GH pH up down all the way around

Chalkoutline

Chalkoutline

420 Member
I have been trying to ph my water using the General Hydroponics PH Up and Down. I put my water in a gallon jug, test it and it is usually high. Around 7.5 or so. Put ONE drop of ph down and test it. It goes all the way to the other end of the range. Around 4.5. Put ONE drop of ph up and boom. All the way back up at the high end of the range.

I have been using this method for about 6 months and I have always been able to dial it in.

Can this stuff go bad? I don’t know how to do half a drop. Lol.
 
its your probe maybe? Those glass probe ends have a life span and then they start acting crazy like this. Did you get the probe conditioner to store it in and are you careful to always put it away wet with that solution?
 
Emilya said:
its your probe maybe? Those glass probe ends have a life span and then they start acting crazy like this. Did you get the probe conditioner to store it in and are you careful to always put it away wet with that solution?
Click to expand...

This came with a little plastic vial to sample the water. Then I use a testing fluid. Dark green is to base. Dark orange is to acidic. Yellow is juuuust right.
 
might try recalibrating it?
 
ah, now I get it. Yeah, seems to be off somehow with one drop affecting it like that. I think I would get a new kit.... maybe even get you one of those very accurate and cheap digital Hanna units.
 
I’ve had some of those test drops sitting on my shelf for ten years and they seem to work the same as ever. I wonder- if your water adjusts that much with just one drop- it probably doesn’t need adjusting in the first place. Unless it’s reasonably hard water (high ppm) then I don’t think it will be able to shift the ph of your grow medium. For dwc type hydro it might matter- but not for soil and probably not for soilless either.
 
Weaselcracker said:
I’ve had some of those test drops sitting on my shelf for ten years and they seem to work the same as ever. I wonder- if your water adjusts that much with just one drop- it probably doesn’t need adjusting in the first place. Unless it’s reasonably hard water (high ppm) then I don’t think it will be able to shift the ph of your grow medium. For dwc type hydro it might matter- but not for soil and probably not for soilless either.
Click to expand...

It’s just that it is testing off the chart initially. Always on the high side.
 
somethings wacked
 
NOOOBIENOT said:
I use a hanna all in one meter , ph , ppm and temp and I love it , 2nd year now and no problems just keep it stored proper in a solution and calibrate it once a week but it usually doesn't move more than 0.1 either way .
Click to expand...
I have had my Hanna stored away for 3 years... probably needs a new bulb and a battery by now. :) I no longer worry about pH in the very least and find that to be a great relief.
 
Chalkoutline said:
It’s just that it is testing off the chart initially. Always on the high side.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm. Yeah- that’s weird. I thought those test drops were pretty foolproof- just not very accurate. Without a working ph or ppm meter it’s hard to know what you’re dealing with. I suppose you can use distilled water for now though- as long as you don’t need to mix up and adjust bottled nutrients.
 
Hello , distilled water where I come from is all over the map for ph and especially ppm I use r.o water only , our distilled water in Ontario Canada is any where from 250 ppm to 520 ppm , witch isn't good for seedlings or clones as the ppm are already to high,and I haven't added a thing to it .
 
The pH of your tap water probably varies by the season. Mine seems to come out more acidic in the winter, more alkaline in summer.

I've never had a predictable amount of drops needed. It's always just a method of adding drops one-by-one until it's right.
 
NOOOBIENOT said:
Hello , distilled water where I come from is all over the map for ph and especially ppm I use r.o water only , our distilled water in Ontario Canada is any where from 250 ppm to 520 ppm , witch isn't good for seedlings or clones as the ppm are already to high,and I haven't added a thing to it .
Click to expand...

That’s weird too. :hmmmm: Distilled water is 0 ppm by definition.
 
ya that's what it says on the outside of the bottle -0ppm but test it and see what you actually get for a reading , they cheat , yes it is low ppm but it is not zero, nestle pure life water says 300 ppm or less on the bottle most I have tested have been 340- 520 ppm it's marketing bull .
 
Hard to believe, I must admit. Distilling is a pretty simple concept- I don’t know how a distillation operation could mess up that badly. 3-500 ppm is huge. What’s being added in the process ? Since I don’t buy water much I won’t have much chance to test any. If I ever break down and buy a bottle I will though.
 
NOOOBIENOT said:
ya that's what it says on the outside of the bottle -0ppm but test it and see what you actually get for a reading , they cheat , yes it is low ppm but it is not zero, nestle pure life water says 300 ppm or less on the bottle most I have tested have been 340- 520 ppm it's marketing bull .
Click to expand...

Nestle Pure life water has never claimed to be distilled water. It's advertised as spring water
Big difference
Anything labelled specifically as distilled water is 0 ppm
 

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