Ph Meter Electrode Care

    I found this informative care guide for Hana pH electrodes included with my replacement electrode. As a non-chemist, it answers a lot of questions I have had and not gotten answers to. I hope if you test your water & mash with a meter you find it helpful too! There apparently a solution for cleaning off protein that I was unaware of. If there is a knowledgeable chemist out there, would such a solution benefit the brewer in extending the life of the electrode, and or allow for better accuracy of readings?
    Thanks!

RiverBrewer said:

would such a solution benefit the brewer in extending the life of the electrode, and or allow for better accuracy of readings?
    Thanks!

Click to expand...

OK River, I'm not the guy that knows and has the experience, but your last question brings up another question.
Don't you need to use test solution to calibrate those things?  The test solution should tell you if protein build up is effecting the probes, I would think.

Yes, you use calibration solutions. The cleaning of the electrode after dipping it into a sticky mash sample is necessary. Spraying with DW may not be adequate over time. I wouldn't suspect the calibrating solution is designed to clean the electrodes. I have discontinued using electrodes even though they were able to be calibrated because the readings took too long and varied. 

I never meant that the calibration solution would clean anything.
I simply that after normal cleaning, when you go to calibrate it at it's next use you should notice if anything is going wrong when the thing keeps needing more work to calibrate, or if when you check after calibration you don't get the same answer.

Accuracy issues seem non existent if you have baseline solutions that you can consistently get the same result from.

Do the calibration solutions go bad?  I have some from 2009 and my pH meter seems to be about a dime off from the calibrations. 

I was curious if the liquids could be trusted, or should I get fresh solutions before trying to calibrate the meter?

Interesting topic ~ I don't have answers either, but do have a pH meter and I calibrate it before every brewing session, but I don't know how to tell when the electrode is finished.  Maybe it won't calibrate at that time?

I bought a few extra packs of powder to mix up fresh calibrating solution but have been using the  initial pack now for maybe 2 years!  Still seems to work ......... I think!

Hopefully someone with a better understanding will enlighten us!

Brian.

I exchanged a few emails with Milwaukee Instruments on this.  I use their cleaning solution and was told to soak probe overnight in white distilled vinegar periodically when using it for brewing.  Normal grocery store concentration is 5% acetic acid and pH will vary between 2.3 to 2.6 depending on brand.  If that's what your probe reads you can be sure its OK....so I am told.