bqq100 January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 3 months ago I bought a BRS lab grade ph probe for my apex. It calibrated and ran fine for a while, but lately it's been reading really high. I wasn't too concerned and figured it had drifted and needed to be calibrated. Tried calibrating today, but after finishing the calibration process I put the probe back in the 7.00 solution and it reads about 7.25. The probe hadn't been out of water in 3 months, but I also hadn't really cleaned it at all (last week when I finally did clean it there was a bunch of red bubble algae growing on it, mostly on the outside casing). Should I be cleaning the probe more often or did I just end up with a bad probe? Now I'm debating splurging and getting a Cole Parmer probe or just getting the cheaper Pinpoint one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 ditch the probe altogether and save yourself money, stress, and headaches down the road. It's a parameter that I rarely test for if ever as I've come to the conclusion that if you do regular w/c and have aerated water, then your pH will remain more or less stable. home reefs do well with pH ranging from 7.8-8.4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinpanva January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 +1 in labs, they calibrate daily and the probes, even if lab grade, still get replaced often. I look at pH as "it is what it is". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 I just usually get a standard probe from Neptune, calibrate it once, and replace it once a year. I don't chase pH, but rather look at the trends on the graph for possible issues with something else. (Alk overdose, etc) They do need to be replaced over time, but shouldn't go bad after 3 months. Also, these probes are not meant to be fully submerged, just the tips of the probe in the water - is yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaddc January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 I agree with all above. pH probes have a limited lifespan and proper care can extend it. Tons of info on the interwebs on proper ph probe care. The pH probe is an electrical device. When the pH probe reaches its end of life, the compensation voltage offsets exceed the operating range and so the probe can no longer be calibrated. If you are really keen on observing pH, then I recommend having at least 2 (one on apex and one stand-alone) to maintain your confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bqq100 January 20, 2015 Author Share January 20, 2015 Sorry if I gave the impression that I carefully monitor and chase pH, I'm happy as long as it's somewhere in the ballpark of the right value.... The probe was measuring 8.6+ at the peak when I finally decided it was time to try to calibrate! I know that the probes need to be replaced every year or so, I was just surprised that this one only made it 3 months... After "calibrating" it last night and reviewing the pH graph it looks like the response time of the probe is shot. After removing the probe from the 7.00 reference solution and putting it back in the tank, It took over an hour to stabilize. Also, these probes are not meant to be fully submerged, just the tips of the probe in the water - is yours? Interesting, I did not know that.... I think mine is fully submerged, or pretty close to fully submerged. I'll have to find a better mounting method for my next one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaddc January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 Interesting, I did not know that.... I think mine is fully submerged, or pretty close to fully submerged. I'll have to find a better mounting method for my next one! That was most likely the culprit to the short life span. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob A January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 I saw a post where someone said their alk doser stuck on and dosed a ton of alk into their tank. Another reason to have a pH probe on an apex to power the doser off and/or send you a warning if the pH suddenly spikes. Although if your dosing pump is driven by the apex directly and the EB relay sticks it's not gonna shut off just because it gets told to by the pH probe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country January 20, 2015 Share January 20, 2015 I gave up on the BRS probes after getting one that wouldn't calibrate out of the box. I just get the pinpoint or neptune standard probes and haven't had any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 January 21, 2015 Share January 21, 2015 Sorry if I gave the impression that I carefully monitor and chase pH, I'm happy as long as it's somewhere in the ballpark of the right value.... The probe was measuring 8.6+ at the peak when I finally decided it was time to try to calibrate! I know that the probes need to be replaced every year or so, I was just surprised that this one only made it 3 months... After "calibrating" it last night and reviewing the pH graph it looks like the response time of the probe is shot. After removing the probe from the 7.00 reference solution and putting it back in the tank, It took over an hour to stabilize. Interesting, I did not know that.... I think mine is fully submerged, or pretty close to fully submerged. I'll have to find a better mounting method for my next one! Just an FYI, but regarding the fully submerged PH probe, if you look around the internet, you'll find that the probe damage itself is not a real issue, but that the wire will suck saltwater into the Apex and fry your controller, so definitely don't submerge your probe starting right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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