Calibrate ph pen?

[Jibblerjoe]

Ph meter came with two solutions for calibration. can meter be calibrated using only one of the packets?how long does this solution last once it's mixed ?

[Karlee]

The 2 are 7.00 and 4.00 you need to do both, if it does more then ph you have to calibrate everything it does. My hanna does ec,tds.ph so I have to calibrate all at the same time.

You'll love the pen for PH it saves lots of time!

[Jibblerjoe]

It only does ph. So once you calibrate you toss the cup of solution?

[Tika]

So what brand did you get?

[Jibblerjoe]

Ph 009 pen , gwe example. Not much instructions.

[Gordo41]

NO. You keep it to use every time you use the meter or so on, the solution lasts 4-5 months. You mix it with 250 ml of distilled water.

[Sonnyhad]

What? You calibrate every time you use it??

[Gordo41]

It only takes a second to check it, most times it doesn't need adjusting and is close to 7 ph as it needs to be.
If you dont check it and something has happened to it in the meantime, you could be feeding the wrong PH and your plants wont benefit from your efforts. Is it worth the few seconds it take to did it in the solution.?

[Jibblerjoe]

Alright, I'm a first timer, thanks for input. I like to do it right the first time, you make perfect sense.

[Sonnyhad]

Dang! I used the solution when I got it in June and dumped it and haven't looked back!! I could be way off and never knew what happened!! Thank you man!! Dang, I never thought much about it. Just figured once or twice a year!

[Grower-Aaron]

Once you get used to your water ph changing based on the nutes you put in it gets pretty predictable and you'll know how much ph adjuster to add and you won't have to calibrate as often because you'll know if it's too far out of wack. Like if you add the same amount of nutes and ph adjuster but you get a reading that's 1.5 off from what it was when you did it the previous week then something is off. Even then I would (and do) calibrate at least once a month. But until you get that knowledge and experience I would recalibrate at least every other time you use it. If your ph is off you could be putting the best nutrients in the world on your plants and it wouldn't matter because they can only absorb the right nutes at the right ph

[Grower-Aaron]

Oh and those packets that you mix in with water kinda suck. They sell bottles of pre mixed solution in hydro stores and Amazon and eBay and stuff. It's easier and more accurate. If you are worried about getting ph right you should get some

[Jibblerjoe]

Well I had some coming, then I canceled order. Now I guess it's back on.

[Jibblerjoe]

I not sure how to use solution you buy? Do you dump the solution or can it be saved?

[Sonnyhad]

I will be getting some today!! You can bet on that! Thank you!!

[Grower-Aaron]

Glad I could help

[Sonnyhad]

Just got back from the hydro shop with calibration solution! Now to figure out how to do this!

[Grower-Aaron]

Jibblerjoe you pour it from the bottle it comes in into a secondary container, preferably a small one that's just big enough to fit the tip of the electrode in. You just fill the container enough to cover the electrode then dip it in and calibrate. After that toss what's in the secondary container and the next time u calibrate pour more out

[Jibblerjoe]

Thank you aaron.

[Gordo41]

Hahaha,, sorry man. That what the cap is for. Lol.
The pen has a cap on the end and thats what you use to pot the solution in to test the pen.
I have a small jar that holds the 250ml of solution.

[Grower-Aaron]

Mine only has like a little rubber plug when I try to put the solution in there it reads funny. If u have a whole plastic cap that might work

[Gordo41]

The pens should come with a plastic cap like this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Pocket-LCD-Monitor-PH-Meter-Water-Tester-Pen-Aquarium-Laboratory-Test-/151818005442?hash=item23590eebc2:g:t1gAAOSwQTVV-F9C

[Grower-Aaron]

Try to put some calibration solution in the cap and see what reading you get. Then put some in a small bowl or something like that that doesn't seal up on the pen like the cap does. When I had a pen like that I tried it both ways (in the cap and in a bowl) and the readings were way different. I ended up getting a Hanna ph pen that has like a little neck on it that u can stick down in test tubes and I thought it worked a lot better. You can get the liquid ph test kit, they come with a little plastic vial that works perfect. You can collect the water in the vial then stick the neck of the pen in. You can also use the vial to calibrate. Just put the solution in there and you can use A LOT less than if u have to fill a small bowl or something like that

[Sonnyhad]

I got some calibration solution today 7 and 4 , I had a check of a time. The solution that came with it was 6.84 or something and kept wanting to go there instead of 7.0. Anyone have this issue?

[Grower-Aaron]

It can be a pain to get those pens dialed in no doubt about it. But once you get it set and you get your water and nutes at the right ph just sit back and watch the growth explosion it makes such s tremendous difference

[Grower-Aaron]

I haven't had that issue. Did u get it to read correctly? Might have to turn those screws a bit if you're coming from 6.84. But the premixed fluid is the way to go. Once you get it set its so much easier to to work with than those packets. I really hate those things

[Sra1369]

Question mine came w a 4.0,6.86 & 9.18( not positive on last one) but when you calibrate is it necessary to do all 3? I have more 4.0 & 6.86 but no 9.18…. Does it matter to calibrate the 9.18 one since I’m only looking to be between 5.8 and 6.2? Thanks guys

[Rwise]

Its necessary to follow the mfgs recommendations. Mine uses 4.0 and 7.0 for the range we need but it can also be calibrated with 7.0 and 10.0 to read inside that range.

[bdeegan]

I use the 6.86 as a quick calibration/accuracy check. I will do a full calibration with the 3 buffers once a month or so. My understanding is the 6.86 is ok to calibrate with alone but you’ll get more accurate readings if you cal with all 3.