Using distilled water to calibrate ph and ppm meter.
- Thread starter flogger
- Start date
I
Illegal Smile
Guest
I think you need to calibrate a ppm meter with something with a known ppm greater than zero. But a pH meter can be calibrated with distilled water. Calibration solution is also a good storage solution and the water lacks that quality, but for calibration to a single point, yes you can.
cowell
Well-Known Member
I would suggest buying a small packet of PH solution of 7.0, they are cheap. Calibrate your meter with the solution, and test your distilled water. It should be 7.0.. but check it anyway.. I got some water, for the same reason, and it tested 9.0. And yes, it was "distilled" water before anyone asks, not spring or natural or any of that. And Illegal is right, the buffer solution is better to store your meter in and it's not that expensive.
grobofotwanky
Well-Known Member
I would just buy solutions for both. They are like 5 bucks a piece and last for awhile. If you cheat you'll be questioning the readings, when for a couple dollars you can know for sure.
doc111
Well-Known Member
I also tested some distilled water with a pH of over 8.0. It was a brand new meter so I took it back thinking it was messed up. The guy at the shop checked calibration and it was dead on. So don't trust distilled water.
flogger
Active Member
How about the ppm's ???
A previous post said it should be 0.
I currently use my tap water and noticed my ppm's are around 200 and my seedlings aren't doing so good. I was wondering if it might be bacause my PPM's are too high (especially for my seedlings). Was thinking about switching to distilled water.
What do you think?
Maybe I sould start another thread for this.
doc111
Well-Known Member
You can try a mixture of distilled and tapwater like 50/50. You can also use the reverse osmosis water like they sell in the machines at the grocery store. It is mad cheap.
proheto8008
Well-Known Member
never use distilled or RO water on your meter. It will kill your electrode really early.
the reason being that your electrode is loaded with ions. Distilled water and RO water is super low in ions and will suck all the ions off of your electrode.
The electrode needs ions to work properly.
the reason being that your electrode is loaded with ions. Distilled water and RO water is super low in ions and will suck all the ions off of your electrode.
The electrode needs ions to work properly.
NightTrain
Well-Known Member
If that is true, that using a ph meter to test distilled water will kill the meter, how do you test and adjust distilled water? I see that this thread ended awhile ago but I am researching about distilled water ph meters in generel and this post caught my curiousity. I felt the same way Doc did when he thought his meter was broken after getting a reading of 8.0 of distilled water b/c I just checked a bottle of some I bought and it reads 7.8, ppm reads 25.
asaph
Well-Known Member
true that. but then, are we actually not supposed to check RO water at all? or just not store them there? does anyone know what the EC level of the electrode is? because the same thing is true in reverse - if you get too much EC in your water, much more than the electrode, Ions will start moving to the electrode.
Qwick2blaze1
Member
When I test distilled watter I use the liquid drop solution testers from General Hydroponics to keep from messing up a rather pricey PPM meter.
asaph
Well-Known Member
hmmm i test my water like... 30 times a day on average.... you can do the math and see what's pricey-ier
