question about calibrating ph pen

InfiniteMortal

Active Member
hello as the title suggests i have a query about calibrating this new ph pen i got by healthwiser, it came with those powder solutions 4.00, 6.86 and a 9.18 now heres my issue the manual says use distilled water to calibrate and the packet say used deionised? will either one be ok to use ? will it matter which one i use ?
what i was thinking of doing is filtering the water through a brita filter first and then distill it.......will that be better or will it not matter ?
 

Moflow

Well-Known Member
hello as the title suggests i have a query about calibrating this new ph pen i got by healthwiser, it came with those powder solutions 4.00, 6.86 and a 9.18 now heres my issue the manual says use distilled water to calibrate and the packet say used deionised? will either one be ok to use ? will it matter which one i use ?
what i was thinking of doing is filtering the water through a brita filter first and then distill it.......will that be better or will it not matter ?
Hi there infinitemortal.
I've no experience with the pH powders.
Hopefully someone with experience with them will chip in.

I just use the essentials pH 7 buffer ready made up liquid.
If it sez so I'd imagine you can use both, deionised or distilled water.
Deionised water is As pure if not purer than distlled and they are made via different processes.

I wouldn't bother with the Britta filter if you are gonna make your own distilled.

If I suspect my pH meter is drifting I pour out some pH buffer into a glass , turn on pH meter and put it in buffer liquid. If my meter reads a pH of 7.0 all is well.
If for instance my pH meter reads a pH of 6.7 in the pH 7.0 buffer it's time to calibrate.
I press calibrate button, place meter in the pH buffer solution, watch it flashing on and off on meter screen until it reaches 7.0 , it bleeps once and stops flashing.
Then I turn off meter. Turn back on again , put it in 7.0 solution and if it reads 7.0 in my eyes it's calibrated! Lol
I don't bother with the pH 4.0 or pH 10 calibrations.

My experience with experimenting with the Britta filter was I found the tap water pH dropped by around 0.2 in pH after going through the filter.
I can't remember now but I don't think it effected the ec much.
I hope this helps some.
 

InfiniteMortal

Active Member
well after ive used up the powders i intend to just buy the usual buffers 4.0 and 7.0 and hopefully won't be too much of an issue was worried about the difference from 6.86 to 7.0 but now im thinking its not going to be a problem anyway. thanks guys xD

wow moflow that a lot less than my filter. if the ph meter is right and i assume it is for now since i used it to check known phs of certain drinks and chems and done enough readings to get an average and seems to work....for now. my tap water comes out at about 7.2 and a brand new filter can filter the water down to about 6.0 then slowly rise over time since the filter obviously accumulates impurities.

thanks guys these ph pens are probably, for me the most annoying aspect of growing.
 

Six9

Well-Known Member
I may be going the $7.95 delivered cheapie, replenishing each grow with a new one. I'm testing one now side by side with the popular hm digital $60 unit, quite accurate.
 

Moflow

Well-Known Member
well after ive used up the powders i intend to just buy the usual buffers 4.0 and 7.0 and hopefully won't be too much of an issue was worried about the difference from 6.86 to 7.0 but now im thinking its not going to be a problem anyway. thanks guys xD

wow moflow that a lot less than my filter. if the ph meter is right and i assume it is for now since i used it to check known phs of certain drinks and chems and done enough readings to get an average and seems to work....for now. my tap water comes out at about 7.2 and a brand new filter can filter the water down to about 6.0 then slowly rise over time since the filter obviously accumulates impurities.

thanks guys these ph pens are probably, for me the most annoying aspect of growing.
well after ive used up the powders i intend to just buy the usual buffers 4.0 and 7.0 and hopefully won't be too much of an issue was worried about the difference from 6.86 to 7.0 but now im thinking its not going to be a problem anyway. thanks guys xD

wow moflow that a lot less than my filter. if the ph meter is right and i assume it is for now since i used it to check known phs of certain drinks and chems and done enough readings to get an average and seems to work....for now. my tap water comes out at about 7.2 and a brand new filter can filter the water down to about 6.0 then slowly rise over time since the filter obviously accumulates impurities.

thanks guys these ph pens are probably, for me the most annoying aspect of growing.
Hi infinitemortal, it was a long time ago when I tried out the filter but to be honest it was something like 1.5 liter filter and I needed more like 10 or 20 liters worth.
I suppose it got rid of some impurities though.
My tap water has a PH from 7.2 - 7.8 depending on time of year.
Ended up in the bin lol.
I just use tap water now and pH down now for multi purpose compost I grow in.
Same when I used to do hydro.
 

Moflow

Well-Known Member
I may be going the $7.95 delivered cheapie, replenishing each grow with a new one. I'm testing one now side by side with the popular hm digital $60 unit, quite accurate.
Hi Six9,
I had a Blue Labs combined pH ec meter a couple of years ago till it broke.
It was good but a good price too!
My last one, a pH meter from Essentials was OK until I dropped it on kitchen tiles... oops.
My latest one is PLANT!T pH meter .
 

Moflow

Well-Known Member
I may be going the $7.95 delivered cheapie, replenishing each grow with a new one. I'm testing one now side by side with the popular hm digital $60 unit, quite accurate.
My mate bought a couple of cheapo Chinee pH meters offa fleabay, about a tenner each...
Fecken useless they were! Gave a different reading everytime.
Boy in grow shop sez he just uses the pH Striips now.
 

Six9

Well-Known Member
So far so good here but thanks I'll watch these cheapos. pH is important so whatever works for ya
 
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