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No, you don't. The cleaning solution is only for those tough contaminants stuck on the sensor. For regular contaminants, soap water will do the job.

@aperainst thanks

This thing dosent want to stabilize on calibration. Its just bouncing around and won't lock on nothing. What do i do with this?

​@aperainst never mind i figured it out. Definitely not exactly as easy as the video looks but I guess I didn't have it stirred and the stabilize properly or somthin. Eventually after many repeat tries, I got it. Otherwise I think it's a great product. 👍

The video shows them pulling the battery cover off as if it's a brand new one, that's why I kinda thought I needed the cleaning solution for the first time also.

Storing the probe in 3M KCl is the best practice. But if you don't have it, just make sure there are several water droplets in the cap to keep the moisture. Or you can soak it in the pH 4.00 solution as a second choice.

Our soil pH meter is GroStar GS2. You can find it on Amazon at a good deal now.

Please note that pH probes should never be soaked in pure water or tap water. It should be soaked in 3M KCl soaking solution or pH 4 buffer if you don't have 3M KCl on hand.

the video literally answers your questions 🤣1:41 and 1:51 ... any more q's that need a's? lol

Frequent Use: Calibrate at least once a week. Moderate Use: For regular, moderate use, calibrate at least once a month. This is generally sufficient to maintain accuracy. Special Situations for Recalibration: * After testing highly acidic (pH < 2) or highly alkaline (pH > 12) solutions. * If the tester has not been used for an extended period. The PH20 tester does not have a built-in notification sensor to alert you when recalibration is necessary. You will need to follow the guidelines above or check calibration solution periodically if stability issues or accuracy deviations are observed.

Your manual states you can use the solution up to 10 times or so. The more you know. 🌈

Hi! Yes, you do have to buy the 3rd solution. They also sell a CalPod for storage - it's great because you won't waste any solution. Hope this helps

As rule of thumb, we'd recommend calibrating the meter once every month.

@@aperainst Okay thanks for the reply!

In case anyone has the same question, I spoke with Luke from Apera Instruments. He advised that for low acidic testing with the 1.68pH buffer, the calibration sequence should be: start with 7.00pH, followed by 1.68pH, and finish with 10.01pH, effectively replacing the 4.00pH buffer with the 1.68pH buffer. Be aware that if you calibrate for low acidity and you do not recalibrate the pH meter and then test something that needs to be within the 4.5-5.5pH range, the results may be slightly inaccurate. Hope this helps!

@@teresae4268 Thank you for sharing the info! Yes the recommended sequence is 7.00, 1.68, then 10.01. Always start with 7.00.

We are sorry to hear this issue happening to you. Yes, it is a sensor problem. Replacing the sensor (model SX615) will solve the problem for you.

Hello! We are sorry about the confusion there. Leaving a few water droplets is only for maintaining a humid atmosphere in the probe cap to prevent the pH membrane from drying out. It’s different from soaking/immersing the pH probe in water, which is going to damage the probe gradually. Using 3M KCl soaking solution to store the pH probe is the best practice that can keep the pH sensor at its optimal condition. As people might not always have 3M KCl on hand, the alternative is soaking the probe in pH 4 buffer. When you don’t have pH 4 buffer on hand either, leaving a few water droplets in the cap is going to be much better than dry storage. To put it simply, there is a ranking for pH probe storage method, from worst to best: soaking in pure water like tap or drinking water (Very bad) --> dry storage (Bad) --> leaving a few water droplets in the probe cap (OK) --> soaking in pH 4 buffer (good) --> soaking in 3M KCl soaking solution (best). Hope you can find this info helpful.

@aperainst definitely thanks! So some drops of well water is OK to keep moisture if I use the meter every day?

@@FatherNatureCNY yes absolutely.

@aperainst hey I have this new meter that I got when we were talking about storage...hlf the time I open the case,take it out and hit the button, and it doesn't turn on. That sucks, because what am I supposed to do the whole time this is in the mail going back to u guys AND the time it takes for a replacement to reach me? This sucks. And it won't turn on right now at all. I finally after 3½ yrs of using cheap junk throw away meters, went for it and bought an apera instrument. And here I am lol what am I supposed to do about this? Email?

@aperainst even the day I got it, I calibrated it. There was a couple times it shut off before I could dip into the 7 solution, to water,and to the 4ph. Couple times I had to hit the power button a few times cuz it wouldn't turn on. Now it's still not turning on with 50 gallons of plant food mixed up for use this evening. It's an expensive mix every Friday believe me. This is about to go to waste I have a feeling🤬

Hello! Thank you very much for your feedback. We are very sorry about the delayed response on this TH-cam channel. And we will do our best to improve the efficiency in responding. In the meantime, should you have any urgent inquries, you can always give us a call at +1 (614) 2853080 from 9AM to 6PM Mon to Fri New York TIme.

This is a serious company whose main customers aren't there yutubue viewers what do you expect them to do, pay someone to respond to comments quicker, hardly worth it for them

Their

We are sorry to hear this happening to you. It could be due to contaminated buffers, aged probe, or malfunctioning instrument...we need to test on the product to identify the root cause. You can go to support.aperainst.com to submit a RMA ticket. One of our technical support will be in touch to help you resolve the problem.

Yes please contact us for warranty fulfillment. You can submit an RMA ticket at support.aperainst.com or we can be reached at +6142853080 or info@aperainst.com.

It's over priced junk, with a 3 digit screen. Better off with a cheapy from amz that has a four figure screen and is just as accurate as is this old outdated tech.

You can buy them from Amazon or aperainst.com

I’m in the same boat. ???

When the reading is greater than 2000 µS, the unit will be automatically converted to mS. 1 mS = 1000µS. For example, if the reading is 2500µS, the display will be 2.5 mS on the screen.

pH 4 and 7 buffer solutions are good for up to 10 times of calibration as long as they are not expired or contaminated.

pure water refers to distilled water/RO water/deionized water

Shouldn't I use tap water at all? Or that's ok?

It depends on how clean your rain water is. If the conductivity of your rain water is very low (<20µS), it could take longer to get a stable reading. Sokaing the probe in pH 4 buffer for 10 seconds before testing can help speed up the stabilization.

Yes it's a recommended practice to store the probe in 3M KCl solution to keep its optimal condition.

0:53

@@Tonyrosaspestañas yes I ended up doing the same and always is ready to read thanks

Please do not use any water to soak/store the pH probe as it will damage the probe over time. For soaking the probe, please use the 3M KCL solution.

@@aperainstboiled or bottled water?

@@isaiaguilera6279 Please do not use any water to soak/store the pH probe as it will damage the probe over time. For soaking the probe, please use the 3M KCL solution.

A few water droplets in the probe cap is totally fine and helps prevent the probe from being dried out. But never soak the probe in pure water. Only use 3M KCl for soaking.

Storage practice ranking from worst to best: soaking in pure water < store dry < store with a few droplets in the probe cap < soaking in pH buffer < soaking in 3M KCl

1. Water droplets are added before the new product leaves factory just to keep a minimally required humid atmosphere for the probe. In terms of water type, using tap water or drinking water is good.

2. Soaking in 3M KCl for long term storage is the best practice for the pH probe. It will ensure the probe to have its optimal performance. The reason we didn't add KCl in the probe cap when the meter leaves factory is because the solution could leak out during transportation and people might think this is not in new condition. Storing with a few drops of water can prevent the pH probe from being dried out, but it's not going to maintain the probe at its best condition.

3. Yes you are right. Never soak the probe in pure water because it can damage the probe's reference system and cause measurement inaccuracy in the long term. For probe soaking, please use 3M KCl.

@@aperainst Thank you for the responses. Since posting my original comment, I have researched the topic myself. So for the sake of further clarifying the issues around storage, and the use of various types of water, could you please confirm whether the following is correct? From my research, I've found out that the probe is comprised of layers of semi permiable glass, between which is an electrolyte solution. The exact composition of this solution can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. When you store the probe in tap water that has a different balance and composition of electrolytes, or worse yet, distilled or de-ionized water that is very low / free of electrolytes, the solution inside the probe can be leeched out. Which can damage the bulb and the sensor (1). Further more, storing the probe in the wrong type of storage solution can also cause the balance and composition of the solution inside the bulb to change. Which is why you should always use the storage solution that the manufacturer recommends. A few drops of water in the cap will help maintain a moist environment in the short term, and any leeching of the solution in the bulb should be minimal due to the minimal contact between the bulb and the water... but the bulb can dry out over time. Which is why for long term storage, it should be submerged in the recommended storage solution. Would you say the above three paragraphs are correct? I do have one follow up question, which I've never been able to find a definitive answer to... (1) Does the solution inside the bulb drying or having it's electrolyte levels reduced actually damage the bulb / sensor, or does it just make it inaccurate?

@@WebeloZappBrannigan The above three paragraphs are correct, very well written. For the follow-up question, the electrolyte inside the glass bulb (inner reference solution) will not be dried out and it won't be reduced, as it's sealed inside and does not contact anything. What will be reduced is the outer reference electrolyte, which contacts with and slowly goes into your tested solutions. When we talk about a pH probe's aging problem, the lack of outer reference electrolyte and the reduced sensitivity of the glass membrane are the two main reasons.

Always storing the ph probe when it's not in use is the best practice.

@@aperainst thanks for the info, I have stored the ph probe in the Storage solution 3M-KCl when I'm not using the PH tester.

I wouldn't do that as above and in their tutorial they say only store in the KCL solution for long term storage and not if you use it daily or weekly. They also say store it in the ph 4 buffer solution or with just a few drops of pure (distilled water) in the cap to maintain humidity. Now I am confused too as I've heard not to store in the buffer solution and not to store in distilled water. But they're saying the KCL is just for long term storage or restoring a dried out probe.

@@jameswilliford5478 Damn all those different stuff. I just store it in the KCL solution. I guess if it's good for long term storage or restoring a dried out probe, it's good for short term storage too. Better storing it in KCL solution then nothing att all. So how do you store your PH tester?

Yes you can store it dry or store it in tap water

⁠​⁠@@aperainst someone said to store it in distilled water. My tap water has a ph of 7,8 and the EC 0,2. What’s recommended? Storing it dry, in tap water or distilled water??

@@Stefusch Store your conductivity probe in clean tap water is totally fine. Distilled water will also do the job, but not necessary.

No. Typically one calibration can hold the accuracy for about a month. But you can always check the accuracy by testing the fresh buffer, if there is discrepancy, you can calibrate the meter to get it right.

The bigger number is the actual real-time reading of the buffer. Usually, it won't be exactly 7.00 or 6.86, which is why the meter needs to be calibrated.

@@aperainst thank you much appreciated