BeerBorg

The package of calibrating, cleaning and storage solution that I ordered from HANNA Instruments was delivered today. It's amazing how quickly my order was processed and how efficiently their shipping and purchase verification emails were. The order was placed on Monday and the items were delivered around noon today just in time for brewing on Saturday too. It's been just over a month since I last calibrated and used my pH meter but I've added the task to my to do list for tomorrow. Uninterrupted, the calibration shouldn't take more than 30 minutes or so, but when not feeling rushed it has taken longer.

After soaking the bulb of my pH meter in HI7061L cleaning solution for a few hours calibrating it was very easy to do. This meter uses 4.01 (HI7004L) and 7.01 (HI7007L) calibrating solutions as opposed to 4.00 and 7.00 calibration solutions. I had stored the pH meter with the bulb attached, in a glass of HI7003L storage solution for the past two months. At a little over $50 for a replacement bulb, I found it saves money to care for the pH bulbs rather than to keep buying replacement bulbs. I've had the same meter for just about 3 years now and it is still working good as new.

I can't recall the brand I have but it calibrates in just about 15 seconds with room temp water. I follow the instructions and it must be working because I had my tap water tested and the meter gives me the same ph for my tap water each time. I'm still learning but this is one thing I do wish was easier but like anything else, you get what you pay for.

Beer-lord wrote:I can't recall the brand I have but it calibrates in just about 15 seconds with room temp water. I follow the instructions and it must be working because I had my tap water tested and the meter gives me the same ph for my tap water each time. I'm still learning but this is one thing I do wish was easier but like anything else, you get what you pay for.

I'd say that achieving consistency when brewing batch to batch should be every brewers goal. Whether or not your pH meter's bulb is replaceable or not, giving it a soak in cleaner every few months will extend it's life.

After restocking my pH meter supplies on the Hanna website I was subscribed to their Newsletter when I paid for my order. I thought I'd share the link here since I found this edition to be particularly interesting. Although already familiar with most of the things in the newsletter, I was also surprised to learn a few things that I didn't know before.

The Top 10 Mistakes in pH Measurement

Great! Thanks for sharing this. I'm sponging on as much water/ph discussion as possible.

I always calibrate before each use, I just feel better using it after that. It never takes much to dial it in or much time at all, maybe a couple mins the morning of brew day. I just use the calibration fluid for storage, but I have never used any cleaning solution. Perhaps I should look into that.

I purchased a small bottle of storage solution and it will likely go bad before I can use it all.

On a similar subject, can I reuse the 4. 0 and 7.0 (or 4.1 and 7.1) calibration fluids if I keep them in an airtight container for a few weeks? Seems silly to pitch it out but I have no idea how long the bottle last to begin with.

I think its common to discard any used fluid. It only takes me a small sample to calibrate so the waste isnt much to worry about. Ive had the same 2 small bottles I bought months ago.

The Hanna solutions I buy all come with an expiration date printed on the label, I simply toss it out after using it. The HI 7007 calibrating solution I just bought expires on 11/2019, I read somewhere that keeping the unused solutions refrigerated will extend the solution's shelf life. Guess who has four bottles of this stuff in the back of their refrigerator now.

When storing my meter for longer than a week or more, I fill a small glass with storage solution then wrap it with plastic wrap and two small elastic bands to keep it in place. This prevents the solution from quickly evaporating, nothing is worse for the bulb than letting it dry out for any length of time. After extended storage like this a white crust of minerals tends to build up on my meter, but it is perfectly safe and washes off easily with water.

Here is a link I received this morning in the Hanna Instruments newsletter, 'Cheat Sheet For pH Measurements', I bookmarked it for quick access whenever I need a refresher. Although published for users of Hanna pH meters the information can be applied to nearly all pH meters.