pH meter storage

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hagbardceline

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I have the Hanna Checker 1 pH meter. I didn't have any storage solution to drop into the cap of the probe so I stored it 4.01 solution. I turned it on after not using it for a week and it was reading 4.78!

I have little experience with pH so what I'm wondering, is the prode already wrong? does the pH solution go bad quickly? is it bad to store the probe this way?
 
Its better than storing in distilled water, but you should store it in the typical saturated Potassium solution so that the ions inside the probe are not leached out of the probe. You can make storage solution if you have some potassium chloride that you can dissolve into the 4 buffer solution.
 
Potassium chloride is definitely a better storage solution. Some of the pH standards have KCl in the solution as a general storage buffer. Usually they're pH 7 I think. You'll have to read the lable. If you doo get a hold of some KCl, warm up the solution and let the probe sit in it for a couple of minutes. It should re-equilibrate the probe with the proper ion distribution.
 
Molar mass of KCl = 74.5513 g/mol and you want a 4M concentration so you need 298.20 grams in 1 liter of DI water.

You probably don't need a whole liter so use 75 grams in 250 mL of DI water and you should be good to go.
 
Potassium chloride is a salt used in water softeners, and they sell it a Homeys-D. or lowes.
when I buy salt for mine I just grab a couple of pellets from a busted bag of it.
 
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