ph probe suspected

[dadonoflaw]

ph probe suspected

i have been fighting low ph issues but now i am not so sure its the water. i put some fresh ro water in a container and put the probe in and it read 9.38. that doesnt sound right. then i added salt and it kept going down and is currently at 7.87. the water is at 1.028 sg. when i added my ca and alk for the day earlier the ph went from 7.8 to 7.49 which i heard someone say cant be right. probe error? sps are showing polyps and seem unaffected. alk is 9.5 ca is 440ppm

[Tech Diver]

How old is your probe and what does it read when checking the calibration fluids?

[dougchambers]

Leveraging off what Tech Diver said, when was the last time you cleaned and calibrated the probe?

[dadonoflaw]

i calibrated it about a month ago. i wiped the tip off when i did this. should i be cleaning it in some special way?

[DrBDC]

Ignore any ro/di pH readings. They can be anything and mean nothing.

[Tech Diver]

Again I must ask how old is your probe, because they should be replaced after 6 to 8 months, or refilled every 4 months. I have a refillable probe and I find it very economical to use. It costs me only about $3 to replace the chemicals in it (Potassium Chloride).

[KyleO]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11446000#post11446000 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tech Diver
Again I must ask how old is your probe, because they should be replaced after 6 to 8 months, or refilled every 4 months. I have a refillable probe and I find it very economical to use. It costs me only about $3 to replace the chemicals in it (Potassium Chloride).

Can you tell me a little more about the refillable probe? Where do you get it and the replacement chemicals?

[Tech Diver]

There are a number of companies that sell these. Aquamedic for one, but they just re-lable another supplier with their own name. However, I prefer a much higher grade probe directly from the source where you can also get the refill kits. Here is what I wrote in an earlier post about these probes:

I particularly like the probes manufactured by Oakton (true laboratory quality and accuracy). I purchased a completely submersible double-junction refillable probe from Nova-Tech:

http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/pH-ORP-Electrodes-Probes/WD-35805-24

This $114 probe is permanent and I only need to refill it every 4 or 5 months with about $3 worth of solution. I really pays to refill, especially when you can get such a high quality piece of equipment.

[agave60]

Not meaning to hijack this thread, but I've had the same problems with my my pH probe.

Tech Diver,
I'm thinking about ordering the probe you're suggesting, it would be really nice to have a permanent probe and save a few bucks in the long run. What refill solution should be used, is it compatible with the BNC connection on an aquacontroller Jr., and is it calibrated the same way as the disposible probes?

Thanks,
Carlos

[Tech Diver]

The refill solution is KCl (Potassium Chloride), which is a harmless salt. Some other probes contain silver compounds but this is safe. The link to the refill solution is here:

http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/pH-ORP-Solutions-Parts-Accessories/WD-35803-74

With some refillable probes, you can only immerse them about halfway up to the refill hole. But this probe is completely submersible. In fact, I have it lying at the bottom of my sump.

[michaeljames]

I have also been having issues with my probe readings, I even went out and bought a new probe and calibrated it according to the instructions, all my liquid ph tests were reading perfect (8.2-8.4) while my probe hooked to my acjr was reading in the 7 range. Turns out because I hooked my acjr to my computer I now have to buy an isolater to run between the unit and computer... thanks neptune...

[KyleO]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11451318#post11451318 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michaeljames
I have also been having issues with my probe readings, I even went out and bought a new probe and calibrated it according to the instructions, all my liquid ph tests were reading perfect (8.2-8.4) while my probe hooked to my acjr was reading in the 7 range. Turns out because I hooked my acjr to my computer I now have to buy an isolater to run between the unit and computer... thanks neptune...

Can you tell me a little about the isolator? Maybe that is my problem.........your situation sounds very familiar!!!

[michaeljames]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11452147#post11452147 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by KyleO
Can you tell me a little about the isolator? Maybe that is my problem.........your situation sounds very familiar!!!


I contacted neptune, the part is available for $45 and the part # is SERIPC9. it is supposed to break the ground loop between the neptune and the computer, Good luck!

[five.five-six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11450306#post11450306 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tech Diver
The refill solution is KCl (Potassium Chloride), which is a harmless salt. Some other probes contain silver compounds but this is safe. The link to the refill solution is here:

http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/pH-ORP-Solutions-Parts-Accessories/WD-35803-74

With some refillable probes, you can only immerse them about halfway up to the refill hole. But this probe is completely submersible. In fact, I have it lying at the bottom of my sump.

it is very safe, if you have high blood presure, put it on your food in place of table salt.

has anyone else used this probe? my robe has been running since April, but there is still liquid in it. not sure how to tell when it is time to replace, but I think I am going replaceable

[KyleO]

I am running all possible solutions to my "probe" problem:

I have pestered Curt at Neptune into a PH probe replacement, I have ordered my refillable probe from Novatech, ordered the SERIPC9 and also ordered single use calibration packets from Marine Depot since Curt has stated that the bottled calibration fluids are notoriously off.

Sorry for the high-jack, I am just dealing with the exact same issue(s) and wanted to offer a little "extra" info for anybody that needs it.

[agave60]

KyleO,
I can't find that part number on the Novatech site, can you verify the one you posted?

Thanks,
Carlos

[KyleO]

http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/pH-ORP-Electrodes-Probes/WD-35805-24

This is the one Tech Diver recommended (and I ordered)

[agave60]

Thanks, I'm placing my order now. Hopefully this cures the problem I'm having with my current probe. Any idea on how long these can be refilled without losing their accuracy?

Carlos

[KyleO]

I am planning on a 4-month refill schedule (whether it is empty or not)

[wizsmaster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11450306#post11450306 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tech Diver
The refill solution is KCl (Potassium Chloride), which is a harmless salt. Some other probes contain silver compounds but this is safe. The link to the refill solution is here:

http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/pH-ORP-Solutions-Parts-Accessories/WD-35803-74

With some refillable probes, you can only immerse them about halfway up to the refill hole. But this probe is completely submersible. In fact, I have it lying at the bottom of my sump.

Tech Diver,

is this probe round, or oval? I'm looking to put one in my CA RX ...

Thanks,
--marco

[Tech Diver]

This probe is a cylinder that is 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. The diameter is large because it is actually a glass probe housed in an abs plastic sleeve. Since you are planning to use the probe in your Ca reactor (only partially immersed), you can get just the inner part which is the same high-quality double junction refillable unit but with a "standard" 12mm diameter. That part number is:
http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/pH-ORP-Electrodes-Probes/WD-35805-04

I you prefer a more durable (but expensive) epoxy unit:
http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/pH-ORP-Electrodes-Probes/WD-35805-09

Either of these will fit into a 1/2 inch port on your Ca reactor.

[wizsmaster]

Thank You - I ordered 1 of the "WD-35805-09" for the CA RX & 1 "WD-35805-24" for the sump.
How many refills do you get out of a single refill kit? I ordered 2 kits just to be sure. is there an expiration date on them?

[Tech Diver]

You get about 5 or 6 fills from a refill kit and there is a limitted shelf life of 12 months. So your second bottle of solution might expire before you use it all up. But it's fairly inexpensive, so it's not that big a deal. You might want to refill every three or four months since you have plenty of solution to spare. You might be able to stretch out it's shelf life by storing it in the fridge. Now I'm curious and will call the manufacturer to see if that would work since I'm in the same situation as you.

[Tech Diver]

I posted this in a separate thread, but here it is again just to be sure that all affected parties read this-

Important information for all of you who have just placed an order with NovaTech for the FULLY SUBMERSIBLE REFILLABLE pH probe that I recommended:

Although I have used and refilled several different models of Oakton pH probes (with which I have been very satisfied), I just went to refill the WD-35805-24, the submersible unit that I have been recommending (this is the big 1" diameter probe). I could not find the opening for the refill hole and called Oakton tech support only to find out that there was an error on the NovaTech web site and the unit is NOT REFILLABLE.

NovaTech has just corrected the information on there web site and is contacting all those who have ordered this unit to inform them of their mistake. If you have one of these probes I would recommend calling NovaTech at 866-433-6682 to ask for either a refund or a different unit.

I am requesting a WD-35805-04 instead ($113). This is a laboratory grade double junction refillable glass unit. Unfortunately, it is not fully submersible so I'll just have to mount it at the top of my sump. But that's OK since it is what I have always done my the other refillable probes.

[pgordemer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11498519#post11498519 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tech Diver
You get about 5 or 6 fills from a refill kit and there is a limitted shelf life of 12 months. So your second bottle of solution might expire before you use it all up. But it's fairly inexpensive, so it's not that big a deal. You might want to refill every three or four months since you have plenty of solution to spare. You might be able to stretch out it's shelf life by storing it in the fridge. Now I'm curious and will call the manufacturer to see if that would work since I'm in the same situation as you.

Never using a refillable proble before. When you do refill them, or when do you know you have to refill them? What happens when you don't, etc...

[Tech Diver]

It's just like what happens with a sealed probe; the accuracy and response time decreases as it gets older. The decision to refill the probe is based on time. I bet there are lots of aquarists who are using "expired" probes and are not aware that they are getting false readings. The nice thing about a refillable probe is that you can refill often to maintain high accuracy and not worry about the cost.

I have four major equipment maintainance periods for my aquarium each year that correspond with the first day of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter (so I don't forget). I always replace the probe chemicals at each of those periods.