HANNA Salinity Checker Issues

[vetteguy53081]

They still have issues. Did several water changes in the last couple of weeks and my salinity was a little low at 1.023. So I mixed my new salt to increase the salinity to at least 1.024. After my water change I took my water in to my LFS to be tested and he said my salinity was high at 1.027. I went home, recalibrated my Hanna meter using 35 ppt solution and tried it again. Now it read 1.025 instead of 1.024. So I ordered in a refractor meter and when I test with that it shows my water at 1.027. So even after calibration this tester is still off by at least .002 - which is a lot!!!

Ive seen this before and contact Hanna and let them know these results. Ive seen them replace units and give tips on verifying specific gravity. Mine always .0001 low

 

[NanoSteam]

Yup my checker reads 0.0025 too low using their calibration solution. I see this complaint frequently about their checker but so long as it's consistent you can just make that correction but verify with a calibrated refractometer.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yup my checker reads 0.0025 too low using their calibration solution. I see this complaint frequently about their checker but so long as it's consistent you can just make that correction but verify with a calibrated refractometer.

Ive learned to factor the 0001 result and compensate for that

 

[bakeman2022]

Yeah, I purchased a refactor meter from amazon. Really like it. I just drop a few drops of salt water on the lens and then use the light from my Kessil light to view the reading - pretty slick. I can do everything right there above the tank. But I do like the temperature reading on the Hanna tester when preparing my water so I know I’m getting close to the temperature of my display tank. It’s just unnerving that you can’t trust these test kit/test equipment and need redundancy from other manufacturers just to get a piece of mine. I actually have two full set of test kits from different manufacturers just for that very reason. In fact, I actually have 3 different manufacturer magnesium test kits because of the broad range of results for that test. I watched a YouTube video to make sure I’m not missing something on the Hanna magnesium test and the person doing the video stated that on the box (from Hanna test kit) it states that the tolerance for their magnesium test is +/- 5%. If you do the math that’s a 70 ppm swing if you’re reading is 1400. That means your next test could be anywhere between 1330 and 1470. Good luck dialing that one in lol.

In any case thank you everyone for your response. Love hearing everyone’s experiences.

 

[Kodski]

After having 3 Hanna Salinity checkers with the same issues above, I can no longer recommend them. They work fine out of the box but after a year or so I find them to no longer hold calibration properly. The Tropic Marin glass hydrometer is the only thing I'd recommend to people now. Its cheap, easy to read, and does not require calibration. Why this isn't the standard in the hobby is beyond me.