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Delphinus
04-01-2004, 05:03 AM
My pH meter has been verry slow to give a steady reading as of late. I wonder if it's my probe or maybe just a sign of a low battery?

For example say my tank is 8.3 ... I turn the meter on, and it will read 7.3. It will then increase in increments of 0.01 for the next few minutes until eventually it settles in at 8.3. It honestly takes about 3 minutes or so to get to that reading.

Thinking the probe was dirty I cleaned it, then soaked it in vinegar, then recalibrated. That wasn't it -- still sluggish.

What do you figure ... bad probe, or bad battery?

(I will try replacing the battery tomorrow, but fishing for ideas in the meantime.)

Canadian Man
04-01-2004, 05:50 AM
Is it the milwakee unit you have Tony?

If so on mine a "V" shows up when the battery is low. I have replaced the battery 3 times since I got it. Mostly because I turn it on and forget to turn it off again. :rolleyes: Then turn it off 12 hours later when I notice it. :lol:

Buccaneer
04-01-2004, 07:04 AM
Dont you guys have a power adaptor ? ... I have the same unit and I leave it on 24/7 ... not sure if that is good or bad but too lazy to turn it on and off all the time I guess :rolleyes: :smile:

EmilyB
04-01-2004, 07:34 AM
I turn mine on once a week and it says 8.2 or something. :confused:

Delphinus
04-01-2004, 03:29 PM
I don't have an adapter for it. I asked for one with one, Jayson said this was the one you could have one on it, he was .... well, mistaken. There is no power adaptor interface. I'll have to run over to Radio Shack and get one of those that can hook up to a 9V battery terminal. And I just haven't done that because ...... well, I despise Radio Shack, they are nowhere near as useful as they used to be 20 years ago. "Do you have a this?" no "Do you have a that?" no "Do you have a such-and-such then" no "Well what exactly DO you have?" I dunno .... :rolleyes:

Or I guess I could just cut the leads and put different terminals on them .. but ... I dunno ... I figure why should I have to do something like that?

But be that as it may .....

I guess I kind of doubt it's my battery then. Although I might still replace it just for giggles. The fact that it's sluggish, as opposed to almost instant like it used to be, causes me some concern. An adaptor and leaving it on 24/7 might treat the symptoms but it doesn't really address the underlying cause. Bad probe? Or maybe my water is out of whack? I don't know. Is everything fine in the tank? Well ... again ... I don't really know. There are some weird but subtle things going on in there right now. Slow recession on some of my montipora's ... yet other, far more sensitive acros, are just plum fine. What gives? Maybe I tailspinned things a bit getting that basketball of a monti cap out of there?

christyf5
04-01-2004, 04:43 PM
Hey Tony, you could calibrate your meter with someone elses probe, then turn it off and on to see how quick its response time is. I know you'd probly rather something more complex, involving a soldering gun and microglasses but this is the quick and dirty method :razz: :wink:
Christy :)