Suspecting issues??

[Aqua Man]

May be that’s why we go thru a probe now and then we prolly ck our own RO water 10 times an hour! Lol

Letting them dry out is usually the biggest culprit

 

[Moshmen]

What would a more accurate way to get water ph be then other than a pen? is there something better i can get?

Sorry just me rantin ! Your pen is more than adequate! Didn’t mean to confuse you

 

[Moshmen]

Letting them dry out is usually the biggest culprit

Yes we store in buffer solution !

 

[Dirtbag]

The cheap ones come with some crystals that you dissolve in distilled water. I use a cheap one at home but I ran a powder coat paint line and e coat paint line for years so I have access to the good equipment to ck if needed.
If you wanna be accurate a hand held pen isn’t the way to go. But is more than accurate enuff for a grow

Some pens are better than others for sure. I've been using the same Bluelabs pen for years and its always dead on accurate any time I calibrate it. My last one lasted me over 5 years, no shit. And we also had a guardian in the main res when I ran bigger shows and the bluelab Pen always read accurate when we cross referenced with the guardian. But a good reliable pen is going to cost money, over $100. Most of the growers I know use the Bluelab ppm pen or truncheon and ph pens over the guardians these days. Taken care of they last a long time and are super reliable.

 

[Dirtbag]

You can rinse em... And easy to make your own storage and renewal solution... Potassium chloride and distilled water. You can buy a pound for like $10 and make enough for your lifetime and you kids kids kids lifetime.

Totally. A rinse is fine. it just shouldnt be submerged long enough to try and get a reading.. I misunderstood what was goin on here.

 

[Dirtbag]

Yes we store in buffer solution !

I keep mine in ph 4 buffer

 

[Aqua Man]

Yes we store in buffer solution !

Yeah buffer is different... Soak it in a potassium chloride solution for 20-30 min that's what is in the probe like this. https://www.coleparmer.com/i/thermo...cl-with-ag-case-of-five-60-ml-bottles/0573042

More info here just plucked I didn't really read it.

Solution for storing a glass electrode

What kind of storage solution is required for a glass electrode? Is 3 M $\ce{KCl}$ sufficient for this purpose? If so, what is the approximate pH of that solution (the solution I use presently has...

chemistry.stackexchange.com

 

[Aqua Man]

Here is a video of how to make strage solutions from oh 4 buffering solution.

 

[Dirtbag]

Yeah buffer is different... Soak it in a potassium chloride solution for 20-30 min that's what is in the probe like this. https://www.coleparmer.com/i/thermo...cl-with-ag-case-of-five-60-ml-bottles/0573042

More info here just plucked I didn't really read it.

Solution for storing a glass electrode

What kind of storage solution is required for a glass electrode? Is 3 M $\ce{KCl}$ sufficient for this purpose? If so, what is the approximate pH of that solution (the solution I use presently has...

chemistry.stackexchange.com

Thats true, Ph4 buffer is still a kcl solution just a lower concentration. You can make storage solution by adding kcl to ph4 buffer or distilled water, but the last year I've been just using ph4 and it's been fine. Still reads fine going on 3 years old.

 

[Aqua Man]

That concludes another useless info post by aqua man.. lol. It will prolong probe life though

 

[Dirtbag]

That concludes another useless info post by aqua man.. lol. It will prolong probe life though

Not useless at all. That's helpful info, my Info is dubious and experimental. The best thing to do is store it in cheap homemade kcl storage solution.. but in a pinch ph4 will work.

 

[Aqua Man]

Should clear this up. @CosmoGrows. A ph pen will be more than adequate to measure your ph. If it's a cheapy calibrate it before use and you never need to worry. Make the calibration solution and store it in air tight containers for resuse. Mine lasts me like 6 months and then I make new stuff. The packs are cheap. I have a $15 ph (cause my old one went haywire on me) and I'm in hydro. Much more of a concern. I calibrate mine every 2-3 days.

 

[Dirtbag]

Another tip is store the pen upright so the bottom of the probe stays in the solution, sometimes laid sideways the solution can leak out or one half of the bulb dries out. I hang mine from a hook on the wall above the res. Clean out the cap with a qtip and h2o2 weekly, and keep it full of fresh ph4 or storage solution always.

 

[Aqua Man]

Another tip is store the pen upright so the bottom of the probe stays in the solution, sometimes laid sideways the solution can leak out or one half of the bulb dries out. I hang mine from a hook on the wall above the res. Clean out the cap with a qtip and h2o2 weekly, and keep it full of fresh ph4 or storage solution always.

Yes very important to store it upright. I just use a tall skinny glass.... My wife loves that we have one missing from the set

 

[Moshmen]

Should clear this up. @CosmoGrows. A ph pen will be more than adequate to measure your ph. If it's a cheapy calibrate it before use and you never need to worry. Make the calibration solution and store it in air tight containers for resuse. Mine lasts me like 6 months and then I make new stuff. The packs are cheap. I have a $15 ph (cause my old one went haywire on me) and I'm in hydro. Much more of a concern. I calibrate mine every 2-3 days.

Sorry for clogging up the thread cos ! As usual Aqua man is spot on!

 

[Aqua Man]

Sorry for clogging up the thread cos ! As usual Aqua man is spot on!

Was me who was clogging, seems to be a habit of mine.

 

[CosmoGrows]

Nah you guys are fine, i read and learn. :D I mean its just more advanced growers discussing knowledge ill probably need in the future. Nothing is a waste or a clog. Thank you aqua for clearing up the confusing though :D Hahaha, question though after reading this, bluelab seems to be the top dog. is that worth spending the money on over like this cheap 15 dollar amazon etekcity pen i have? do i have to keep bluelab wet too? dont want to spend like 80 bucks or whatever it is on the pen, for it to dry and me waste 80 bucks LOL.

 

[CosmoGrows]

Just Tracing back to the original plant, the blue cheese i posted about, she went into the night cycle wayyyy happier tonight :D Still not where she used to be but shes definitely bouncing back. i think in a couple hours when the light comes back on shell start really smiling and being happy again, i gotta get this watering gig down :(

Hey, well we are sidetracked and garden tools, i bought an Equate BRITA LIKE, not brita, but brita like water filter pitcher. If i used that filter water for my plants, am i wasting my time???

 

[Aqua Man]

Nah you guys are fine, i read and learn. :D I mean its just more advanced growers discussing knowledge ill probably need in the future. Nothing is a waste or a clog. Thank you aqua for clearing up the confusing though :D Hahaha, question though after reading this, bluelab seems to be the top dog. is that worth spending the money on over like this cheap 15 dollar amazon etekcity pen i have? do i have to keep bluelab wet too? dont want to spend like 80 bucks or whatever it is on the pen, for it to dry and me waste 80 bucks LOL.

If your asking if it's better quality, longer life and better accuracy with less need for calibratable frequency.... Yes. On the other hand if your willing to calibrate often and deal with a likely shorter lifespan (not always the case) the cheapy will absolutely be fine. Accuracy difference between them is not going to make or break a grow.

For me it's more convenient to have a better meter but in a pinch I bought a cheapy it clear to me either will work. When this one fails I will again buy a better quality one for the sake of confidence with longer between calibration. I would still suggest once a week if used daily.

 

[Moshmen]

Just Tracing back to the original plant, the blue cheese i posted about, she went into the night cycle wayyyy happier tonight :D Still not where she used to be but shes definitely bouncing back. i think in a couple hours when the light comes back on shell start really smiling and being happy again, i gotta get this watering gig down :(

Hey, well we are sidetracked and garden tools, i bought an Equate BRITA LIKE, not brita, but brita like water filter pitcher. If i used that filter water for my plants, am i wasting my time???

GreT question ! Depends on the water u start with? I have an opinion but pass to my water god! Aka AQUAMAN!