Bad pH pen???

[LikemindS]

So, I have a small set up and maybe some equipment thats too cheap...? I have a 'checker by hanna' ph pen and it seemed to work ok for a month or two. I keep it clean and its always stored in pure RO water and I just calibrated it but... I just now cheked the ph of my RO water and the pen shot up to 8.0 and over the next 10 minutes it slowly went all the way down to 6.2 where it stayed. Before this the pH of my RO H2O was @ 7.4. I dont know if its the pen or the RO needing changed. I borrowed a friends pen, also a cheapy, and it did the same, it started @ 8 slowly went to 6.3. I feel like buying a new one but I cant afford a really nice one and these cheap pens dont seem to last. I check the calibration all the time and for the most part my plants are happy, but now Im getting yellow spots that turn brown on my big fan leaves, which is why I think its the pen and a bad pH reading... Any advice would be sweet. Thanks

 

[mal]

Had The Cheap Hanna

My Hanna never really worked, told the guy at my local store where I bought it and he took it and gave me my money on another one. Cheapest are the paper strips, but it sounds like your plants need some calmag to me. I used the credit from my hanna to get a better one, not much help but those cheap hanna's are cheap



mal

 

[MIway]

The meter, I believe, is the under $40 unit... POS. Maybe, if you're lucky, it just needs a new battery, but...


Money isn't everything though... even the 250 units are POS's... but for under $10 you can get the pH drops which is nut on, so long as you can see & interpret colors well. Shit is nut on... and never breaks.

 

[roachhunt420]

try scrubbing the tip with an old toothbrush and soap. might help it did for mine

 

[Badmf]

The issue with the cheapy pens are is it accurate?
That isn't a good feeling and I would return it as mentioned and spring for a better unit. I use the Hanna 9813 and its pretty much bullet-proof but is a bit more.
The pen needs to be in the proper storage solution and calibrated monthly. You are registering temperature change, allow a few minuutes in before checking.

 

[amstercal]

It probably is dirty. Try a q-tip on the sensor, very gentle. Double check it against the inexpensive strips.

 

[bloads]

try scrubbing the tip with an old toothbrush and soap. might help it did for mine

It probably is dirty. Try a q-tip on the sensor, very gentle. Double check it against the inexpensive strips.

Thx for the ideas guys, been worried about damaging the sensor's glass bubble.

My pen's at the point where I have to stir it around really fast so that the correct PH can work its way through the layer of film/gunk that's stuck to the sensor

 

[LikemindS]

Hey thanks for the tips, I think its rite on now.
I did everything, Changed the battery, clean the tip, borrowed yet another pen, and checked it against the strips. My pen is now accurate tho it being a cheapy i check it everyday. The RO filter may need to be changed. Still less than 10ppm. So it still could be a CalMag def. thanks

 

[desertsquirrel]

http://www.getbluelab.com/shop/Bluelab+Guardian+Monitor.html

 

[LikemindS]

Yes :) I plan on gettin one of those soon as I can.

 

[wonka]

the cheap hanna i had went bad also.. took a few weeks till i figured it out and the damage to my ladies at the time was brutal!!! my buddy greenman33 had a much better pen that he hooked me up with cause he has no need for it running general organics and things are back to the way they were before the probs!!! glad u got everything worked out!!!

w.wonka