Ph Meters

[RichC]

Thinking of buying a Ph meter. What should I look for in one? What specs or characteristics? Anything in particular I should avoid? I'll be buying on amazon cos I've got some vouchers

[Ciderhead]

perfectly good one on ebay.
whatever one you decide buy more buffer solutions so that you know your meter is accurate and you can calibrate.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GOnDO-Waterproof-pH-Meter-pH-7011/dp/B001GZ0O2W/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1361520847&sr=8-16
56 sterling wow.
No there are perfectly good ones there (not soil types) for 8-14 stg

[loftybush]

I got mine here.
http://dx.com/p/0-6-lcd-ph-test-pen-set-3-ag13-42734

I'm sure its not the highest quality, but seems accurate so far.
And for 12ish delivered, can't be beaten for price

[brenmurph]

lads try a garden ph meter, about 3 euros from china does exactly the job with no batteries and no electronics.
or litmus paper 100 for 1 euro 50cent. had one of these yellow things they are fragile, very fragile, the glass bulb breaks with even a small change in temp so if u have one dont dip warm water then dip cold the glass bulb will break. If I ccould figure how to upload a pic wud be great.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/270832769000?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Google ebay soil ph metre it a round thing with a n aluminium probe and an alalogue needle metre. It works fine for me

[brenmurph]

I got mine here.
http://dx.com/p/0-6-lcd-ph-test-pen-set-3-ag13-42734

I'm sure its not the highest quality, but seems accurate so far.
And for 12ish delivered, can't be beaten for price

lofty dont forget from america or china takes a month to arrive normally. thats 2 weeks on a ship and 2 weeks held up by the slow tax people in the port.

[brenmurph]

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/270832769000?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

[Will_D]

If I ccould figure how to upload a pic wud be great.

Just get your .jpeg picture, if its big reduce the resolution ( I use the "Compress" function in Microsoft Office Picture manager) and attatch it to the mail. Scroll down to below the editing window and you find an attatchement area. Bowse for your image and the Post Like this:

[RichC]

How often do you calibrate these things guys? I have some ph strips somight use them up before I buy. It's good to see I can buy so cheaply. Thought I'd have to spend €40 or so to get a decent meter

[Ciderhead]

no they are pretty good and more accurate than papers, get one from the uk if you need it quickly
as I said earlier get buffer solutions to check.
I calibrate every 6 months and use it for checking ph of my well water once a month

[JD]

lads try a garden ph meter, about 3 euros from china does exactly the job with no batteries and no electronics.

Hi Bren,
I don't trust soil pH meters, I'm afraid.

If you're measuring pH this implies you're trying to control pH. A brewer only does this when aiming to perfect the finer details of the brewing process. For this, accuracy is required and when it comes to instruments and accuracy, you get what you pay for.

The pH range for brewing is centred around pH5.2 and the sensitivity and accuracy of the meter around that point is what is required. A meter that can give 0.1 increments pH over a  span of 4.5 to 6.0 is far better for brewing than something that is of dubious accuracy over pH3.0 to pH8.0.

For gardening purposes, the only real thing of concern is the overall acidity of the soil. This is a gross measure and garden meters are wildly rough is their estimation of this. Far too inaccurate for brewing I contend.

Using pH strips are a far better option I suggest. They are cheap and easy enough to use. 

The best option, in my opinion, is a proper glass electrode pH meter, for all its fragility. Yes it's a pain to calibrate, store and keep supplied with buffer solution, and yes, you need to treat it with kid gloves, but in the end, if you're seriously interested in measuring and controlling pH, it is what is necessary.

That all being said, I use pH-strips when ever I need to get jiggy with pH. One day, I'll treat myself to a proper pH meter, but before that I'll have treated myself to a dozen or so corny kegs, a temperature controlled mash system, a temperature controlled fermentation system, a high capacity march pump, a grain mill and a fully equipped brew shed with a bar and all the trimmin's 

/J
 

[Ciderhead]

As someone who has a digital ph accurate to 0.1 I would agree and then Brendan showed me his soil pH meter, Its a monster with a couple of probes on it so not the conventional garden single probe type.

[Greg2013]

So basically Brendan showed you his monster probe ciderhead? Interesting.

[Ciderhead]

And Kellie looked on 

[Shane Phelan]

The batteries are gone in my cheap "yellow" pH meter and I'm in the market for a better one. I like the look of this one as its not too expensive and also offers temperature compensation so I don't have to keep cooling samples down to room temperature.

[Will_D]

Shane, Look good, you get 3 calibration solutions as well!

I paid a lot more and had to buy the cal sols extra.

Also you can always whip into work to cross check/calibrate it