Just dropped $80 on a fancy pH meter for my hot sauce ferment and it's already giving me grief

I got it last Friday thinking it would make my ferments more reliable. The first reading seemed fine, but then it started jumping all over the place after just two days. I calibrated it twice with the packets it came with, but now it won't settle on a number. For something that cost more than my last three jars of peppers combined, I expected better. Has anyone found a truly steady pH meter that doesn't freak out in a brine?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret73616h agoMost Upvoted

You mentioned calibrating with the packets it came with. In my experience, those little single-use packets can go bad if they've been sitting in a warehouse or got too warm in shipping. I had a meter act up until I bought a fresh bottle of fresh calibration fluid from a lab supply store. It's a long shot, but maybe your calibration standard itself is off.

sarahpark8h ago

Totally agree with @margaret736, those old packets can definitely be the culprit. Honestly, getting fresh fluid from a trusted source is the best way to rule that out.

roberth667h ago

Fresh fluid's just another variable to chase.