EC/ppm tester

butterflykisses

butterflykisses

Well-Known Member
yea that will work just fine however u might want to get one that u can leave in the water so u can look at the ppm when ever u want called a constant tds comes with the electrode on a long cord that stays in the solution alot easyer
 
chromer

chromer

Well-Known Member
ok, thx alot, i was looking at those constant tds meters, they seemed a little more expensive but that sounds like a really good idea.. i just figured that i'd keep it simple for now, i only have 4 plants so i didnt wanna break the bank on my first hydro grow. This is just to compare my soil/hydro results and find out what system is better for my needs.. but if i do have success with the DWC i would upgrade in the future
 
butterflykisses

butterflykisses

Well-Known Member
sounds good good luck hope all goes well but def. get some type of tds measuring device will greatly increase yeild and your total satisifaction with growing i also tds the solution b4 watering my soil plants as well but i have a few meters
 
SoloGro57

SoloGro57

Well-Known Member
Here's a link to a copy of the Hanna combo meter instruction manual:
http://www.recsupply.com/Documents/Hanna%20Instruments%20Combo%20Tester%2098129%20Instruction%20Manual.pdf

If by Auto calibrate you mean it does everything by it's self, no. You definitely have to cal it yourself. It does prompt you through the process and calibration is not difficult to accomplish. You definitely need to keep calibration solutions on hand for this device. I will say that for the short time I've been using it, three weeks. the calibration has been solid, and tho I've checked the cal against a standard solution every time I've used it, it has never yet required a calibration after the inital cal I made out of the box.

If you're thinking about buying this meter SHOP AROUND. I bought one online for 129 USD, but I've seen prices as high as 200 USD.
 
Heruk

Heruk

Well-Known Member
SoloGro57 said:
Here's a link to a copy of the Hanna combo meter instruction manual:
http://www.recsupply.com/Documents/Hanna Instruments Combo Tester 98129 Instruction Manual.pdf

If by Auto calibrate you mean it does everything by it's self, no. You definitely have to cal it yourself. It does prompt you through the process and calibration is not difficult to accomplish. You definitely need to keep calibration solutions on hand for this device. I will say that for the short time I've been using it, three weeks. the calibration has been solid, and tho I've checked the cal against a standard solution every time I've used it, it has never yet required a calibration after the inital cal I made out of the box.

If you're thinking about buying this meter SHOP AROUND. I bought one online for 129 USD, but I've seen prices as high as 200 USD.
Click to expand...
129 USD! where from?
do they have a web site?
 
Earl

Earl

Well-Known Member
It is a good idea to buy a meter with a probe you can leave in the rez all the time.

Moving the probe around is what causes it to lose calibration

If you leave the probe in the rez all the time it will give more accurate reading and last longer.

You can buy a cheap trimeter on ebay for around $100 from China.
The shipping will take a month but they are cheap.

I bought mine from a US dealer for a little more
 
SoloGro57

SoloGro57

Well-Known Member
I thought about getting one of thoise stationary multi-meters. The reason I didn't get one was because I figured I'd want to be able to use it away from my reservior. You know, when I'm mixing up a batch of nutrients Or when I'm checking the EC of the solution in the rockwool against the EC of the solution in the Reservoir. I think that having a stationary meter would be a hinderance for those situations, so I went with the combo pen.
 
potroast

potroast

Uses the Rollitup profile
The portable pens seem to be easier to use, and more convenienct at first glance, but after using them for a while you learn their weak points. They require frequent calibration, and the batteries must be fresh enough to give full power. After buying bottles of calibration solution, and batteries, and spending too much time tinkering with the thing, you'll buy a monitor.

A monitor has the replaceble electrodes on a long cord so they stay in the res, and stay in calibration better. The unit is A/C powered, so no more messing with those silly little batteries.

Yes, the initial cost is more, but the longrun cost is less. :blsmoke:

HTH :mrgreen:
 
email468

email468

Well-Known Member
kicking self for spending a good bit of money on portable meter!

potroast said:
The portable pens seem to be easier to use, and more convenienct at first glance, but after using them for a while you learn their weak points. They require frequent calibration, and the batteries must be fresh enough to give full power. After buying bottles of calibration solution, and batteries, and spending too much time tinkering with the thing, you'll buy a monitor.

A monitor has the replaceble electrodes on a long cord so they stay in the res, and stay in calibration better. The unit is A/C powered, so no more messing with those silly little batteries.

Yes, the initial cost is more, but the longrun cost is less. :blsmoke:

HTH :mrgreen:
Click to expand...
 
R

radio

Active Member
I read somewhere that it's not good to buy the combo meters because you can only store them in one type of solution. Apparently it's best to store ppm meters in distilled water and ph meters in calibration solution. Is that true?
 
Earl

Earl

Well-Known Member
radio said:
I read somewhere that it's not good to buy the combo meters because you can only store them in one type of solution. Apparently it's best to store ppm meters in distilled water and ph meters in calibration solution. Is that true?
Click to expand...
You are correct.

You should NOT store your pH meter probes in Distlilled water.

The pH probe needs to be kept wet at all times.

Tap water or any water that is not pH neutral,
is OK for pH probe storage as is calibration fluid.

The EC probe does not require wet storage.

The Trimeter comes with two probes,
one for pH,
and one for TDS.

You can store the probes in the appropriate fluid,
but it is best to leave the probes
in your rez for the whole grow, 24/7

The pH probe comes with a storage cap,
which you should save for the time between grows.

Calibrate both probes
once or twice a month
until the readings are stabilized.
 
P

Puffin Afatty

Active Member
I use the hanna (tds/ec/ph/temp) meter and it works fine for 10 years now...I had to replace eletrode once at 8 yrs of daily use...
 
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