What is a good PH tester

[wzazdzez]

What is a good PH tester to get preferably one that will also test tartaric acid. I want to be able to test wine and grapes. And where is a good place to buy online.

 

[saramc]

For hand-held, I like Hanna's pHep 5 pH tester, HI 98128
http://www.hannainst.com/usa/prods2.cfm?id=040003&ProdCode=HI%2098128
*If you buy from HANNA, then you get support from HANNA

And once you have a pH meter you can quickly and easily figure out the TA, without having to watch for color change, you just add drops of reagent to the sodium hydroxide solution and wine sample until you reach the magic number of 8.2:
Overview of TA in wine: http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/measure_acidity.htm
How to Measure Acidity Using a pH Meter:
http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/measure_acidity.htm#meter

 

[Thig]

For hand-held, I like Hanna's pHep 5 pH tester, HI 98128
http://www.hannainst.com/usa/prods2.cfm?id=040003&ProdCode=HI%2098128
*If you buy from HANNA, then you get support from HANNA

And once you have a pH meter you can quickly and easily figure out the TA, without having to watch for color change, you just add drops of reagent to the sodium hydroxide solution and wine sample until you reach the magic number of 8.2:
Overview of TA in wine: http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/measure_acidity.htm
How to Measure Acidity Using a pH Meter:
http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/measure_acidity.htm#meter

I am new to winemaking so there may be an obvious answer to this, but why not skip the reagent and solution and just measure the pH level?

 

[BobF]

TA = quantity of acid
PH = strength of acid

 

[Thig]

TA = quantity of acid
PH = strength of acid

Bob, thanks for the reply. Could you humor a beginner just a little bit more. I am still trying to wrap my mind around this. Do these two go hand in hand? If the pH is low does that's also mean the quantity is low? Can the pH be OK but the quantity be low or the other way around? This is where I am heading with this, if the pH is low can you add acid to bring it up to the proper pH level and not worry about TA/quantity?

 

[Thig]

Bob, thanks for the reply. Could you humor a beginner just a little bit more. I am still trying to wrap my mind around this. Do these two go hand in hand? If the pH is low does that's also mean the quantity is low? Can the pH be OK but the quantity be low or the other way around? This is where I am heading with this, if the pH is low can you add acid to bring it up to the proper pH level and not worry about TA/quantity?

Bob, I googled this question and found a good explanation. So it seems I need to be testing TA regardless I which method I use.

 

[ibglowin]

pH and TA are both equally important. If your making kits you don't have to worry about TA and you only need to worry about pH relative to the amount of Sulfite required to properly protect the wine from oxidation etc. If your making wine from fresh grapes or a country wine of sorts then you need to worry about both and be testing both.

 

[BobF]

Thig - Here's something I posted a few days ago

TA is a measure of acid volume. pH is a measure of acid strength.

The norm is more acid = lower pH, less acid = higher pH.

BUT, like most things wine related, there are other factors. Different musts & wines have varying degrees of "pH buffering" dependent on things like the amount of potassium in the must/wine.

So, generally speaking, if pH is high you can add acid to lower it, BUT b/c of buffering effects, it might require more acid for one wine than it would for another. Sometimes you have to accept a higher or lower acid or pH than would be considered ideal because of the overall makeup of the wine you're making.

This is why it's important to test both. Only with both values can you make informed balance/compromise decisions.

Having said all of that, there are those that only concern themselves with getting a certain pH value. Even in those cases it is best to know where you're starting for both values.

Having the ability to accurately test and determine direction based on the results is the Science. The Art is how far you decide to take them.

 

[Runningwolf]

What is a good PH tester to get preferably one that will also test tartaric acid. I want to be able to test wine and grapes. And where is a good place to buy online.

Great conversation! Back tot he original question on which ph meter to buy I absolutely prefer the Milwaukee MW102. I owned the Hanna phep5 and used it for a year. The digits or small and hard to see and I thought the readings took took long for ph. The best thing about the phep 5 is the temperature reading can be taken in C or F.
The Phep 5 is not a bad meter and several members have it. After using the Milwaukee though I would not ever go back. The readings are faster, numbers much easier to read, probes will fit right in the neck of a carboy and the unit can be used as a bench unit or portable. The cost between the two are very close to the same.
As to where to buy it, check our sponsors or just Goggle each unit.

 

[Thig]

I apologize if I took this thread into a direction it was not intended to go. I have done a lot of reading over the last week and don't usually post until I have some digging on my own. With that said I am just going to have to study this some more. I still don't understand if pH is OK and TA is low,how would you raise TA without getting pH out of balance?

Don't feel obligated to answer, I am still reading.

Thanks four the replies and the second pH Meter recommendation.

 

[BobF]

Thig - Just $.02USD here, but IMO it's better to focus on the normal, most likely scenarios and do extra digging when you run across out-of-norm scenarios later.

You may never experience a low TA situation with a pH that would be too low if you made an acid addition.

Having said that, I'm unable to resist digging into the science/chemistry of wine. I find myself searching for and reading wine chemistry texts instead of a good novel

 

[roadwarriorsvt]

I purchased the MW101 thinking the only difference was the 101 is .01 less accurate than the 102. After receiving the 101, I learned that I have to calibrate for temp. The 102 has a probe and does this for you. Wish I had bought the MW102.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I just got the Vinmetrica SC200 Ph/TA tester - I would recommend that one...