Question on Hanna pHep Ph meter.

When using the meter do I stick it in the water and turn it on or do I turn it on and then put it in the water?? When I turn it on and then put it in the water the readings go high and go crazy some. Also when the PH meter is in the water it seems like the number keeps moving up or down by .01 and never stays on a steady number unless I press the hold button.

OK....first things first...is the meter calibrated?? I have the Hanna pHep red....it has two point calibration.....I calibrate it first in 7.0 then in 4.0 (since I am running acidic <pH7 water) solutions.......after that I rinse it with tap water (per instructions), turn it back on, stick it in the water to the line on the probe end where the cap stops (cap is off of course...LOL)....then I stir it around and allow it to settle......I always get accurate readings......hope this helps you......biggest thing...CALIBRATION FIRST....I usually calibrate mine once a week.
SO.....bottom line
turn on before sticking in calibration solution.....calibrate
turn off and rinse with tap water
turn on and stick into res/water/whatever you are testing
stir pen around
allow reading to stabilize
record reading
turn off pen
rinse with tap water
cap pen (do not allow electrode to become dry)
viola.....from my instruction book.....PEACE

The hanna meter will act crazy if you let the electrodes dry out, just leave it in some PH 7 buffer solution for a while, then calibrate. cap the meter while it is wet.

Does it just take the meter a while to adjust to the water? it seems after I leave it in the water for like 20 seconds or more it starts to stop moving. its like it slowly lowers in small increments when it is in the water and after like 30 seconds, it almost stops. is that what it is supposed to do?