Just realized my cheap pH meter was ruining my ferments

Honestly, I picked up a $15 pH meter off Amazon last year thinking it would be fine for checking my hot sauce ferments. After about 6 months, I noticed my batches kept going bad or tasting off. Finally bought a proper Milwaukee meter for $80 from a local homebrew shop last week and tested my old one in a calibration solution. Turns out it was reading almost a full point off, so I was letting things sit way too long in the danger zone. Now I check my ferments every 2 days with the new one and the taste is way more consistent. Has anyone else had a cheap meter mess up their ferments like that?

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eva_thompson106mo ago

I read somewhere that cheap pH meters use these low quality glass bulbs that degrade over time and thats why they drift so bad. A buddy of mine who makes sauerkraut had the same problem with his off brand meter, it started reading basic when it was actually still acidic and he almost let a batch rot for a week before he caught it. He keeps a bottle of calibration fluid now and tests his meter before every single ferment session to avoid that mess again.

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cameronb526mo ago

That "danger zone" thing is exactly what happened to a buddy of mine who brews kombucha. He swore by his cheap meter for like a year until his whole batch turned to vinegar and he figured out it was reading way off the whole time.

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