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Ph Test Sensitivity To Kh


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#1 Delapool

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Posted 22 June 2016 - 08:21 PM

Came across this article and wondered if it made any sense (down with flu and it was all a blur). I'd never heard of a low / high kh or RO / tap mixing changing the ph test result but this seemed to suggest it may be possible?

Anyone noticed their ph test result being out in very low or high kh water?

http://answers.seney...gth_on_PH_tests



#2 BengaBoy

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Posted 23 June 2016 - 09:14 AM

didn't read it in full, but is it just saying you will only get a pH reading ln the range of what the test kit is capable of?

All pH liquid test will have a PH themselves (they are liquid) so if the ionic strength of the solution you are testing is lower than that of the test kits then it will not pull the test kit away from its own pH point.

 



#3 malawiman85

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Posted 23 June 2016 - 10:04 AM

Yeah the article makes sense. I cant imagine Perth water from our catchments being so soft as to confound a pH meter... ever. Infact we know that most water supplies in Perth are hard and alkaline just like calibrating solutions. If you are using rain, bore, RO or chemicals that lower the hardness and pH significantly (or if you dont do adequate water changes) there might be inaccuracies but I couldnt imagine my water ever getting that soft.
The point about liquid test kits is a bit interesting but you would assume that the reactant liquid pH is factored into colour result charts, etc.
Long story short, dont freak out when your pH tests dont quite add up, as long as they are consistant for a single method of testing.
So if you are using liquids then just use the liquids and only compare the liquid results with previous liquid results rather than comparing to results from another testing method.
pH is not as important as it has traditionally been made out to be (in most cases) as long as there is stability. That means there needs to be some kh to buffer and keep the water stable.

#4 Delapool

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Posted 23 June 2016 - 10:37 AM

Er, pass?!  Actually that makes a lot of sense. I know the seneye uses a different ph calculation for saltwater versus freshwater (like a lot of api test kits I guess).






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