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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Brewing Discussion --> Question on water chemistry for pale beers

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homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


My meter fits perfectly down into my calibration solution.  Rinse and dry the meter, dip it, calibrate.  Rinse and dry, dip into the next.  Easy peasy.


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Posted 34 days ago.

mchrispen
Bastrop, TX
485 Posts


It's not difficult to calibrate my meter. It's a pain. Calibration solution is expensive.

/face palm

Dan, try a test batch mashed at 5.3/5.2 with lactic acid. Don't worry about calcium levels as long as you are over 30 ppm. Get your chloride to about 40-60 ppm.

I don't like much sulfate with noble hops in very pale beers. I also acidify my sparge liquor to under 5.6, which should also reduce silicate extraction.




Posted 34 days ago.

ercousin
Charter Member
Toronto, Canada
77 Posts


Solution isn't that expensive, if you get it from the right place. Also, Olan I would highly recommend you stop sticking the probe right into the bottle.

I get my solution right from Omega (the Canadian site). Looking in the American site it also seems cheap for 475 mL bottles.
www.omega.com/pptst/PHH-7000.html

My advice if you want accurate readings is to calibrate every day you want to use the meter.

Pour a bit of the solution into the cap of the meter (blue outer cap for Omega meter), then measure in that. At my current rate I will probably need to refresh my solution with fresh stock before I run out.

Seems the ph7 is out of stock at the moment, haven't seen that in Canada. Wait until in stock again and order!



Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I understand what you are saying from a best practice point of view.  I do rinse and dry before each change.

For what it's worth, Omega replaced my meter once, and I got a new set of calibration solutions out of the deal.  I've kept them for later, but I have done the cap measure thing with them - the results match my "dunked in" bottles.  
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Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


That solution is a great deal cheaper than the Hach solution I have.

Looks like Amazon has storage solution and calibration solution pretty cheap now. It used to not be very cheap at all, especially with shipping.

I can't even find storage solution on omega's site.

I've found with my meter that as long as I keep the probe submerged in storage solution, calibration stays put for weeks at least.

2




Posted 34 days ago.

rayfound
Charter Member
Riverside, CA
313 Posts


my cheap-ass meter came with a powder to mix with DI water... is that not as good as buying solution?
2




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


Ray, the powder is fine as long as the water you mix it with is properly de-ionized and your measurement is very precise. I have serious doubts about the actual purity (as far as ions) of any grocery store bottled water, and it's just as expensive to buy lab grade DI water as it is to buy the solution and I know the solution is good. Also, I don't have lab grade instruments to measure the water with either.
2




Posted 34 days ago.

rayfound
Charter Member
Riverside, CA
313 Posts


So you think me using it with RO isn't sufficiently accurate? 
2




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


Honestly, I don't know. It depends on how good your RO machine is. If you have a TDS meter you could verify it.


2




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I keep my probe in storage solution, as well.  
2




Posted 34 days ago.

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