Recommend a PH meter

[YeastFace]

My generic cheapo eBay/Amazon PH meter is on the blink. Have calibrated but still reading wildly out of sync.

It may well be the batteries, but given 4 new LR44s cost £8 in the shop, and the meter was only £16 it doesn't seem worth it.

Budget is up to £50.

If anyone has first hand experience of the Milwaukee PH51 I'm all ears.

 

[Agentgonzo]

As a different option, for that budget you could buy 1000 test strips, which would last me a lifetime.

https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/ph-strips-4-6-6-2-pack-of-50.html
But I'm also interested to hear recommendations for meters that won't break the bank

 

[-Bezza-]

I have some test strips but found them to be pretty useless. It's a real subjective judgement as to what pH the colour corresponds to, not helped by being colourblind.

You can get 10 times as many LR44 batteries for the same price on Amazon.

 

[LeeH]

I don’t have that particular Milwaukee model but the one I do have is the best I’ve had. I also have the brix meter and you cannot go wrong with that brand.

 

[LeeH]

Or this, the Kegland kit cheap and effective.

￡23.16 5％ Off | KegLand Digital pH Meter - Pen Style beer brewing
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EGtpNUL

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

I'm looking for a new one too as my one reads to 1 decimal place and would rather have one that reads to 2. Watching thread with interest.

 

[Sadfield]

'But I'm also interested to hear recommendations for meters that won't break the bank'

I'm in team Test Strips, but my job requires a good eye for colour. And pH meters, which are a PITA.

 

[MrJay83]

I just use test strips. I can't be bothered making sure it's calibrated all the time.

 

[grooves]

I use this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HM-Digital-PH-200-Professional-Temperature/dp/B00132G102

 

[Leon103]

I started with strips then tried the cheap Chinese ones but the best is
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apera-Inst...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&th=1
A little pricey but really accurate and you don't need to worry about the temperature of the wort.

 

[hoppyscotty]

PH meters are a PITA that is true but I;'m convinced on the basis that brewers make wort and yeast makes beer then the biggest contribution us brewers can make is delivering the best wort for the yeast and I'm convinced the only two parameters we can really actively manage that has a direct impact on the final beer is mash temperatures and PH levels.

I used a cheap eBay meter (£13) initially alongside ph strips and seemed to work pretty well despite me not calibrating it as much as I should have....I then 'upgraded' to a slightly less cheap Dr Meter (£30) which seemed to have a good volume of reasonably positive feedback and has temp correction (though only upto 60 degrees C) but it seems to be a bit more finikity with calibration so becoming a bit of a PITA and I now dread calibrating it. But seem to give pretty consistent results. One of the main reasons why I 'upgraded' it was it had a replaceable probe head but it turns out a replacement probe head is almost as expensive as a new unit.

Still use PH strips as a double check but they're not precise enough to really get an accurate result.

 

[The Baron]

I use a £10 ish Chinese Fleabay meter and have done for a few years now. It does not need calibrating that often and when it does its at most 0.1 out. That is near enough for me and I can not see the sense in spending serious money on super accurate ones for home brewing my self.
My meter is still going strong after at least 4 years and as I have said it is pretty accurate for my use.
Ps its the yellow digital one that you see on Fleabay

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I have the yellow one and a grey similar I was given and they have been fine.
Remember hot wort deteriorates the sensor more rapidly, so cool the wort.
I put a couple of mugs in the freezer to put the hot wort in for a rapid chill.
Also you do need to keep the bulb in the correct preserving solution. I just use a small piece of sponge in the bottom of the cap, wet with the medium when I put it away.
I do remove the batteries as well.
Factor the preserve solution and calibration fluid in your budget.

I second the Milwaukee refractometer as a great accurate easy to use bit of kit.

 

[scomet]

Another ‘+1’ for the Milwaukee (101) unfortunately with Ph meters you really do get what you pay for and as said keeping the bulb in preserving fluid is critical.
But in saying all that since I started using Bru’n Water my mash Ph has never been wrong, I use RO++.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@scomet
I agree the software is very accurate.
But I've been doing a few recipes where they want you to drop the pH after the boil and before the whirlpool hops and the software can't cope with that. Or not in brewfather anyway.
Also using "yeast " like philly sour monitoring the pH lets you see the progress very well as there's not much gravity change at the start during the acidification phase. I also like to know the final pH for these beers.

 

[Clarence]

Why not test the alkalinity of the water using a salifert kit and then adjust using CRS, or if you're using RO water, just add the required amount of phosphoric acid. Is there any real need for a pH meter? I think I'd rather trust my calculations than a meter, although I might trust papers or indicator solution just to make sure I'm in the right ball park.

 

[scomet]

The Ph of the water is unimportant its the ph of the mash that is critical for many reasons. From 'Water' part of the Brewing Series - Cheers

 

[An Ankoù]

The Ph of the water is unimportant its the ph of the mash that is critical for many reasons. From 'Water' part of the Brewing Series - Cheers

You're right, and so is @Clarence who tests for carbonate ion equivalents, which buffer the a acidifyng effect of the grains in the mash, and then adjusts the level accordingly. Other elements are important, too, especially calcium.
Sticking a pH meter into the mash and then adjusting would seem a bit hit-and-miss to me. Better used to verify that things are as expected based on calculations, as the lad says.

 

[foxy]

I have a Hanna pH meter but I do have a Aliexpress cheapie as back up. My water I suppose is RO from the de sal plant but if we have good rainfall my water is barely different, magnesium is the biggest change. But there is more than enough magnesium in the grain so don't worry about that. If I was starting from scratch I wouldn't bother with a dearer model, just get a couple of cheapies.
Salt additions are either as easy, or as hard as the brewer makes it.
So, if we only put the fermentable grain into the mash, (and the program being used) the salt additions barely change from one brew to the next. Mine hover between 4g and 6g for the gypsum and chloride. Steeping the un-fermentables either cold steep, hot steep or 20 minute mash out temperatures means my pH barely moves whether brewing a stout or an IPA .
So don't bother getting a top of the range, just get a couple of cheapies, or even just one. I am pedantic about not having backup in any equipment.

 

[An Ankoù]

Brew day set back. It doesn't take much to short out a board. Filled SVB with 32 litres of water turned on unit to display temperature, went off to mill grain came back could smell electrical fire and temperature was erratic. Disconnected, emptied out the water took out board culprit found one cockroach! This is a reason why I keep multiples of all my brewing gear. Unforeseen circumstances.

So don't bother getting a top of the range, just get a couple of cheapies, or even just one. I am pedantic about not having backup in any equipment.

Really, Foxy? When did you change your mind?