Ph meter busted

[nicklausjames]

I just crushed and sulfited some cab franc grapes with the hopes of making 5 gallons yesterday. Today I took the bird which was about 28 and was going to measure the ph and ta with my vinmetrica 300. However I could not get it to calibrate and noticed all the solutions and reagents say they are good for 6 months after purchase. I purchased it around 8 months ago so apparently need to get some new reagents.

Anyways I'm wondering how important the ph is from the start or can I adjust it later on. Basically should I add the yeast now or try to overnight the reagents and add the yeast in a few days when they arrive?

 

[nicklausjames]

Also has anyone found a cheaper way to get these reagents. It is 78$ for the set on the vinmetrica site and apparently they are only good for 6 months.

 

[Runningwolf]

First off you ask about how important ph is. It is the most important measurement other then you sg or brix reading. I deal with acid by taste when the wine is finished. Yes there are formulas out there for the Vinmetrica reagents. For the volume a home winemaker makes it's really not worth making them yourself.

 

[oregondabbler]

On Vinmetrica's website, I see the cost for SC-200 & SC-300 pH/TA Reagent Kit
at $39, which is still kind of high for what you are trying to do but at least it's not $78. Were you factoring in overnight shipping?

But maybe you don't have to replace them. The warranty is 6 months but the reagents can be useable for much longer. From their website:

"How stable are the reagents?
The SO2 reagents and the pH/TA reagents are all warranted to last for 6 months. We have found that in fact they are stable for well over 12 months if stored tightly capped, out of the heat and in the dark. And of course, these reagents will last much longer if not cross-contaminated with each other! "

link to their website FAQ: https://vinmetrica.com/faq/

On their website they give you instructions for testing your reagents to see if they are still good.

 

[nicklausjames]

Maybe there is something wrong with my meter than. I could not calibrate it. Btw it's 39 for the reagents and 39 for the calibration kit

 

[seth8530]

I would make sure that you really and truely need both of those before you order. Also, it might be worth giving them a call. They are pretty friendly folks from what I hear.

 

[oregondabbler]

...all you wanted was to make a small batch and now you are spending more time on the instrument than on your wine...been there and done that! You have my sympathy, sir.

I don't own a Vinmetrica so I can't offer any advice on what to try next. They sound like they are powerful tools and its worth figuring out what's wrong and getting it fixed. Hopefully one of the members of this forum can help. Perhaps calling Vinmetrica and talking through the problem with them would be the next thing to try.

Good luck,

 

[ffemt128]

was going to measure the ph and ta with my vinmetrica 300. However I could not get it to calibrate

Give them a call. I had issues with my SC300, they ended up doing a software upgrade. Been good since I got it back. You can go into the setup and change the variences to force it to calibrate. They can walk you through that.