Need some help here
about a week ago we noticed the PH was reading low. Notice it going slowly drifting lower and lower. we done a calibration today and it seems to go well. as soon as it was done when we stuck the probe back in the sump it settled out at about 2.09 PH. Any idea what is going on here? Bad probe maybe.
PH probe reading very low
Re: PH probe reading very low
Roberto
We do not have any more solution 7 solution left. We spilled the extra packet we had. I do have a PH 10 packet left thou. i can use that if you like. I can say that we did have 10 ph showing on the screen before we put it back in the sump thou then it went down to the 2.09
We do not have any more solution 7 solution left. We spilled the extra packet we had. I do have a PH 10 packet left thou. i can use that if you like. I can say that we did have 10 ph showing on the screen before we put it back in the sump thou then it went down to the 2.09
riggeek
Re: PH probe reading very low
Ok, if it was showing 10, please do the following:
Fill a cup with tank water and place the probe in the cup.
Give a swirl.
Is it reading anything now?
Fill a cup with tank water and place the probe in the cup.
Give a swirl.
Is it reading anything now?
Roberto.
Re: PH probe reading very low
Roberto
We did not get this done last night. The wife will try to get it done in a bit i am not at home right now. I did notice that thou the night the PH slow creep up to about 6.5.
riggeek
We did not get this done last night. The wife will try to get it done in a bit i am not at home right now. I did notice that thou the night the PH slow creep up to about 6.5.
riggeek
riggeek
Re: PH probe reading very low
Wife got this done. we noticed that the PH drop from about 6.5 down to 5.5. I have more solution ordered and being shipped to the house as well
riggeek
Re: PH probe reading very low
I have this problem too, i get a new probe and still the same, i remeber reading here about straight voltaje from float switch and as a last try i put the probe in a cup of tank water and voila ph went up.
The thing is, how i solve this now??
The thing is, how i solve this now??
Re: PH probe reading very low
stray voltage usually comes from pumps or powerheads. The easiest solution is to replace the faulty equipment.
Roberto.
Re: PH probe reading very low
I just ran into the float switch issue as well.
I had just read this thread and checked my PH on the portal and noticed that it jumped up and down by.03 -.05 on every refresh. What I found was that the ATO High switch was on the threshold of ON and OFF. When the portal refresh would catch the switch ON, the PH would be lower, when OFF it was higher. It was toggling between 7.98 and 8.03 or thereabouts.
I unplugged both ATO cords and PH slowly drifted up to 8.10 over a couple of refreshes and has remained there. Hmm, after making sure that it was registering 8.10 continuous, I plugged them back in. PH dropped to 8.03.
At this point I thought maybe the probe placement could be a factor. I had made a bracket that held both the float switched and the PH probe right side by side. I removed the probe and started placing it in other parts of the sump. It did not seem to help. Went down to 7.95 and then settled at 8.03.
I switched to my smart phone to get faster updates and unplugged the cords. Again the PH drifted up to 8.10.
I can only conclude that the ATO switches are having an effect on the PH. Unfortunately I can't run without the switches so I will have to live with it for now until I can get an alternate solution implemented. I have been struggling with low PH for awhile now, barely getting over 8.0, but I suspect that the switches were lowering the reading. I am sitting at 8.13 right now with the lights on the tank off (and the switches unplugged).
As a final test I plugged them back in and the PH dropped to 8.02.
Dennis
I had just read this thread and checked my PH on the portal and noticed that it jumped up and down by.03 -.05 on every refresh. What I found was that the ATO High switch was on the threshold of ON and OFF. When the portal refresh would catch the switch ON, the PH would be lower, when OFF it was higher. It was toggling between 7.98 and 8.03 or thereabouts.
I unplugged both ATO cords and PH slowly drifted up to 8.10 over a couple of refreshes and has remained there. Hmm, after making sure that it was registering 8.10 continuous, I plugged them back in. PH dropped to 8.03.
At this point I thought maybe the probe placement could be a factor. I had made a bracket that held both the float switched and the PH probe right side by side. I removed the probe and started placing it in other parts of the sump. It did not seem to help. Went down to 7.95 and then settled at 8.03.
I switched to my smart phone to get faster updates and unplugged the cords. Again the PH drifted up to 8.10.
I can only conclude that the ATO switches are having an effect on the PH. Unfortunately I can't run without the switches so I will have to live with it for now until I can get an alternate solution implemented. I have been struggling with low PH for awhile now, barely getting over 8.0, but I suspect that the switches were lowering the reading. I am sitting at 8.13 right now with the lights on the tank off (and the switches unplugged).
As a final test I plugged them back in and the PH dropped to 8.02.
Dennis
Re: PH probe reading very low
Just as a follow up to this. Today I noticed a steep drop in my PH. As it turned out, I am pretty sure it was caused by my ventilation fan in the room with the tank being off, but in the progress of checking everything I noticed that the the PH seemed to jump around when I manipulated the RA. This even occurred when I had the ATO cables unplugged. Plugging the ATO cables in still caused it to drop by 0.10, but perhaps something else was at play here.
I suspected the probe may be at fault, so I purchased a new probe locally to test what the issue was with my PH. I went with a lab grade APEX probe. When I plugged the new probe in, I found that it read some crazy numbers with the ATO cables plugged in, but with them out, it registered just like the old probe, except without the movement sensitivity issues.
I tried recalibrating the new probe with and without the ATO cables plugged in. What I found was that the tank water registered 1.00 lower with the new probe and the ATO cables plugged in. Unplug the cables and the new probe matched the old probe. So where as the old probe was low by 0.10 with the ATO connected this lab grade one was low by 1.00 with the ATO connected.
I am wondering if it is just my board that has this odd ATO effect between the PH reading and the ATO being connected. Anyone else seeing a significant rise in PH when you disconnect the ATO cables?
Dennis
I suspected the probe may be at fault, so I purchased a new probe locally to test what the issue was with my PH. I went with a lab grade APEX probe. When I plugged the new probe in, I found that it read some crazy numbers with the ATO cables plugged in, but with them out, it registered just like the old probe, except without the movement sensitivity issues.
I tried recalibrating the new probe with and without the ATO cables plugged in. What I found was that the tank water registered 1.00 lower with the new probe and the ATO cables plugged in. Unplug the cables and the new probe matched the old probe. So where as the old probe was low by 0.10 with the ATO connected this lab grade one was low by 1.00 with the ATO connected.
I am wondering if it is just my board that has this odd ATO effect between the PH reading and the ATO being connected. Anyone else seeing a significant rise in PH when you disconnect the ATO cables?
Dennis
Re: PH probe reading very low
I think you are getting stray voltage from the float switches.
Are the joints out of the water?
Are the joints out of the water?
Roberto.
Re: PH probe reading very low
Do you mean the epoxied joints or my soldered and double shrunk wrapped ones? The shrunk wrapped ones are not even in the sump. The cords are long enough that the yellow cables make it out of the sump before the joint. The epoxied joints are under water (or at least the HIGH one is), but that is unavoidable.
I also installed a grounding probe this weekend hoping that that may help. No effect.
I am going to try an experiment. I will connect the ATO cables but remove the platform they are on from the sump. That should eliminate the stray voltage scenario. I will let you know.
Dennis
I also installed a grounding probe this weekend hoping that that may help. No effect.
I am going to try an experiment. I will connect the ATO cables but remove the platform they are on from the sump. That should eliminate the stray voltage scenario. I will let you know.
Dennis
Re: PH probe reading very low
And the result of the test was ... PH unaffected with the ATO floats removed from the water. PH stayed at 7.98. Put the ATO platform back in the sump, the PH drops to 6.95 (or thereabouts).
So you are correct, stray voltage, but the ATO switches are somehow involved.
Dennis
So you are correct, stray voltage, but the ATO switches are somehow involved.
Dennis
Re: PH probe reading very low
I think the epoxy seal may be compromised.
PM if you want replacements.
PM if you want replacements.
Roberto.