Ph kits.

Interesting observation. I have ph test kits from 2 different brands. I tested ph today with one and for some funny reason did it again with the other brand. Got a different reading. Way different! Test 1 6.8, test 2 7.5. I went and bought another kit and again a different reading, 7.2! Whats up?

 

Cheap / expired test kits! ?
Sometimes better to take a watersample(s) to a few Lfs or even a Pool shop, to test!

 

Professor will tall us all that we wasting our time with any pH test kit, and need to get some fancy electronic thing that will cost us half our salaries combined!

 

hmm what about using a pool ph test kit ?

 

1 is a pool kit, the other a brand name expensive on, the other a low budget distributor name. Pool and distributor both phenol red.

 

do strips , get expired

 

99.9% of test kits expire.

The test kits strips, in my opinion, are the WORSTE. They have chemicals on the test strips, and these chemicals react with the water and give you a reading. If you open and close your test strip bottle 20 times, the moisture in the air has made an effect on the chemicals on the strips, rendering the results a little inaccurate. I also don't really fancy the idea of sticking this strip INTO the water with them chemicals on them.

So to answer you question shakes... YES, they do expire, and for the most accurate and best results on your budget, get a test kit that uses a vial and drops.

 

Zoom, you make a very good point there. I'm starting to lose faith in those test strips. I was getting a ph reading of around 6.4 on the test strip while my laboratory ph tester was reading 7.

 

This might help
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?t=2763&highlight=meters

 

I remember that thread it was one of those that I just shut up and learned !

but man are those instruments expensive!

I wonder if any will be interested but lets have an experiment?
if there is someone in pta or jhb that has a ph instrument that is one of the best and most accurate I can take a sample of my water to them and get them to test it . then we have a accurate reading . then ill test my water with my api kit and see the difference ?

we can compare ph once and for all you never know what we could find !

cheers

 

Brad, I can't say whether or not my ph meter (Eurotech Instuments) is one of the most accurate out there but I have confidence in it and I would be happy to test your water. I'm Kelvin, near Woodmead.

 

guys test strips only have a life span of 8 to 12 months. That is why we dont import it

 

lets make it happen !

ill be free after the 7 june I have exams at the moment but after im on holiday for a month , got to love university !

cheers man

 

cool, pm me when you're ready

 

Problem with Instruments, they need calibration ever so often, and for that they rely on drop/vial system which, as proven is unreliable. Puts you back at square 1 unless you have something with a constant ph, like I know my R/o water is ph 7. So that can be used. Still there should be an easy and affordable and reliable way.

 

Phone the Prof. Post water to him, ask him to test at his lab.