Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Best way to test PH for home lab (liquids, chems, powders & soils).

RogueRose - 16-10-2015 at 01:17

I really need to get something to test PH other than the very old aquarium analyzer's I've been struggling with.

I see there are some electric probs for gardeners to test soils and maybe water & fert solutions).

I'd like something quick ( up to $40) and also something that is portable like strips.

Any suggestions for which products are the best?

Sulaiman - 16-10-2015 at 02:36

I use test paper like these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160-pH-Indicator-Universal-Range-L...
and pH meters like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LCD-Digital-Pocket-Pen-Aquarium-Po...
for the pH meter be sure to get buffer solutions for calibration, the one I linked to has automatic temperature compensation (ATC) and comes with two buffers.

The pH meter requires several mL of liquid to work, and takes 10's of seconds to give a stable accurate reading
the test papers work with just a drop of liquid or even vapours and give a near instantaneous indication of pH.

e.g. for titrations I find the pH meter to be frustratingly slow, test paper or common indicators such as phenolphthalein or methyl orange are more useful.