Will it be obvious when I need to change my ph probe?

[dasianguy]

I setup my apex with the lab grade ph probe last Oct and haven't yet changed the probe out. I'm just wondering, from other people's experience, will it be obvious that the probe has failed? Usually, when a ph probe fails, does it give crazy numbers that can't possibly be right? Or, do I just need to periodically check it against a test kit?

 

[bcavalli]

I run two probes just for that reason and to monitor my Alk dosing. I haven't seen any major swings or discrepancies in over a year. So I'm not sure what the indicators would when the probe starts to fail.

 

[dasianguy]

Yeah, I've got a spare probe on hand and have thought about just adding the second one to watch for discrepancies. It's good to know that 2 probes can stay in sync for over a year... are yours lab grade or standard?

I'd love to know if there are common telltale signs though, other than breaking out a test kit (I'm a little color blind).

 

[bcavalli]

Without testing, It's the only way to know for sure that one is not going out of calibration. Both are lab grade, I bought them off amazon so they were pretty cheap.

 

[michael grady]

In spite of my horrible experience with the salinity probe, I seem to trust my pH probe. It seems to be in sync with what my corals are telling me, and took an appropriate nose dive when it found itself in the sump during a prolonged power off incident.

 

[schwaggs]

You should be cleaning and re-calibrating your pH probe about every 3 months. Over time, it will get slower to react to changes in pH and or not calibrate or not stay calibrated (seems to be off a few days after you clean and calibrate). Occasionally, the junction fails and it reads a really low number and cannot be calibrated but this is rare in my experience.

I've had the cheap Milwaukee probes last a couple years or more and had some Milwaukee and other brands that didn't last 12 months. Pinpoint probes don't seem to last for me.

 

[dasianguy]

Schwaggs;1081611 wrote: You should be cleaning and re-calibrating your pH probe about every 3 months. Over time, it will get slower to react to changes in pH and or not calibrate or not stay calibrated (seems to be off a few days after you clean and calibrate). Occasionally, the junction fails and it reads a really low number and cannot be calibrated but this is rare in my experience.

I've had the cheap Milwaukee probes last a couple years or more and had some Milwaukee and other brands that didn't last 12 months. Pinpoint probes don't seem to last for me.

What's the best way to clean a ph probe? Vinegar bath, careful toothbrushing?

 

[schwaggs]

Yes, I use vinegar to remove calcium and/or calcium based organisms. Brush with a soft toothbrush and rinse. Then calibrate and put back in service!

 

[jennm]

I forget where I read it or who told me, but probes should be changed about every 2 years.

Regular calibration/checking calibration are a must, regardless of the age of the probe.

Jenn

 

[dasianguy]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll add cleaning and calibrating the probes to my chore list, and I'll probably add my spare probe to the apex too.