Best Ph meter

[jackfire57]

We all need to watch Ph levels, that being said, thoughts/ideas /advice on Ph monitoring.Im think a pH meter pen and need advice on the best on a low budget plan price .

[Salt Must Flow]

I bought one of those digital ones on Amazon. At the time it was $15. It still works today.

[jackfire57]

which one

[Saltbush Bill]

We all need to watch Ph levels,

I'm not so sure about that, I've never checked PH in my life, and never had a failed wash or mash.
Using accepted correct amounts of dunder or back set in Rums and Sugar heads or shells in sugar washes like Shadys SS negates the need.

[Yummyrum]

One of my jobs as a Lab Tech is to calibrate the pH probes .
We have about 8 of them .They are not cheap .

The thing is , even though they are calibrated at pH 10 and pH4 ( two point calibration using manufactures buffer solutions ) when you stick them all in the same test solution , all 8 of them will give you a different reading .

Most cheap pH meters have single point calibration . So you are getting it right at pH7 , but have no actual idea how far out it is at each end .
Since we are usually wanting to know whats happening around the 3-5 pH range , cheap meters can be very hit and miss . The number you read may be out by a whole pH level .

Sometimes it better not to know the pH rather than make corrections based on a wrong measurement .

There are other ways to test pH using test paper or solutions such as Bromophenol Blue which has a colour change over the range 3-5

Obviously it is not much use if you are doing a molasses wash
But then again , all mollases washes never need pH buffering

[Born_Free]

which one

I used the Hanna Instruments HI98128 in brewing beer and had nothing but issues with it. Replacing the probe didn't help.

Switched to the Milwaukee MW102 and have never had it drift in the dozens of times used over the last year.

Buy the calibration fluids, the only way to be sure it is working.

Not sure it is as important for distilling but I use it for several hobbies.

[Salt Must Flow]

which one

I'd list it if I could, but the exact one is not longer listed on Amazon. They all look very similar. I didn't get the cheapest $8 one, didn't get the most expensive one and just settled on one that seemed reasonably priced.

I mixed up the calibration fluids in jars, but over the years the fluids went bad. I never really used them anyways except in the very beginning to see if it read properly. My sugar wash recipe is always the same so the ph always reads the same in the beginning and very close to the same after fermentation so I assume it still reads accurate enough for me.

[Yummyrum]

Also worth mentioning that pH probes don’t last for ever .
Also , when you take a measurement , the probe takes a few seconds to stabilise . You need to swirl it around for about 10seconds . As the probes get older , the time to stabilise gets longer and longer . Usually after about 3 years , they become unusable .
It is also important to keep them stored in a storage solution . Usually 4mol/L Potassium Chloride although some make up the Potassium Chloride solution with a pH Buffer as well . Some use 4 , some use 7 .

But never store them in distilled water as it pulls all the ions out of the probes solution . Also only rinse them in tap water , not distilled water .

[The Booze Pipe]

I have one of those $15 meters from Amazon and it works just ok. It kinda drifts around, and gives semi-consistent readings. I'm starting to lean away from using it on the all-grain... you don't want to be making adjustments from an inaccurate reading.

[jackfire57]

THANK YOU

[Twisted Brick]

.
The unfortunate reality is there is no such thing as a reliable, accurate budget meter. My research of years ago matches the results that you've been given. I was prepared to spend $150+ for a lab-worthy instrument capable of calibration, but like Yummy cited, (I read that) even the expensive 'lab' meters don't last long. This told me the $15 toys available are not capable of being accurate and don't bother because you need a tool that does more than display a reading.

The alternative to a meter isn't perfect (or precise) but IMO its more useful to get a ballpark than not. I use these. I have tested them against a number of elements (soil, water, lemon juice, AG mashes, finished ferments etc) and they react predictably and consistently. If you try them, they work best in natural daylight or artificial light with a color temperature between 5500 and 6500 Kelvin.

[quadra]

I used test strips for decades, and have used high end and budget probes, I own an older Hanna that has been totally reliable. I do have high and low calibration solutions ( there is an adjustment screw you can dial in the probe if it drifts... if it continues to drift substantially it is shot and you need a new one... twisted and yummy have said all you need to know, but I will mention that everyone I knew in the homebrewing community who had " problem" probes seldom stored the tip wet. I also found it was worth buying commercial calibration solutions for my needs. At one point I was brewing with a biomedical technician who had a dialysis lab as part of his PMs.. the SOP was to only use a specified solution, even though one of the vendors provided another as part of a process... these were " discarded" and diverted as part of the facilities waste reduction plan
I also have a really nice peristaltic pump that had an interesting previous life..

[jackfire57]

Thank you

[Tammuz]

The best advice for a pH meter is get one the store will cover the warranty in house. I have used both Hanna and Milwaukee for years. I find the Hanna meter as much easier in the stores to replace, I believe they just have better store reps. If you don't have a good store near you I would buy this model here from China pH/ppm. On AliExpress I believe it has a 2-year warranty for like eight bucks but I bet you sending it back to China would cost more than buying a new one. This one lasts about 6 months used daily.

[jackfire57]

Thank you

[Stump Lake]

This is Blue Labs Guardian. It's a bit to expensive to recommend for hoppy fermentation. I had this from a previous hobby, hydroponics. I bought a new Ph probe for it for $60. After having a failed previous fermentation at a Ph of 3.2 I needed to do something.
It's nice to have a continuous real time read-time read out on my Ph levels

[Demy]

I have a tool bought on Aliexpress (very common to find it on Amazon) of the cheap ones with 2 -point calibration .... I read a lot on different tools and very conflicting information ... then I decided to spend as little as possible.