just bought a PH meter...now trying to understand how to use it

[tracer bullet]

Link to some good cheap wipes? I do something similar, but used a paper towel or (worse) "shook it" dry between dunkings, which probably isn't good for the probe.

On another note, I use some small stainless cup for the wert sample and that sits in a larger cup of ice water to help bring the sample temperature to room temps quicker.

https://www.amazon.com/Kimtech-Scie...ag=se&keywords=kimwipes&qid=1733504405&sr=8-5

It's a lifetime supply.

I grab a wort sample with an espresso cup, trying not to burn my fingers, and then put it into a shot glass that usually stays in the back corner of my frig. I get the sample at the end of mash, and then do the measurements a little while later after I've got it up to a boil and feel safe not babysitting it for a few minutes. As mentioned earlier it's too late to react to any mash pH issues, but I never seem to be very far off my expectations, and so I go with it.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, on brew days I keep a small bowl of ice and water on my sideboard and use a pair of tasting glasses to sample whatever I'm testing for pH or SG and chill them to 70°F before measuring...

Cheers!

 

[mac_1103]

You can keep calibration solutions but they can definitely get cross contaminated and become less accurate.

This is known as operator error. The solutions don't cross-contaminate themselves.

 

[Kickass]

pH meters are not for the faint of heart. In order to rely on any readings, you have to be willing to calibrate or test the accuracy on a regular basis and the probes are prone to failure whenever they feel like it.

These are the exact reasons I haven’t been able to pull the trigger on one. I truly respect those who use them but at the end of the day, not for me.

 

[Bobby_M]

This is known as operator error. The solutions don't cross-contaminate themselves.

Whatever the reason, it happens and if you're not careful, you're miscalibrating and thinking you're doing the right thing. There are a lot of ways to misuse a pH meter and I just brought up one of them.

 

[Bramling Cross]

As far as calibration buffers go, I'm a huge fan of this format. Buffers are expensive and they come in a big jar that you'll never be able to use before it goes off. Those big jars are so wasteful. Using the little packets, I can refresh my buffers monthly and I don't worry (as much--I still worry!) about the reliability of my calibration buffers. I've used these for years, and stored them for years, and they seem to give me consistent, reliable information that results in beer that keeps me from thinking about buying commercial beer.

Regarding taking samples: Put three coffee mugs in your freezer. Pull a sample, maybe 20% of the mug? Enough to cover the probe is all you need. Put your sample back in the freezer and set your phone for 8min. You should have a room temp sample, maybe a bit cooler. It's okay to pulse it in the microwave for 5-10sec intervals if you forgot to set an alarm. Lordy, I know!

Things you should measure: 1) end of mash pH, 2) pre-boil/entire runnings, 3) post-boil.

For now, just record those data points. Don't start trying to bugger around with those numbers on brew day, you'll only chase your tail. Once you have an established baseline, start making adjustments on the next brew. Record those numbers and keep iterating. Eventually you'll be able to make on the fly adjustments, but you need to learn your water and recipes first. The only way you can learn that is by refraining from messing around with your pH until you have a solid baseline. I know, it's so tempting! Don't do it, just record your data for now. This summer you'll be doing amazing things with acid on the fly, if you simply record your data this winter and spring.

Don't be surprised if you find out that you need to add acid throughout the brew day. I've found this to be normal. Typically, I'm adding acid to my strike and sparge liqours, my kettle pre-boil, my kettle again at ~15 to counteract the upward pH surge brought about by late boil hops, and (more times than I'd like) to fine tune my wort as it goes into the fermenter.

The above is not applicable to black beers. They're something entirely different.

I hope you found this useful, Odie, and I wish you the best on what is sure to be a very frustrating, but very rewarding phase of your hobby. Stick with it. It *is* worth it!

 

[DavidWood2115]

I have a Milwaukee MW 102. I haven't calibrated mine in probably two years. I just checked and it's off by less than 0.1, which is plenty of accuracy for my purposes. Your mileage may vary.

 

[mabrungard]

Regarding the pH meter that the OP referenced, they are essentially throw-away devices with a likely short lifespan. That's why they're sold in multiple packs. The thing I don't like about that particular meter is that it seems to require specialized calibration solutions instead of industry-standard solutions (4.01 & 7.01).

Regarding pH calibration solutions, its really only the 10.01 solution that is subject to rapid expiration due to CO2 in the air. The 4.01 and 7.01 solutions are relatively stable and they're the only solutions you should be calibrating a brewing pH meter with. I buy the 8oz bottles and they're good for many years. I've checked the response of old solutions to the fresh solutions that I've bought and they've been virtually identical after 5 years. Don't worry too much about these solutions being expired.

Cooling your wort samples to 'room-temperature' is an important procedure for measuring wort pH accurately. I used to use glass shot glasses that were taken from the freezer just prior to use, but I found a better way. Now I use stainless steel shot glasses and a separate ice-bath. Put the hot wort in the metal shot glass and swirl the container in the ice bath while monitoring the wort temp with a thermometer. You definitely want it cooled, but not too cool. I try to target a wort temp of 20C to 25C since that's pretty much the temperature of my basement brewery and the temperature of the calibration solutions. (you do want the temperature of the calibration solutions and the cooled wort to be pretty much the same). Since I use the SE220 pH probe that comes with the Milwaukee MW-101 and 102 meters, it's small diameter probe will fit in a shot glass and the wort sample volume is pretty small and this metal shot glass cooling technique generally takes less than a minute. I have my pH reading quickly. If you use a probe with large diameter, you might need a container larger than a shot glass.

I check the calibration of my pH probe before each brew day, but I suppose that I could decrease that to every other brew without much detriment. I'd say that stretching the time between calibration to years would be pushing your luck. David is fortunate that the SE220 probe for his MW-102 is one of the most durable and reliable probes out there. If you're using a cheap probe, you're probably not going to get that sort of reliability or repeatability.