PH meter recommendations

Does anyone have a recommendation for a ph meter? There are so many different options online and I want to be sure I get one that will last and work well for me.

Thanks

I bought a hanna instruments pH meter HI98103B off of Amazon and used it last week for the first time. Multiple readings were repeatable and price was right ~$39.

Again why bother. Once you have figured out your water and mash technique your pH will be right, no need to obsess over it. Just use some cheap pH strips for the first few batches until your technique gets firmed up. Then ignore the pH.

Parkinson1963 said:

Again why bother. Once you have figured out your water and mash technique your pH will be right, no need to obsess over it. Just use some cheap pH strips for the first few batches until your technique gets firmed up. Then ignore the pH.

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This is poor advice

Parkinson1963 said:

Again why bother. Once you have figured out your water and mash technique your pH will be right, no need to obsess over it. Just use some cheap pH strips for the first few batches until your technique gets firmed up. Then ignore the pH.

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Well, some places water chemistry and sources are changed multiple times a yea. Plus not too sure how well your ph strips work for you, they give you a very broad range. I honestly would get the cheapest possible(with in reason),even the expensive ones have to have the "probe"(not sure what they call it) replaced ever so often.

Sc Ryan

Bad Advice??

How so.?

I know from repeat testing that with my water (plus HCl and Gypsum) my mash pH will be +- 5.2.

So once your system is dialed in why would you want to continue to measure pH?

Maxkling: Really, your city changes it's water supply through the year! How and Why??

I forgot the model of the Hanna meter I got but I love it. It's the more expensive one on Amazon (~$100) but the key is that it goes out two decimal places (5.00). This is important due to the narrow pH range we care about and the uncertainty with the final decimal place. Spend the extra money now, you won't regret it.

Parkinson1963 said:

Maxkling: Really, your city changes it's water supply through the year! How and Why??

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Believe it or don't, municipal sources can change seasonally or just as drought cycles go. A couple months ago, I had a mash unexpectedly land at 5.9 before correction, and the resulting beer presented a lot more chalkiness than I was used to -- the previous batch had no such minerality issues.

Reservoir water will change seasonally.

Woh!

I am glad I live where my water doesn't change much year to year.

Otherwise that would be to much like work. Imagine calling the water department every time you did a brew.

Or worse using bottle (untested) water.

Parkinson1963 said:

Maxkling: Really, your city changes it's water supply through the year! How and Why??

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Around here some of the municipal water comes from wells, and some is CAP water from the Colorado river (Central Az Project). The ratio of well water to river water changes throughout the year, and from area to area within town, and as such so do the concentrations of ions that effect brewing. The part of town I live in gets all of the water from local wells, but even the profile of the well water sees dramatic changes in the summer from the massive run-offs related to the monsoon season. The well that supplies my neighborhood usually has CaCO3 levels around 200ppm, but in the past year it's been as high as 261ppm and as low as 135ppm. Any municipal water source will have some changes to the chemistry throughout the year, mostly related to rainfall. Yours might not change enough that you notice it in your beers, but I bet you'd be surprised if you actually saw the numbers.

My water comes from the great lakes (Lake Ontario specifically), so it's pretty damn consistent from one season to the next. Only problem is that it's also terrible brewing water, so it doesn't really matter all too much.

I was using the Checker from Hanna but it got wet and stopped working (second one ruined). I suggest spend a little extra and get a water proof version.
I am considering the "pH turtle" also from Hanna :
http://www.hannainst.com/usa/prods2.cfm?id=044002&ProdCode=HI 9815

Its only marginally more expensive than a decent water proof meter. Im thinking of installing it at the outlet of the MLT for continuous monitoring of the mash and sparge pH.
Would anyone care to comment on this option ?

I'd think it'd wear out the probe very quickly.

If you're in the market for a pH meter, you're really best off getting a bench meter (not a portable and DEFINITELY not a pen-style) with a probe that can be disconnected and/or replaced, if need be. Some decent units are available for just a bit more than you'd get a lower-end one from a LHBS.

Surface water in the Midwest = fluctuating water quality. Also, many places blend multiple source waters depending on raw water characteristics, environmental factors, spills/contamination concerns upstream etc. Surface water is a PIA.

Bru said:

I was using the Checker from Hanna but it got wet and stopped working (second one ruined). I suggest spend a little extra and get a water proof version.
I am considering the "pH turtle" also from Hanna :
http://www.hannainst.com/usa/prods2.cfm?id=044002&ProdCode=HI%209815

Its only marginally more expensive than a decent water proof meter. Im thinking of installing it at the outlet of the MLT for continuous monitoring of the mash and sparge pH.
Would anyone care to comment on this option ?

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The accuracy on the turtle is not good enough for our brewing application. +/-0.2 is way too loose.

Check out the Hanna 98128 (I think it's the pHEP 05). It has a resolution of .01 and accuracy of +/-.05