# Continuous read pH meters



## primitive (Mar 31, 2009)

Anyone have a favorite, or know of one to stay away?  I'm sick of using this little pH pen.  I'd like one that comes to a reading fairly quickly and doesn't jump around a lot.


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## TURKEYNECK (Mar 31, 2009)

If you dont get some air in that res the electrode will stay covered with algae... 
BUMP!


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## fishcabo (Mar 31, 2009)

Got one of the aquarium ones on ebayfor about 30 bones.  Calibrated it and it's been great for a few weeks.  Don't know about the algae thing as my res is dark.  so far so good.


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## primitive (Apr 3, 2009)

In case anyone wants to research these in the future, I went out of town to the closest BIG hydroshop to compare meters(my local shop only had one that wasn't a pen), and here's what I found:

After comparing three Hanna, one Bluelabs and one Nutradip, I went with the Hanna Combo GroChek, continuous pH, EC, TDS and Temp reading for $189.  The auto calibration is very cool.  You press a button, it says "use 7.01", you dip it in, it says "OK, use 4.01", you dip it in, it says "OK", boom, done.  Much easier than the ones I compared it to, like using an eyeglass screwdriver to manually adjust it to point.

My choice was based partly on that, and that it feels nice and solid, but also influenced by both employees and six customers that filtered in that all had the _exact_ same opinion of the brands; "Hanna is the standard to beat.  Bluelabs meters are good, but the electrodes typically don't last as long.  Nutradip will not stay calibrated long at all and are almost worse than useless."  Hmm.  Hanna it is then!

I gotta say, it was also kinda reassuring that a hydro store salesman steered me away from the Nutradip even though it was $50 more than the Hanna I got, and when I asked what the differences are between the three Hanna meters, a $90 difference from cheapest to most expensive, he listed a grip of small differences to consider, then said as far as accuracy and dependability they're all the same.  I decided the most expensive wasn't any better for me than the one I bought.

So, in conclusion, I'm very happy with this meter, and if you ever have the misfortune of having to shop in the mid-penninsula I heartily recommend South Bay Hydroponics, good guys and a big enough shop you could drive a forklift around in it.


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## Newbud (Apr 3, 2009)

I've just got a cheap £10-£15 thing (carn't remember lol) off ebay, its consistant and i've tested it side by side with a expensive wand thing me mates got and it read the same, all i do is calibrate it every three weeks.
Course if you want one that does all differerent stuff then my info totally useless lol just thought i'd throw it out there


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## Dr. Manny Bowles (Apr 4, 2009)

Thanks for the review. I need to buy a new pen and was looking at Hanna's, they look pretty solid. I have an 'ECOtestr' right now and it pretty much sucks, it needs to be recalibrated about twice a week. Total waste of money


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## primitive (Apr 4, 2009)

The pen that was driving me insane was an Oakton too!  I agree, total waste of money.  I could calibrate it, let it sit in the res for five minutes to stabilize on a number, then wave it around in the water for thirty seconds, leave it five more minutes, and find it stabilized at a different number by up to +-.8


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## solarz (Apr 4, 2009)

primitive said:
			
		

> In case anyone wants to research these in the future, I went out of town to the closest BIG hydroshop to compare meters(my local shop only had one that wasn't a pen), and here's what I found:
> 
> After comparing three Hanna, one Bluelabs and one Nutradip, I went with the Hanna Combo GroChek, continuous pH, EC, TDS and Temp reading for $189.  The auto calibration is very cool.  You press a button, it says "use 7.01", you dip it in, it says "OK, use 4.01", you dip it in, it says "OK", boom, done.  Much easier than the ones I compared it to, like using an eyeglass screwdriver to manually adjust it to point.
> 
> ...



I have to disagree with this.  I have this same exact meter and i have had nothing but issues with it since i got it.  Ii NEVER stabilizes on a ph reading and there have been times when i couldn't even get the thing to calibrate.  I'd leave it in the 7.01 for the longest time, and it would never recognize it.  Another issue i have with it is that you can't (aren't supposed to) submerge the entire probe into the rez.  I haven't fooled with it in about a month, but i will give it a try here in a few days to see if i can get it working correctly.  Just my $.02.


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## primitive (Apr 7, 2009)

That's discouraging, I just got this thing so I'm no expert on it, but mine doesn't stabilize either, like my previous meter, leading me to question;  do they all jump around?  Mine jumps around in increments of .03-.08 every three seconds, but doesn't simply jump back and forth, which has led to changes of .3 over the course of one minute.  On another thread someone told me my solution may jump around because I use some powdered nutes.  

I've auto calibrated this thing twice now, the first time worked in under a minute, then the next day I attempted to calibrate it because it seemed wrong to me, but after half hour in the 7.01 solution it hadn't read it yet and I said hell with it and used my old meter. Yesterday I tried again, thinking I'd get the same results, but it calibrated in under a minute again like the first time.  So I'm confused as hell, which is precisely what I wanted not to be when I paid for a better meter.  So I may have to update my assessment above.  I didn't see the part about not submerging the electrode in the manual, I'll ask about that in the tech support letter I'm abut to write.  So, if you haven't used this meter for a month, what have you been using that's better?  I can still return this thing if need be.


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## crozar (Apr 7, 2009)

its complicated to me aswell , im new to this , and my ph meter jumps , ive got a bucket and filled it with water , it reads the sides with 7.8 and the middle with 8.1 it jumps alot by a full day on 26 degree room temperature , it stopped on 8pH  but after another day it rised .. 8.2 . 
when fixing the pH to 6.5 it rises by time and reads wrong readings sometimes ... mix your water good . and use it by 3 days dont store it more . or if you will then quarantine it properly , im not a good fellow to give advice its with my logical advice


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## solarz (Apr 8, 2009)

What i just recently had to do was leave BOTH the ec and ph probes into the 7.01 solution and i left it in there for like 2 full days.  I left it until it stablized on 7.01 and didn't move.  I then calibrated the meter and stored it in the 7.01 solution.  I won't need to use the meter for about another week or so, so we'll check it out then and see everything works out.  

On a side note, i emailed tech support and i had numerous phone conversations with them, and i'm still completely lost with this thing.  For the money you pay for this meter, it hasn't been worth it AT ALL!!!

solarz


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## primitive (Apr 14, 2009)

Okay, I'm having a full blown meter meltdown...so...I bought two more to compare, another, simpler pH only Hanna, and a Bluelab.  They all calibrate fine(at the opposite end of the house, away from the digital ballasts), but within 24 hours in my nutrient solution, all three are de-calibrated, reading either 7.3 or 7.4 in 7.0 reference solution.  Everyone I've talked to has said that the digi ballasts can affect how they calibrate, but once calibrated can't play further havoc with the readings.  

So I did a little research and think I may have a culprit; could it be because I'm right next to a huge hospital?  My sis is a radiology tech and said RF interference from the hospitals wireless LAN used to play hell with their older machines.  

Also, and this may be totally unrelated, roughly 3 out of 5 of my friends cell phones won't work in my house(for years now, long before any growing), but will work at the street corner, 1 house away.  Every service but AT&T is usually dead in my house, and outside in front of my house, but fine when you walk a dozen yards or so away.

Any thoughts?


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## Shockeclipse (Apr 14, 2009)

primitive said:
			
		

> Also, and this may be totally unrelated, roughly 3 out of 5 of my friends cell phones won't work in my house(for years now, long before any growing), but will work at the street corner, 1 house away. Every service but AT&T is usually dead in my house, and outside in front of my house, but fine when you walk a dozen yards or so away.
> 
> Any thoughts?


 
Poltergeist.....


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## la9 (Apr 14, 2009)

I use a PinPoint meter

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PIN-PH&Category_Code=Pinpoint

I have haven't had any problems with it and it was recommended to me from several other people with similiar experience.

Just remember if you ever let the proble dry out you have to recalibrate it, you may want to buy extra calibration solution when you order one no matter what brand you get.


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## zipflip (Apr 15, 2009)

do all digital ph readers need to be callibrated when you buy them? if so then wat ya ned to get or do to callibrate them?


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## la9 (Apr 15, 2009)

zipflip said:
			
		

> do all digital ph readers need to be callibrated when you buy them? if so then wat ya ned to get or do to callibrate them?


 
Yes they do, they come with a PH solution that you put the probe in, one was a high ph and the other was a low ph, you put the probe in one solution and adjust the meter and then in the other and adjust it again until you can put it in either and get the correct reading.

It doesn't hurt to buy some extra packets of the solution, since they aren't that expensive and you will need to recalibrate it if you take it out of service for any period of time or just want to check it.


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## primitive (Oct 17, 2009)

I was looking over my old threads and thought I should conclude this one:

I ended up buying two auto-calibrate models, a Hanna and a Bluelab, and contrary to my first impression a few posts up, they both turned out to be  garbage; sometimes they took minutes to auto-calibrate, sometimes several hours, and both needed to be re-calibrated within a week or so as they were ~.2 -.4 off that soon.

So I took them both back and got the simple Hanna Gro-check continuous read meter and it has been _awesome_.  It takes about two minutes to calibrate using two small plastic screws to dial it to the right number for the reference solution it's in.  I've been checking it about once a month and it's typically only .1 -.2 off, then I just nudge the screws a bit and I'm good. 

Also, the power cord on this thing is so long it's as simple to take from one res. to the next as a pen.  I can hit five res' in two rooms without unplugging.  _Awesome_.


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