What ph meter are you using

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Redpappy

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im curios, like I’m sure other new guys/gals are... what ph meter do you use....
 
I have one of those cheap ones from amazon, but the readings are all over the place so I haven't used it in probably 2 years. I just rely on Bru'n Water now with water additions to calculate pH.

I think this is one tool to buy quality in order to be confident of it's accuracy.
 
I also have had a Hanna 98128 for ~5 years now. I really like the meter but it has an issue with the calibration firmware that as the sensor ages becomes a problem (it doesn't wait long enough for a slope to terminate).

I use that as backup to a Hach PocketPro+ now. The Hach has much more sensible firmware, plus its cap seals with an O-ring which helps with sensor preservation...

Cheers!
 
im curios, like I’m sure other new guys/gals are... what ph meter do you use....
I have been using for a few years now a Hach Sension+ PH31 with integrated magnetic stirrer, data storage, 1 to 3 points calibration and calibration intervals/alerts. I still have my first pH analog meter I got in 1995.
 
Seems the models I checked out on amazon have very so-so reviews from cheap to spendy. I looked at Hanna and Hach and same so-so reviews. Are reviewers just not using or taking care of these correctly?

FWIW, settled this ...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ST3VTQ4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Going to try it out next brew day. It’s one of the so-so reviewed meter but since it’s amazon I can still return it if its not up to par.
 
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I've been brewing since 1994...haven't taken a ph reading yet.
Same. I didn’t care because I thought Seattle had great water. My beers have always been good according to friends and family. Proof in that 5 gallons would be gone before the end of the weekend. So I never bothered. I can keep brewing this way and I’d be fine. But recently I haven’t been hitting my OG or FG consistently. I could just let it go and things would still be fine but I want consistency. So a ph meter and knowing my water profile and how to adjust it were the next steps to make my beer better.
 
Seattle does have great water in that it’s so low-mineral it’s a great starting point.

I have a Hach Pocket Pro but pH predictions are usually close enough that I wonder if a brewer even needs to buy one. It’s nice to know the details, but if I trusted the tools and never checked, my beer would be coming out the same...
 
Seattle does have great water in that it’s so low-mineral it’s a great starting point.

I have a Hach Pocket Pro but pH predictions are usually close enough that I wonder if a brewer even needs to buy one. It’s nice to know the details, but if I trusted the tools and never checked, my beer would be coming out the same...
I lived in Bothell and that was when I had great water and didn’t care. Now I’m in the Leschi area. Still good water but different enough to affect my mash. But yeah, once the ph has been figured out you can kind of autopilot. But now days I’m a bit more OCD vs when I was in my 20s in the 90s.
... sorry if I took this off topic.
 
Same. I didn’t care because I thought Seattle had great water. My beers have always been good according to friends and family. Proof in that 5 gallons would be gone before the end of the weekend. So I never bothered. I can keep brewing this way and I’d be fine. But recently I haven’t been hitting my OG or FG consistently. I could just let it go and things would still be fine but I want consistency. So a ph meter and knowing my water profile and how to adjust it were the next steps to make my beer better.

If you're having OG/FG consistency issues then it's probably your crush.

I did research on pH meters and all the calibration and storage requirements told me it's not worth the cost or effort.

Our tap water is fine. No smells or off flavors. In the beginning I used bottled water. Then I switched to using a Pur filter for my tap water.
 
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If you're having OG/FG consistency issues then it's probably your crush.

I did research on pH meters and all the calibration ans storage requirements told me it's not worth the cost or effort.

Our tap water is fine. No smells or off flavors. In the beginning I used bottled water. Then I switched to using a Pur filter for my tap water.
Good to know. Thank you.

I’ve changed my crush and it’s my first brew day today with the new setting. Before I relied on LHBS grain crusher but I just recently bought my own and adjusted the rollers to around where I need to push a credit card (old one) through. I don’t have the nifty feelers but I’ll see if my efficiency is better. In the meantime I do have gypsum and calcium chloride. I’ll be interested to see the ph after dough in. Brewing an IPA with Pilsner malt (37%), maris otter (37%), white wheat (11.1%), and both flaked oats and barley (7.4% each). Will be using the ph meter I mentioned in my initial post.

I guess trying to troubleshoot my efficiency both in grain crush and monitoring the ph is better than doing nothing at all.

But yes, seems water quality is good but since I moved here (and it may be because I’m using a new LHBS) my efficiency is different therefore I had to get my own grain mill and ph meter.

Edit: So very on target this brew day ... 1.068! Totally opening a cold one to celebrate. Vahoo!
 
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MW102. I like it, and trust it. I think if I were to do it again, I'd move the MW102 to a bench in a home lab, and get the Pocket Pro+ for brewing days. Minor, but dealing with cables on the MW102 is only a very slight annoyance for readings on the fly in the middle of a brew. It's probably just my prior experience - had one that was similar to the Pocket Pro for years, for cheesemaking.
 
Id agree on the Milwaukee - I've got the MW104 - A great bench tool but the Pocket Pro+ maybe better in actual use.
 
fwiw, I do not believe the collective experience of the Brew Science regulars has found a sub-$100 pH meter worth buying...

Cheers!
 

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