Storing buffer solution

Mashing
1

Just got my pH meter and it came with two dry packs of buffer solution 4.0 and 10.0. I am wondering what others use as a vessel for storage of buffer solution and what you do to clean them for introduction of deionized water. (250 ml of water for each pack). Also, where do you get deionized water or do you just use distilled water for this purpose?

2

What PH meter did you buy ?

I’ve never seen dry packs before, I use the 8oz bottles of 4.01 and 7.01 and also an 8oz bottle of storage solution.

I fill a tall shot glass enough to cover about an inch of the meter with storage solution and keep the cap off and store it upright.

I don’t know how many probes that I have replaced until I started doing this.

As far as the other buffer solutions I do pour enough in shot to calibrate then pour it back in the bottles.

I clean the probe or rinse it off using distilled water.

3

Just find a couple of pint bottles (250ml is about a cup) and keep the lids tight. Pour some out into small containers for calibrating, I use old White Labs yeast tubes. You can reuse these several times. Don’t pour used buffer back into the main container, stuff will grow in the buffer.

I’d recommend getting a pH 7.0 for calibrating. Having the standards closer to the level you are using the meter a, makes the meter more accurate.

4

I bought this one -

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_i ... s_id=12661

I will buy some 7.0 for sure and other liquid vials of the 4.0 and 10.0. My daughter warned me about not letting it dry out.

What about the water for this batch? Just go with distiller?

Thanks for the input…

5

Sorry I don’t pour it back in the original container but another one that I use to store it.

You shouldn’t need 10.0 I never use it and yes use distilled water to clean the probe after use.

Your daughter is right about letting the probe dry out that is why I place it in a tall shot glass so i can keep an eye on it putting the cap on even with a small piece of foam and storage solution it will dry out.

6

If you’re using the meter daily/weekly, the probe tip cap will keep it wet. I agree tha anything longer will result in it drying out and thats bad to fatal for the probe. Storage solution is the only way to go, it has the same salts as what are in the probe.

7

At work we use 7.0 and 4.0 buffer solutions for calibrating, even though Ph is generally 8.5 - 9 (not a brewery, BTW.)

8

At work you should use pH 10.0 then, its always better to bracket your sample rather than extrapolate. Its not that it doesn’t work, just that its likely to be less accurate. Drawing a line between two points, if one point is off a bit then the line gets progressively farther off as you get away from that point. Between the points, the error is less.

I used to reuse my buffer and the pH 4.0 always grew fuzzy stuff after a couple of weeks. It must have phosphate in it, fungus seems to like phosphate.