I just got this Ph tester I have never used one before. When I first turned it on it was running through the numbers extremely fast. I let it in the water for a minute and it stabilized but the numberd were still running wild. I put a link to a vid of it. Im going to calibrate it but I need to get some distilled water. It also has something rattling around inside of it if I shake it.
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Mine does this too and I stopped using mine since I’m in organic soil, but I still have to be careful of nutrient dosing not pH. If you’re in hydro you need that thing stable and I want mine to do the same if it’s a calibration issue
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Im also in organic but everyone says to check ph anytime a problem arises in the plant so I got a tester im just not sure if I got a broken one or not.
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What’s the range it’s in?
No need to be perfectly exact rn. The microbes may be messing with the overall pH. If it slows down and stays in a range for an extended time it’s the Bottom area and then if you see it fluctuating in a range just give the best approximation of the range
I like the pH drops, they never go out of calibration. If your troubleshooting it is accurate enough to find major issues. My two voppers.
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Is that tap water, RO water, or something else?
New probe? Does the glass bulb have a clear liquid in it? Does the liquid appear “full”, covering the electrode? Or is there a white solid in the bulb?
Using distilled water for doing calibration makes little sense to me. Perhaps to clean the bulb but that would be about it. If the manual says to use distilled water to cal for 7.0, I’d be suspicious in general.
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It is tap water from a well.
Its a new probe its one of those yellow ones that are on Amazon.
The bulb looks ok
The first time I used it it was fluctuating between 2.2 - 2,9 Now its fluctuating in the 7.0 - 7.8 range and seems to be giving the 7.0 - 7.8 range more constantly now. Im gonna give it a few more test before I can really make my mind up about it.
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I have some too actually 
I’ll have to use them to get a idea if my pen is off
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Also agree with @ReikoX i prefer drops, the cheap meters were more pain than they were worth.
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Do the drops have an expiration date?
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Did the meter ship with a packet of salts to make a buffered solution, is that why you need distilled water? That pouch creates a buffered reference solution against which you can calibrate a few times, if stored in a closed container away from light and heat and not contaminated.
I had one of those meters before. It was reasonably accurate for what I used it for. Do calibrate it frequently.
The drops do expire eventually. They give inaccurate results after a few years in storage, but it is really years and years and years of reliable testing, unlike pH probes that may need to be replaced every 12-18 months if you are using them regularly.
I’m in hydro so to me pH is pretty important, more so than soil. I have two meters and I calibrate the daily one, and check against the backup biweekly. I would get your meter calibrated as per the instructions and see how it does against the drops. Always good to have a backup.
$0.02 CAD
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You can buy satchets of buffer powder on fleabay for next to nothing.
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yea i dont trust those yellow devils, the meters.
definitely get some calibration solution, calibrate weekly.
and please dont shake your meter, lol.
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they “do” have and expiration date which is listed as 3-5years, but will they last longer than that if stored properly “aka lid on” definitely probably will be in another decade if you use them infrequently. Mine are maybe 1/4 to 1/3rd used and going on 5 years now and still behave the same as day one.
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I bought one a few months ago (yellow devil ) the numbers were going mental up and down.
I got a refund for it.
I got a bit curious wondering if it was because of the solution or I calibrated ot wrong.
I ordered some powder from China which I received just the other day.
I’m going to try it again later, any tips?
Cheers
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Why dont you shake the meters?
I also have a yellow devil im not sure if it works or not.
Actually, you DO sometimes shake the meters. If the bulb isnt all the way full or has a bubble in it, you are supposed to shake it hard trying to force the liquid down into the bulb. The bulb needs to be completely full with no air showing at all - like @Northern_Loki said above.
Those cheap meters are crap, but if you calibrate it correctly, and you got a good one - it may work ok for a while.
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Chop up the powder well with your debit card, use an iPad screen to line’er up (mirrors are so 1980s), and only snort about half of what you think will get you there to start. Use a US $100 bill for the most authentic experience 
Ok, with that out of the way…
If you have any drops to double check the solution pH, I would. Other than that I’d say these yellow devils do OK; I used one till I broke the bulb. Storing them in 4M KCl is pretty important too
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I have broke those glass bulbs before, I’ll be honest - I don’t know how it broke though…
I use an extech ph100 meter and I’ve gone entire cycles withough calibrating. Good meters.
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I did what you said without reading the second part I feel great thanks for that
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