more than anything. I quit using it long ago and the plants seem good to me
 
smokebros

smokebros

Well-Known Member
I use a milwaukee that I bought for around 20-30$. I also have drops incase the test meter breaks. Some people swear by drops, and quite frankly they are the "safest" way to test your ph. Meters can go bad and some people don't like calibrating them. I keep my tester in a storing solution I bought at the hydro store when i'm not using it. I rarely have to re-calibrate it, I just put some ph 7.0 in a shot glass, dip it in, and 99/100 times the tester reads 7.0. Once in a while it was say 7.1 or 6.9 and I';; adjust it quickly. I like using a meter because if I know it is exactly right, I can get my water to exactly the ph I want. The drops will ensure my my ph is in the range I want, the ph meter allows me to pinpoint my target ph. After a while you get used to how each nutrient affects the ph. My natural sink water ph is around 7.5 so when I mix my nutes it brings it to 5.5-6.0 depending on strength. I then usually use ph up to get it to 6.2-6.8.
 
davecave

davecave

Member
smokebros said:
I use a milwaukee that I bought for around 20-30$. I also have drops incase the test meter breaks. Some people swear by drops, and quite frankly they are the "safest" way to test your ph. Meters can go bad and some people don't like calibrating them. I keep my tester in a storing solution I bought at the hydro store when i'm not using it. I rarely have to re-calibrate it, I just put some ph 7.0 in a shot glass, dip it in, and 99/100 times the tester reads 7.0. Once in a while it was say 7.1 or 6.9 and I';; adjust it quickly. I like using a meter because if I know it is exactly right, I can get my water to exactly the ph I want. The drops will ensure my my ph is in the range I want, the ph meter allows me to pinpoint my target ph. After a while you get used to how each nutrient affects the ph. My natural sink water ph is around 7.5 so when I mix my nutes it brings it to 5.5-6.0 depending on strength. I then usually use ph up to get it to 6.2-6.8.
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good advice that I can agree with. Nothin wrong with a back up plan!
 
D

Dirty Harry

Well-Known Member
davecave said:
How do I re-calibrate the two prong? I just bought it this month from amazon...
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You can't. It is a cheap analog type of meter. Get something digital that has calibration screws. Even a cheap digital is better than that meter. I would follow the drop test results for now.
I use a cheap digital PH pen and PPM pen. I calibrate them every month. For the last two to three months the PH pen has not needed adjusting. 4.0 PH calibration fluid has read as 4.0 to 4.01. I have used other more expensive PPM meters and the probes seemed to fail and not calibrate after 6-8 months. Replacement probes was only a few bucks cheaper than a new meter and probe.
What ever you use, calibrate it monthly and the first time you use it. They do drift with battery wear and the probe getting build up.
Probe cleaner once a month is also a good idea, especially if you have hard water and the build up will jack with the readings.
 
mike91sr

mike91sr

Well-Known Member
What would you guys suggest for testing soil ph? I have the drops for water but nothing for soil and I don't want to test the runoff.
 
trichome fiend

trichome fiend

Well-Known Member
...IMO.....your never going to dial your pH all the way in while your growing in soil. You'll only be able to keep it within range. pH = potential for hydrogen....water = h20....the wetter your soil is the lower your pH will be and vise versa (as it dries your pH will swing higher)....so, I would just be sure that the soil your using has dolomite lime in it....keep everything going into your soil at 6.5 (slightly acidic)....don't overwater, don't overfertilize....and you should make it through your grow.
...a little neglect is better than too much of anything. You can literally love your plants to death.
 
jojaxx

jojaxx

Well-Known Member
Ph/ppm/ec....is there a meter out there that handles all 3 or 2 out of the 3 at an affordable price ?

....omg/smh/lol.
 
T

Totalnewbie

Member
Your best bet is ebay jojaxx, but expect to spend over 150. I like the eco testers; they're water proof and pretty accurate. Second on the pron things being garbage; shame you bought one =/. Live and learn.
 
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