Alternative EC test method?

Heruk

Heruk

Well-Known Member
Do you have to get a meter or can you use an alternative method to test EC. I use litmas paper to check my ph. Where can i get a cheap ec meter?
 
Heruk

Heruk

Well-Known Member
Someone said there is a liquid testkit. I searched and have not found. Anyone?
 
email468

email468

Well-Known Member
you will not regret buying a good pH and PPM/EC meter. i can not overemphasize how important a meter is for growing and since you are posting in the hydro section - i am assuming you are growing hydro. so i'll add it is especially important to have a pH/PPM/EC meter for hydro growing.
 
Heruk

Heruk

Well-Known Member
Hmph
Im sure there is another acurate way to measure ec though.
The cheapest I can find a meter for is 80 bucs!
 
email468

email468

Well-Known Member
your call -- spent nearly twice that on my meter (EC/PPM, pH, temp) and haven't regretted it (I do however regret the 40 bucks i wasted on crappy meters).

if you can find something better or cheaper (preferably both) let us know!
 
tckfui

tckfui

Well-Known Member
they have them on ebay for like 35
Dosnt EC just mesure the PPm in a different way?

HAHA really the cheap ones suck?
 
email468

email468

Well-Known Member
tckfui said:
they have them on ebay for like 35
Dosnt EC just mesure the PPm in a different way?
Click to expand...
From what i've read, most quality meters (don't know about the 35 dollar ebay ones but i think they do too) actually use EC to measure TDS (total dissolved solids) and convert to PPM. EC, which as nongreenthumb pointed out, is a more accurate way of measuring TDS. EC uses electrical conductivity (hence EC) to measure soluble solids/salt.
 
email468

email468

Well-Known Member
some of them do. you'll know if you can change the setting from EC to PPM - UNLESS they are just measuring PPM and doing conversion. I think you'd have to check with the manufacturer to be certain.

One way to take an educated guess is to look at the probes - if they are metal about 1 cm. apart then the likelihood of the meter measuring EC is good. price probably also plays a role in the accuracy and reliability of a meter.
 
C

catusphile

Active Member
Amazon.com has cheap meters. I own both of these meters. They qualify as 'the cheap of the cheap' but they have been reliable and easy to maintain.

TDS3 by HM Digital - $29.89 Shipped - Instant read PPM, hold button, reads temperature in Celsius only.
Amazon.com: Used and New: TDS3 Meter with Carrying Case

pH Checker 1 by Hanna - $45.00 Shipped - Very durable, calibrates at 7.0 and 4.0 using small screw adjustments. I think I paid about $10 less on eBay a few years back when I bought mine.

The only reason I purchased two separate meters was because I bought them several years apart. If I were to do it again, I'd buy a nice combo meter.... something like this:
Amazon.com: Hanna pH-EC-TDS Meter: Home & Garden
 
Heruk

Heruk

Well-Known Member
I think I prefer something with auto calibration
Does the hana combo have auto calibration?
 
M

mobby420

Well-Known Member
you usually test ph and ec after you add your nutes, or before maybe the first time so you know what your water is at before you add anything.

im about a month into my first grow and was using liquid litmus to mesure ph, my plants were growing very slowly and getting brown gold spots all over them, i tried everything, didnt know what the problem was, i then tested my ph with an electronic meter and realized that what was 5.5 on liquid litmus was really a 4.0 ph!!! Ive corrected it since a week and the plants are totally different, pointing up, growing extremely fast, etc....

anyways point of the story is, buy the meters and you wont regret it !!!

ive seen one on ebay made in china that has 2 probes that sit in your resevoir........ for about 80 $....... check it out, ive been thinking about purchasing one also...
 
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