Essentials pH Meter

Product Information

As you can see, pH 6.0 is the point at which most elements get a decent uptake. In hydroponic systems, it is important to maintain this level of absorption. A deficiency can really damage a plants health and ruin crops. Alternatives to the Essentials pH Meter

Essentials PH Meter - Grow World Hydroponics

Replaceable electrode meters like our High Accuracy pH Meter are great if you have long-term plans for testing pH. Been brewing for a while and you’re planning on keeping at it? You should get a replaceable electrode meter. But if you’re working on a one-time project or aren’t planning on using your meter for longer than a year, just go with a low-cost non-replaceable meter like our Waterproof pH meter. Essentials pH meter is designed to give highly accurate readings in 20 seconds! Convenient & easy to use, it is automatically temperature compensated and has 1-3 year life span. To make sure your electrodes are clean, use a pH electrode cleaning solution. The cleaning solution is balanced for the electrode and is a great way to make sure you get accurate and fast readings every time. Use the cleaning solution every time you use your meter for optimal electrode life. Storing in waterMany customers forget to refill that smaller cap with storage solution before putting their meter away after use or, worse, will even store it without the cap. This will dehydrate the electrode, necessitating a rehydration process. Don’t store to electrode dry! You will need to calibrate your Essentials pH Pen Meter using a Buffer 7 bottle (the meter includes a small pouch). Simply dip your meter in buffer 7, and then hold down the calibration button until the display says CAL. The Essentials pH Meter will then calibrate the device.

Essentials pH Meter | National Hydroponics

Simple Calibration using VitaLink Essentials Calibration Fluid - Some meters can be complicated to calibrate. Simply dip the probe in the solution and press the CAL button until CAL appears onscreen. The Essentials pH meter is a robust, glass type pH meter. It is water and drop resistant and can even survive a dunk into a water tank and immediately retrieved without damage (Please note: it is NOT water proof and is not meant to be fully submerged on purpose). The meter is easy to use; just put the end into the solution, stir and wait for a reading. The usual time for a reading is around 20 seconds, which is time for the unit to stabilize and give an accurate result. The unit are usually good for between 1-3 years depending on the rate of sampling. In general, they should be accurate for 365 pH readings.Because of the ionic nature of the electrode glass itself, when it is stored in ion-free water, the Law of Diffusion describes how the ions will leave the glass to try to establish an ionic solution in the water itself, creating more equilibrium. That exodus of those ions from the glass to the liquid depletes the glass of its pH-measuring qualities, rendering the electrode useless.To properly store your pH meter, it is imperative that you use pH-electrode storage solution. The storage solution is hydrating and is properly balanced with the right kind of ions. If you suddenly run out of storage solution during a testing process, deionized water can be used in the very short term until more storage solution can be obtained. Not calibrating properly When you remove the electrode cap from your meter, there will be a tiny amount of storage solution that clings to the electrode. Do not wipe it off. Why not? Because what the pH meter is actually measuring are tiny, tiny changes in electrical potential. If you wipe the surface of the bulb, you can induce a tiny static electrical charge on the surface of the glass. Though minuscule, this static charge can be large enough to throw your readings off. Let’s take a look at the most common mistakes we see in using pH meters and what you can do to get the most out of your meter. When you take a sample to test, make sure you take enough to submerge the entire electrode and that your sample holder is deep enough to accommodate the electrode. It’s a simple fix, but super important. Testing at the wrong temperature

Essentials pH Meter | Hydrohobby Hydroponics UK

If you’re a brewer or a home cheesemaker, chances are you don’t come to ThermoWorks just for our best-in-class thermometers. You probably also love our great selection of pH meters! Either way, you need to be aware that the electrodes in your pH meter are going to wear out. pH meter electrodes are like old-fashioned candescent light bulbs: over time they just ‘burn out,’ no matter how carefully you use them. With non-replaceable electrode meters, it means you’ll need to buy a new meter in about a year’s time. But with replaceable electrode meters, it means you’re going to have to buy replacement electrodes to keep your pH meter working long term. pH Meter Electrode Lifespan To prevent dehydration, be sure to fill the smaller with storage solution and secure the cap tightly over the electrode after each use. If your electrode does dry out, soak it overnight in storage solution to resuscitate it. It will probably work again, but repeated dehydration is bad for the electrode and will shorten its lifespan. As noted above, electrodes don’t last forever. If you’ve had your meter for over a year and you find that your readings aren’t quite what you think they should be, you might have a bad electrode. That means you’ll need a new electrode or, in the case of a non-replaceable electrode meter, a new meter.

Essentials EC Meter

Before we go into the common mistakes and their remedies, it’s important to understand the differences between replaceable electrode meters and non-replaceable electrode meters. The names of the two groups are self-explanatory, but whether you buy a replaceable electrode meter or not depends on how you intend to use it. Measuring pH is a great way of making sure the plant can absorb all the elements in the nutrient mix. Each element has a different absorption rate at different pH levels. Many growers will keep their pH at about 6.0 as it offers the best all round nutrient uptake. That’s not to say it is the best for all elements, it’s more of a trade off, being the point at which the overall absorption is highest. The diagram below shows how each element absorbs at different levels.

Essentials pH Meter - Straight up Hydroponics Essentials pH Meter - Straight up Hydroponics

The PH-200 by HM Digital is one of the more expensive options out there for pen-type pH meters, but for the serious hydroponic gardener, it is well worth the extra cost knowing that you have something that is extra accurate and reliable. The PH-200 is waterproof, tested up to a rating of IP-67 (ie. it can be submerged in water up to 1m). It also comes with a clear cap so that the all-important electrodes can be monitored for wetness during storage. Like most pH meters, it has all the standard utilities like auto-off to conserve battery levels, a data-hold function that allows you to hold a pH reading if you can't immediately see the display (very useful for less accessible nutrient solutions), and a low-battery alert. Please note: Some of our new replacement electrodes come with just one larger cap that holds the storage solution in a little sponge against the electrode. If you have one of these newer replacement electrodes, just be sure to saturate the sponge with storage solution, loosen the threads on the cap to allow the air to escape as you press the electrode into the sponge, and then retighten the cap for storage. Why don’t we make an electrode that doesn’t burn out and need replacing? The answer is that this technology simply doesn’t exist yet. As it stands, there are physical constraints on the system that prohibit the creation of longer-life or permanent electrodes. Current pH electrodes have a lifespan of about one year or up to 18 months at the most (with less frequent use). If you properly care for your electrodes, you’ll still need to replace them roughly annually. That said, there are things you can do to avoid damaging your pH electrodes. They can be fairly fragile and require a little extra TLC, which we’ll discuss below. Common pH Meter Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemShift to the next level measurement process (from manual to automated, or to on-line measurement; automation) Right about here, we really start to see how much more trouble pH meters are than thermometers: the storage and buffering solutions are essential to proper use of your pH meter, which means that any time you measure pH, it’s going to start looking like you’re playing with a chemistry set. For me, that’s a fun thing, but it certainly isn’t as convenient as a Thermapen ®. Not submerging the electrode pH meters work based on comparison to known quantities. That comparison is established using buffer solutions with a known pH. To properly use a pH meter, you have to calibrate it for every measurement session using a known buffer solution. This will tell the meter what a 7.00 pH ‘feels’ like so that it knows what to expect when inserted into your sample. Without that buffering sample, the electrode will not have any reference for the voltages that will be created, and will therefore not be accurate. Another reason to cool your sample is that electrodes degrade faster at higher temperatures, meaning shorter electrode life. And in fact, have an upper limit of functioning. You cannot use your pH meter on anything hotter than 122°F (50°C) or it will burn out. Keep a good thermometer on hand for your pH testing and wait until the sample is at room temperature (about 70°F or 21°C) for best results. Conclusion This mistake is common and easy to fix. The pH meter reads the total electrical potential difference on the surface of the electrode, so, if half of your electrode is outside the sample solution, it’s missing half of the reading. That kind of difference is not acceptable!