Is the Hanna Alkalinity Checker really so much faster?

[Dr. Jim]

After using many Alk test kits, I've come to like the Hanna checker. (I find that Salifert always reads a little higher).
After a test, I rinse the vials 3 times with tap water. On the third fill I use a small test tube brush to quickly rub the inner wall. (If I don't do this I find a film forms). Then, one more rinse in tap water followed by a fill with RO/DI that I have in a bowl (used to rinse all kit tubes). I tap upside down on a towel and store without drying. I use a pipette to measure 10 ml to fill it with sample. (I found the lines on some of the vials are marked at a little less than 10 cc. I wrote to Hanna 3 times about this with no reply). Then I cap it and dip the vial in bowl of RO/DI and wipe dry with microfiber clothe, inspecting for dust between a light source and black background. All this goes faster than it takes to read this and I find it all worthwhile. These vials are finicky if you don't take care of them.

 

[Adamantium]

For me hanna all checker always overshoots salifert by 1 dkh

How funny. I have the exact opposite experience. My Hanna is about 1dKH lower than Salifert. Weird.

 

[Lovefish77]

How funny. I have the exact opposite experience. My Hanna is about 1dKH lower than Salifert. Weird.

That is strange I am using the 755 and it always overshoots by 1 dkh, will try again today.

 

[elysics]

These vials are finicky if you don't take care of them.

This finickyness are what i am talking about. With titration it doesn't really matter whether the vials are smudged or scratched to hell or belong to an entirely different test or whether i have 20 of them piling up filled with reagent before i clean them when i am testing multiple times a day and can't be bothered. Not taking care saves time.

 

[92Miata]

It's a little faster than my red sea kit, but not much.


What it is though, is way less mentally/attention involved. I don't need to pay nearly as much attention to it. Shoot a syringe in , shake the vial, drop it in and hit the button.

The Red Sea is way more accurate through - so I use the Hanna daily and test once a week with the Red Sea Pro/any time I make dosing adjustments.

It's a quick eyeball device. The red sea is what I actually trust.

 

[Dr. Jim]

This finickyness are what i am talking about. With titration it doesn't really matter whether the vials are smudged or scratched to hell or belong to an entirely different test or whether i have 20 of them piling up filled with reagent before i clean them when i am testing multiple times a day and can't be bothered. Not taking care saves time.

Yes, but I have compared many brands of Alk test kits and with each other, with a GHL probe AND with ICP results. I presume we all want a kit that is accurate and gives consistent results. I'm not thrilled with any of them, actually, but have come to rely on the Hanna checker as the best choice provided the vials are cared for. IMO, if you want accuracy, you have to do a little work for it when it comes to alkalinity testing.

 

[Lovefish77]

For me hanna all checker always overshoots salifert by 1 dkh

Just an update just measured alk using hanna 755 and reagent 772s and it is precisely 1dkh above salifert. I am using Duracell AAA battery!!!!

 

[Adamantium]

Just an update just measured alk using hanna 755 and reagent 772s and it is precisely 1dkh above salifert. I am using Duracell AAA battery!!!!

I don’t think the battery has the slightest bit to do with it.

Must just be the batch of reagent you got. The most important thing is reliability, not a 100% precise number. Even ICP tests aren’t perfect.

 

[Lovefish77]

I don’t think the battery has the slightest bit to do with it.

Must just be the batch of reagent you got. The most important thing is reliability, not a 100% precise number. Even ICP tests aren’t perfect.

Yes but can two salifert test kit exp in 2022 be bad? They have been open for a while though.

 

[92Miata]

Yes but can two salifert test kit exp in 2022 be bad? They have been open for a while though.

The salifert titration kit is almost certainly more accurate than the Hanna dkH meter.

Remember, hanna only claims these are accurate to +/- .3 dKH + 5% of the reading. Being off by almost a full dKH is within spec.

 

[Reef.]

The salifert titration kit is almost certainly more accurate than the Hanna dkH meter.

Remember, hanna only claims these are accurate to +/- .3 dKH + 5% of the reading. Being off by almost a full dKH is within spec.

I’m no good with number, so are you saying if my reading with the Hanna is 8, the true reading could be 7kh?

 

[saturn13]

I like the Hanna Alk tester, one of the easier. For all my testing equiptment I rinse with rodi, use a pipe cleaning brush for those that use powder reagents and dry with the baby drying rack below linked. Allows everything to dry nothing left on vials.

 

[saturn13]

I like the Hanna Alk tester, one of the easier. For all my testing equiptment I rinse with rodi, use a pipe cleaning brush for those that use powder reagents and dry with the baby drying rack below linked. Allows everything to dry nothing left on vials.

image

 

[Reef.]

I like the Hanna Alk tester, one of the easier. For all my testing equiptment I rinse with rodi, use a pipe cleaning brush for those that use powder reagents and dry with the baby drying rack below linked. Allows everything to dry nothing left on vials.

the link is just to Amazon not the product...well for me it is.

edit working now.

 

[saturn13]

the link is just to Amazon not the product...well for me it is.

edit working now.

Added an image, can't get the link, drying raack is only $14

 

[Lovefish77]

Honestly I personally dont think the OCD with cleaning the vial can throw results by 1 dkh...that is a lot. If hanna is right then that could be why I nuked my acros with low nutrients and my alk was over 8. 1 dkh makes a difference in that context

 

[Dr. Jim]

The salifert titration kit is almost certainly more accurate than the Hanna dkH meter.

Remember, hanna only claims these are accurate to +/- .3 dKH + 5% of the reading. Being off by almost a full dKH is within spec.

It says +/- 5 ppm (0.27 dKH) OR 5% (about 0.4dKH). So the most it should be off is about 0.4dKH. Funny that they word it that way. Why not just the worst case scenario which is the 5%??

BTW, they have a STANDARD that you can use to check your instrument but it seems worthless IMO because the accuracy is +/- 10 ppm (0.56 dKH).

This is from a review:
"Hanna Instruments HI755 advertises accuracy @ 25°C/77°F is ±5 ppm (mg/L) or ±5% of reading, which, in hobby level test kits standards, is highly accurate".

Hanna Instruments Alkalinity Checker- a Definitive Review (reefs.com)

 

[Reef.]

Think I might go for the Hanna, I use salifert atm but find the syringe hard to use, many times more than one drop comes out, apart from that it’s a good test.

 

[elysics]

- deleted -

 

[Dr. Jim]

- deleted -

I just did a quick search and got it from the article. If that is true that you ADD them both together, that is quite an error range!
----------------------
EDIT: Hey, I just noticed you edited your post. Does that mean you DON'T think the two "accuracies" should be added?
----------------------
Regarding the "Standard" I understand what it tells you (and understand that perfect user compliance is assumed).

I think the bottom line is, it is almost impossible to get a perfect absolute alkalinity value from any kit. The best that we can strive for is one that seems to "come close" to what one decides is the true alkalinity, and perhaps more importantly, one that will give consistent (reproducible) results. And I guess there are many opinions. My vote is for the Hanna..... the lesser of all the evils, IMO.