PH Meter

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thepatchworkdoll
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PH Meter

Post by thepatchworkdoll » Thu Oct 21, 2021 2:25 pm

Hi All
My 5 year old Voltcraft PH Meter has packed in. What kind of meter is everone using now. Any advice will be very much appreciated.
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Patch

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Re: PH Meter

Post by Silver_Is_Money » Fri Oct 22, 2021 1:01 pm

Apera pH60
Developer of 'Mash Made Easy', a free and complete mash pH adjustment assistant spreadsheet

https://mashmadeeasy.yolasite.com/

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thepatchworkdoll
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Re: PH Meter

Post by thepatchworkdoll » Fri Oct 22, 2021 2:11 pm

Hi SIM Thanks for your input.
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Patch

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Mashman
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Re: PH Meter

Post by Mashman » Fri Oct 22, 2021 6:04 pm

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/ph-meters/0214855
I have one of these, not bought from here. It is cheaper elsewhere. It is excellent
Two Valleys Brewery

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MashBag
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Re: PH Meter

Post by MashBag » Sat Oct 23, 2021 6:35 am

Hanna kit is superb.

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Eric
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Re: PH Meter

Post by Eric » Sat Oct 23, 2021 10:12 am

Is that specification correct?
Best pH Accuracy ±0.2pH

Not much good for brewing if that is so.
Without patience, life becomes difficult and the sooner it's finished, the better.

Dave.T
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Re: PH Meter

Post by Dave.T » Sat May 28, 2022 7:31 pm

How long do your PH meters last, i was put off by reading online that the probes only last 12-18 months. It would mainly be for cider in the autumn as the PH papers are a pain to read.
Would anyone recommend the Beverage Doctor PH meter ?

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Re: PH Meter

Post by aamcle » Sat May 28, 2022 8:01 pm

Is if the meter or do you just need a new probe? Probes don't last.

Aa9

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Re: PH Meter

Post by Dave.T » Sun May 29, 2022 1:52 pm

The meter, i look at spending £50 upwards as an investment not a consumable item. At the start of this thread some ones meter packed in after 5 years, i could live with that. I mentioned the Beverage Doctor as it says you can get replacement probe, has anybody got one or had experience with one ?

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Eric
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Re: PH Meter

Post by Eric » Sun May 29, 2022 3:51 pm

You should be prepared for a probe to last only 12 months, but they can last for years with luck and taking care. If you are only using it for making cider, I would have expected it to take hundreds of readings without trouble, just occasional recalibration.

Do you keep it in storage solution after use and a good rinse, and have you tried a cleaning solution?

Your safest bet for a replaceable probe is one with a BNC socket for a probe on a lead.
Without patience, life becomes difficult and the sooner it's finished, the better.

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Re: PH Meter

Post by Dave.T » Mon May 30, 2022 8:18 pm

Thanks for your reply Eric, yes it would be just for cider once or twice each autumn. I hav'nt actually got one yet that is why i added to this thread to try and find out more about them ( how long the probes lasted ).
I use Graham's water treatment calculator for my all grain and they all come out good so i don't bother checking PH any more ( maybe i should ) , but this year looks like another bumper apple crop. I should press at least 12 gallons of my own plus donated apples as well, the PH strips are ok but i always end up doing several tests before i am happy with the reading.
Dave.

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Eric
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Re: PH Meter

Post by Eric » Mon May 30, 2022 10:17 pm

I don't make cider, so don't really know how important pH might be to making good cider or if it is variable in a similar way to beer, what causes there might be for it to be out of range and what might be done if it was.

Probes in the real world won't last forever, but with care will last several years. I'm currently using one that was replaced several years since, but when the replacement started drifting slightly, it was given the prolonged and gentle clean it should have previously had, and promptly came back to life.

My pH meter does a lot of work, for a hobbyist's instrument. Several readings are taken once the instrument is out and calibrated. I brewed yesterday without it, not because it was a beer predating the concept of pH, at short notice there wasn't time. I've potentially had more satisfaction from knowledge gained when using it than possibly from improvements in individual brews, but that must be a subjective conclusion. I have a personal water treatment that I closely follow and monitor, and can understand why using Graham's water treatment calculator might alleviate concerns for pH measurements. It's a big improvement on mashing ales with low mineral content liquor, then throwing acids and/or bases at the mash until a specific reading is observed.

Only you can decide if the risk of buying a pH meter is warranted. For years I used strips, but the reliable ones were expensive and became harder to find. Others were unreliable and some were impossible to read in coloured wort. None compete with a properly calibrated, well maintained pH meter.

Best wishes.
Eric.
Without patience, life becomes difficult and the sooner it's finished, the better.

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Re: PH Meter

Post by Dave.T » Tue May 31, 2022 9:57 am

Thanks for your advice Eric that's what i find with the strips, difficult to read and never seem to match any of the colours exactly. If i can can get several years with care out of a probe it's worth taking the plunge.
Thanks
Dave

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Eric
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Re: PH Meter

Post by Eric » Tue May 31, 2022 10:36 am

Dave.T wrote:
Tue May 31, 2022 9:57 am
Thanks for your advice Eric that's what i find with the strips, difficult to read and never seem to match any of the colours exactly. If i can can get several years with care out of a probe it's worth taking the plunge.
Thanks
Dave
Good luck Dave and take your time, sometimes good meters are on at bargain prices, although those are never really cheap. Consider those with a separate probe on a lead. At least you can then buy a cheaper replacement. Factor in the cost of buffers and storage solution.
Eric.
Without patience, life becomes difficult and the sooner it's finished, the better.

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