In certain situations you need to be able to measure the pH of semi-solids as well as fluids. For instance, in chemical labs, there are times when you need to know the pH of liquids before heating or mixing them. If you work on projects in food processing you must know the pH of certain substances. If you do gardening, you need to know the pH of the soil in your garden. And on other instances, like environmental applications and industrial engineering, you need to measure the temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), and even the conductivity of fluids. Separate pieces of equipment can be used to measure each one of these variables (pH, temperature, TDS and conductivity); however, there are special tools that allow you to measure all of these variables using a single device. One such device is the Hanna HI 98129.

The Hanna Instruments HI 98129 is a portable meter that you can use for measuring the TDS, conductivity, pH and temperature of different substances. It works with an electrode that can be easily removed and cleaned after testing using a small tool that comes with it. The Hanna HI 98129 is easy to use: you remove the cap, select the variable you wish to measure, put the electrode in the liquid or substance you want to analyze, and wait a few seconds until the meter produces the correspondent reading. But just because the device is easy to use, it doesn’t mean its maintenance is as simple!

First, you need to buy special solutions for calibrating and cleaning the reader. They come in 8 ounce bottles and each one has a different function. The 4.01 pH and the 7.01 pH solutions are needed for calibrating the pH readings of the meter. Then, the 1413 mS/cm solution is needed to calibrate the conductivity readings. Also, it is necessary to get a cleaning solution for cleaning up the electrode. It is recommended to use this cleaning solution at least once every day in order to maintain accuracy in the readings and prevent clogging in the electrode. Finally, you have to get a storage solution, of which a small amount is placed in the cap of the tester while not in use. Using this last solution helps maintain the accuracy of the reader, keep the electrode moist and also provide fast response times.

The Hanna HI 98129 sure needs a lot of maintenance! Having to clean the electrode and calibrate the tester so often seems frustrating, and the four bottles of solutions should come with the product. However, that is the maintenance that the device needs, and if you do everything correctly and follow the maintenance procedures, the multi-meter will always provide accurate and fast readings and will always work well.