ph Testing

I've come to realize I need a reliable way to test ph. I've looked at some ph meters on Amazon, but for the most part the reviews suck. It seems most of the handheld units are impossible to accurately calibrate and usually die within a few months to less than a year.

I'm thinking test strips may be the best route.

What do you folks use?

Thanks
Anthony

Definitely not test strips. I just bought a Milwaukee pH56. So far happy with it.

Test strips are less accurate than guessing the pH by taste. Matching up the colors is very hard to do with red wines. I have a Hannah of some model number. I calibrate it sometimes and it doesn't change. I have had it fit about 3 years. If it were to stop working tomorrow I would feel I got my money's worth of of it. I believe it was somewhere in the $30 us range

I had the Milwaukee 102 and thought it was a piece of junk. Could never get it to calibrate reliably, it took forever to stabilize a reading and almost never matched up to my trusty Hanna Checker. The manuf. sent me three different probes and I sent the hand held unit back to them twice to have them try to figure out what was wrong with it. Anyway, I'm shopping for a new one and think this one may be a winner:

http://shop.hannainst.com/products-by-category/benchtop-meters/edge-dedicated-ph-orp-meter.html

The Hanna HI-98103 is a digital readout Ph meter, I have found them to be extremely accurate, they stay calibrated, the electrodes are replaceable. and they run around $30.00. in my opinion that is value!

Ants_Elixirs said:

I've come to realize I need a reliable way to test ph. I've looked at some ph meters on Amazon, but for the most part the reviews suck. It seems most of the handheld units are impossible to accurately calibrate and usually die within a few months to less than a year.

I'm thinking test strips may be the best route.

What do you folks use?

Thanks
Anthony

Click to expand...

Great question as I went through some trial and error with this. Make sure it is accurate to the hundredth place +\- 0.01 or .02. It will be $80 instead of $40 but the cheaper ones, such as 98103 (Hanna Instruments HI98103 Checker pH Tester with pH Electrode and Batteries, 0.00 to 14.00 pH, +/-0.2 pH Accuracy) may only be accurate to the tenth place +\- .2. That was what I first bought. So when I measured pH if I got 3.5, it could actually be 3.7 or 3.3. Can't base anything off that. It's a huge discrepancy that you don't want to risk. I recommend HI98128 pHep®5 pH/Temperature Tester with 0.01 pH accuracy from Hanna. I have also heard great things about Milwaukee 102 (also accurate to 0.01)which many of the experts on this site use but take note of the earlier post and a bad experience noted.


You can also use the pH meter with your titration TA kit instead of using color change. Titrate the NAOH until pH meter is 8.2. Way better than color change for measuring TA.

Good Luck!

Right from the manufactures web site, and Mine reads in 1/100 also! Coincidence?

Hanna Instruments HI 98103
0 to 14 pH Checker pH Tester for Beer

•High accuracy with 0.01 pH resolution
•Two point fast and accurate calibration
•Usable with virtually any electrode that shares the same connector
•3000 hours of battery life
•HI 1270 small diameter probe fits easily into a test tube
Click here for a larger image of the Hanna Instruments HI98103Click here for a larger image
Hanna Instruments HI98103 Shown

Product Information
Manual 0 KB PDF
PDF HelpPDF Help


The pH Checker series supplies users with fast and accurate readings from 0 to 14 pH with a resolution of 0.01 pH. This compact tester features an easy to read LCD and simple to perform two point calibration. The pH electrode of the Checker can be easily replaced. You only need to unscrew the electrode from the meter body and screw on a new one.

The Checker is fast, accurate, lightweight and with 3000 hours of battery life, you don't have to worry about frequent battery replacement.

http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/hanna-instruments/ph-meters/hi-98103.htm

http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/hanna-instruments/pdfs/hi-98103_manual.pdf.

98103 is only ACCURATE to 0.2. It has RESOLUTION to 0.01, meaning it will read to 0.01, but it is not accurate to 0.01. it is ACCURATE +/- 0.2. RESOLUTION and ACCURACY are very different. 98128 is ACCURATE to 0.01 with resolution to 0.01. Thats why I like it better. +/- 0.2 accuracy, while OK in somethings, can be problematic with winemaking. That's my opinion. Just trying to help as I believe I have good reasoning and some experience with both. However, I will say, you are very experienced and have made a lot of wine for a long time. And I trust it is great wine. You posts are always full of excellent details that make you an asset to this site. I (as I'm sure many others do) feel your are an asset to this site. If this meter works for you, and I'm sure your wine tastes great, then it will work for others. Maybe I'm wrong but I wanted a meter with this kind of accuracy. Maybe its not as important as I think. I'm sure the OP can put all this info together and make a good decision.

I have used the HI-98103 for years now. I have compared it's accuracy on many occasions with the HI-2215 at the shop. Which is an extremely accurate bench model. I believe retails for around $600.00 and NEVER have deviations near .1 let alone .2.

Tell me what difference .2 pH is going to make. pre ferment it may possibly result in a slight sour tone to the wine, and post ferment it may or may not allow for stuffiest sO2 addition. However since very few people add Potassium Metabisulphite by the gram, and those that do would not be asking about a pH meter. they most likely would have one. To achieve 50 parts per million for free so2 which is ample to protect wine with a ph of 3.6. Assuming there is no free so2 left from previous additions 1/4 tsp. Potassium Metabisulphite would be required. The only way one can know remaining free sO2 is to do a test to determine available free so2. For a pH of 3.8 the rule or saying 38 for 38. Means that with a pH of 3.8 one adds 3/8 of a tsp. of potassium metabisulphite (Kmet). Since most wine makers add Kmet during racking. most so2 test would show residual free sO2 therefor the typical addition of 1/4 tsp. per 5 gallons in most instances is sufficient to protect most wines to a pH of 3.8 thus making a .2 deviation in a pH meter acceptable for most home wine makers.
Major problems with acidity in beginning wine makers is most often due to a poor understanding or comprehension of basic wine making techniques. Often times they delve into the project with unrelated scientific information that has little bearing on the actual wine making. Impressed with their new found knowledge they try to reinvent the wine glass and go of half cocked in an attempt to impress themselves and those around them. They tinker, add, fiddle and interfere with the wine until it is ruined. They use techniques that really have no merit such as freezing wine, racking by the full moon and wearing underwear on their head. Then blame their equipment. Hundreds No, hundreds of thousands of people have made great wine using the most rudimentary skills. The most valuable of which being good old fashion common sense.

AND BY THE WAY I KNOW THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RESOLUTION AND ACCURATCY AND I DID NOT HAVE TO LOOK IT UP!

Both instruments will get the job done with varying degrees of accuracy. Let us keep the exchange civil. Disagreements are fine, but please no name calling or the posts will be edited like the last few.

Ants_Elixirs said:

I've come to realize I need a reliable way to test ph. I've looked at some ph meters on Amazon, but for the most part the reviews suck. It seems most of the handheld units are impossible to accurately calibrate and usually die within a few months to less than a year.

I'm thinking test strips may be the best route.

What do you folks use?

Thanks
Anthony

Click to expand...

Anthony,

I have strips, and they are a good way to get a "notional" ph reading for a low cost. The downside is that they are subjective and not very precise. But they definitely have their place in the toolkit, as long as their limitations are understood.

I have ordered the Hannah checker based on reviews. Note that you have to also get the 7.01 solution, the electrode cleaner, and the storage solution. All in with shipping, that was $80 bucks. I am looking forward to knowing the ph within a smaller margin of error than the strips.

Heather