Hi WannaSeeWorms

>Also, I just don't get why ph strips can measure urine but not water? <
I don't know what you mean. Be more specific.

>I bought a digital water meter and cannot seem to get a consistent read on water at all. I don't know if the thing is broken or this is how it is?<

Water meter=pH Meter?

Has your pH meter been calibrated? Most require regular calibration.

Try it on two kind of solutions and how it reacts:
1-Acidic solution: ACV, regular vinegar ...
2-Alkaline solution: Water + soap or water + baking soda

Or maybe it is related to this: from http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/pH_questions.html

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today i purchased a cheap $40 Hansa pH pocket meter the man in the shop calibrated it for me and also gave me buffer solution. when i got home i began to play with it .. i put it on a glass of distilled water and what i saw strange was it started at 6.8 and then began to slowly drop 6.7 ... 6.6 ... after two minutes it was 5.8 .. 5.7 etc. i thought something was wrong so i put it in buffer solution and it was stable 7.0 .. but after a minute it drop to 6.9 and then went back to 7.0 a few seconds later. i then ... thought ok i will try another glass of distilled water ... again it did the same thing ... it started at 6.8 and then began to slowly drop 6.7 ... 6.6 ... after two minutes it was 5.8 .. 5.7 etc why does pure water pH behave this way ? or is somethign faulty with the pH meter ? the only thought i had was temperature ?? as the probe got colder/warmer it changed pH ?? Thanks."


Answer: "Your Hanna pH meter works very well! Very few people know that distilled water absorbs carbon dioxide very well as there this kind of water does not have buffers. Most natural springs water are very high in buffers. Buffers are usually sodium bicarbonate, magnesium bicarbonate and calcium bicarbonate. In most mineral springs water they are referred to as just "buffers". As a result the water's pH remains stable. So if you leave out your distilled water long enough the water will be acidic.

So if you want to continue drinking distilled water with adequate "buffers" you may need to sprinkle some magnesium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate to stabilize the distilled water.

People who sell distilled water do not tell people this fact. Distilled water absorbs a great deal of CO2 to form what is known as carbonic acid. And their pH is around 5.5 which is by the way similar to average unhealthy urine. The reason for unhealthy urine is not the distilled water per se, but this problem exists what is known in biochemistry (back door people) as "bicarbonate deficiency".
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WIEL