Ph Meters

I bought a Hanna HI98129 had it for for a year or so and only calibrated it once.. no issues.. just switched out to a more expensive hanna system that stays in the reservoir at all times.. selling it if your intrested...

I have the $100 blue labs ph pen... I learned the fuckin hard way the ph drifts around and needs to be calibrated frequently (at least mine does). The only thing I really like about it is that it's water-proof and displays the temp. I don't think it is possible to replace the probe on the model I have.

Dogenzengi said:

Drops don t give you the accuracy

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Incorrect. The drops specifically made for growing show 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5, perfect numbers for hydro OR soil.

Dogenzengi said:

Drops are for fish tanks and swimming pools.

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Except for the drops specifically made for growing, of course.

And the difference between 5.5 and 6.0 is huge and can greatly affect growth depending on what stage it is in.

Honestly the drops aren't hard to read if you aren't color blind... 5.8 is yellow with a slight orange hue. If you want 6.0 it should be pure yellow with no trace of green or orange. This is with general hydro liquid drops, I haven't tried any other brands.

I prefer the pens for the instant feedback without having to take a sample and test it each time... but it is not hard to use the drops.

Also, general hydro ph drops are not for aquariums and pools. Most people use ph strips for aquariums anyway because that's what they sell at walmart and petsmart.

Thecouchlock said:

Step 1: Erase the thought of a PH Pen from your mind

Step 2: Buy the general hydroponics ph tester kit for 5-10 bucks

Step 3: Use the dropper and life will be beautiful


---- The main reason I tell you to forget the ph pens is that the calibration on every single one from 20 bucks to 300 bucks requires you to calibrate them ALL the time. If you don't calibrate them you will end up with a nutrient lockout thinking your ph is perfectly fine when it is wayyyy away from what you want ---

3 years doesn't make me a professional but my job was to tend the ladies for our collective and we threw away every single ph pen due to this reason.

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It takes around 60 seconds to calibrate a pen..The dropper method you are using will be useless if you are using anything in your water to color it such as sea weed juice or humic acids.
About the only reason i can think of for not using seaweed juice or humics would be growing in aero.
I recommend for the original poster to use a blue labs PH meter It will read temps also at the same time and a blue labs truncheon meter.
Dont buy the gadgets with everything combined in them. If you have a failure of one part of it the whole thing will be junk.
Blue labs has a great warranty also.
Ive been using the same blue labs truncheon for over five years and the same blue labs ph pen for around 2 years..no problems with either one of them.
Good luck

I use molasses and liquid karma and the slight brown tint doesn't fuck with it at all. the drops come with a tinted vial even, although I use a clear shot glass when I use drops.

I have had great success with drops, I also grow in soil though which is pretty damn easy to get between 6-6.5 I understand your viewpoints against the drops however in my experience they have served me very well and I have green healthy lush plants from start to finish. I might get a little nute burn when I over do it but I run a fine line the whole ride, I would rather my plants get just enough than too much.

That shouldn't even be a comment in this section, we are talking hydro where it is a huge difference and accuracy and consistency are key.

Malevolence said:

I have the $100 blue labs ph pen... I learned the fuckin hard way the ph drifts around and needs to be calibrated frequently (at least mine does). The only thing I really like about it is that it's water-proof and displays the temp. I don't think it is possible to replace the probe on the model I have.

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We went to an expo for work and got sucked in to a ph pen by Myron L company. I'll say this I have four of them hanging on a screw put in the wall and will never use them again. Good thing I didn't have to buy them. At first glance or test they work flawlessly, your assuming you found a good meter. After about a week of use it dwindles down in quality. Week two from the time you realize its a P.o.s. It needs constant recal and still doesn't give "solid" or trustable readings. It just couldn't handle reading with nutrients in the water. If it was just plain water the life of the meter lasted longer. These do have a probe replacement for them but still.

The blue lab as long as you do not let the probe EVER dry out will last a long time.Ive been using the same one about two years..dip it in PH 7 solution.let it settle to its reading PH..press the calibrate button ..calibrates. Put the meter into ph 4.let it sit a second to equalize out and press the calibration button//done stick in res.
No way could i ever use a liquid ph meter my soup, it is way to dark to ever read it.
Ive used the cheap Milwaukee and Hanna meters.Some times they dont last a week.Even though they are cheap i got tired of buying them over and over again.

If you can't read the ph drops your color blind.

Thecouchlock said:

If you can't read the ph drops your color blind.

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If you can read the drops.Your not using enough humic and seaweed.

I hate having to replace my batteries all the time in my meter! You can always tell with the one I have because it'll buck down to some crazy level and raise from there. Once I change the battery it stops doing that bs.

crapped out?bluelab?

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I know huh lol. But as said they stand behind the product! Well the shop did, brought it in and replaced for free.

i do not take ph measurements or regulate it with any additions, i allow it to fluctuate
not everyone can do this i guess, folk who have bad quility tap water, or have to use r/o

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Arn't you even a bit curiuos as to what the PH is lol?
I'm sure that it can be done but is growing indoors not all about providing the very best enviroment for the plant to optimize energy use versus growth?
As a newb it is very helpful for me to adjust my well water to optimum levels. it comes out of tap at 7.8 and my girls get real unhappy at that, sure they grow but not like they do at 6ish. also I use the PH levels as an indicator for changing res water. If it starts to drop I know its time to change it.

Old thread, but I just got one of those cheap yellow ph pens which are sold everywhere, ebay, amazon, hydro stores etc.
I found it TOTALLY WORTHLESS. The reading is all over the place and hardly ever "stabilizes" as it says on the package. I haven't even bothered with calibrating since there is no steady reading to even calibrate. When I test my tap, it goes from 8 to 10 and at 10 it's still slowly counting up.

I am using the GHE test kit/drops for some time, while sometimes not easy to read (when the fluid itself is not clear), at least it gives STEADY results. Eg. my tap, at 8.6...and I can mix nutes and add some ph down and then get it "piss yellow" towards the 6ph range.

I don't trust the meter I just got ONE SECOND. Next I might simply get some strips for a few bucks. I am sorta dissapointed since I expected the meter be more precise than the drops, but I could pull numbers from a hat and would likely have better accuracy than this pen. Don't recommend those things at all.

Just bought the bluelab combo kit. Will test it out on my tap water tonight

Well gotta soak the ph pen for 24 hrs in cleaning solution before use. The ppm read my tap water at 160

BlueLab is the way to go!

Can't go wrong with BlueLab.

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