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Operating Manual

pHTestr

®

 30 Pocket Testers

Keypad Functions
Short press 

= <2 seconds

   Long press 

= >2 seconds

1. Short press to turn on the tester and long press to turn

    off the tester.

2. When turned off, long press to enter parameter setting

    mode.

3. In measurement mode, short press to turn on backlight.

1. In measurement mode, short press to switch 

    parameter from 

pH

 to 

ORP

 (Oxidation Reduction 

    Potential); ORP probe sold separately.

2. In parameter setting mode, short press to change 

    parameter (unidirectional).

1. Long press to enter calibration mode.

2. In calibration mode, short press to confirm calibration.

3. When measured value is locked (HOLD icon), short 

    press to unlock.

CAL

<

MEAS

Thank you for purchasing an Oakton

®

 pHTestr

®

 Pocket pH Tester.

Please carefully read this operating manual before using the 

product to obtain an accurate and reliable test result and avoid 

unnecessary damage to the tester or sensor/probe.

Preparation Before Use

If it is first-time use or the tester hasn’t been used for a long 

time,pour some 3M KCL solution to the Fill line in the probe cap and 

soak the probe for about 15 to 30 minutes. Users can store the 

probe in the 3M KCL solution in the probe cap when the tester is not in 

use to maintain the sensor’s accuracy. To achieve maximum 

accuracy, we recommend soaking the probe in the 3M KCL storage 

solution overnight (12 hours) to activate the glassmembrane thoroughly.
Storing the pH30 tester dry will NOT cause any permanent damage. 

It will only temporarily cause the probe to lose its sensitivity, which 

can always be restored by soaking in the storage solution.

Calibration

1-point

2-point

3-point

USA series

7.00 pH

7.00 pH,

4.00 or 

1.68 pH,

10.01 or

12.45 pH

NIST series

6.86 pH

6.86 pH,

4.01 or

1.68 pH, 

9.18 or

12.45 pH

Indication

icons 

L M H

Recommended

Accuracy:≥0.1 pH

7.00 pH,

4.00 pH or

1.68 pH

6.86 pH,

4.01 pH or

1.68 pH

L M

Range:<7.00 pH

7.00 pH,

10.01 pH or

12.45 pH

6.86 pH,

9.18 pH or

12.45 pH

M H

Range:<7.00 pH

Range:

0 to 14.00 pH

Symbol Self-diagnostic 

information

Checking and how to fix

1. Check whether pH buffer solution

    is correct (1st point calibration 

    must be 7.00).

2. Check whether the probe is 

    damaged.

3. Check if there is any air bubble in

    the glass bulb sensor.

Wrong pH buffer 

solution or the range 

of calibrationsolution 

exceeds standard.

Press CAL/

  key 

when reading is not 

stable during

measurement.

Wait for the measurement

stability icon (

) to appear and

stay, then press CAL/

  key.

pH Calibration

1. Short press    /MEAS key to turn on.
2. Rinse the probe in distilled water and use tissue paper to 

gentlydab off excess water.

3. Pour certain amount (about half volume of the calibration bottles) 

of pH 7.00 pH and pH 4.00 buffer solutions in the corresponding 

calibration bottles.

4. Long press CAL/

  key to enter calibration mode, short press     /MEAS 

key to return to measurement mode.

5. Dip the probe in pH 7.00 buffer solution, stir gently, and allow it to 

stand still in the buffer solution until a 

stable reading is reached. When 

measurement stability icon (

) appears 

and remains on the screen (see Fig 1); 

then short press CAL/

  key to complete 

the one-point calibration. The tester 

returns to measurement mode and 

indication icon “

M

” will appear at the 

bottom left of the screen, indicating the 

middle point of calibration has been 

completed.

6. For 2-point calibration, start with pH 7.00 

buffer solution; once confirmed then rinse the probe in distilled 

water and dry it with tissue paper. Dip the probe into pH 4.00 

buffer solution, follow the steps above to complete 2-point 

calibration. Indication icons “

L

” and “

M

” will appear on the bottom 

left of the screen.

7. If necessary to perform a 3-point calibration, rinse probe with 

water, dip the probe into pH 10.01 buffer solution (sold 

separately), and follow the steps above. Indication icons “

L

”, “

M

”, 

and “

H

” will appear on the bottom left of the screen.

Notes

A. Tester can perform 1 to 3 points automatic calibration. Please 

note that pH 7.00 (USA Standard) or pH 6.86 buffer solution 

(NIST Standard) must be used to conduct 1st point calibration. 

Then use other buffer solution to conduct 2nd or 3rd point 

calibration. Tester will automatically recognize five kinds of pH 

buffer solutions. For details, please refer to the following table:

B. The buffer solutions poured into the calibration bottles are NOT 

for one-time use. They can be used multiple times as long as 

they are not contaminated, and the bottles are covered when not 

in use. After that, we recommend replacing the buffer solutions in 

the calibration bottles with new ones that are in the buffer bottles 

(50 mL) to keep the accuracy of the standard buffer solutions. Do 

not pour used buffer solutions back into the buffer bottles in case 

of contamination.

C. The tester has self-diagnostic functions:

* The 1st point calibration must be 7.00 pH. Perform the 2nd point 

calibration (4.00 pH) immediately after the 1st point. Do NOT turn 

off the meter before you conduct 2nd point calibration. If the meter 

is turned off after 1st point calibration, user will need to restart the 

calibration process with the 7.00 pH first and the 4.00 pH following 

after. Calibrating directly in pH 4.00 after turning meter off and 

back on will cause “Er1”.

pH Measurement

1. Short press    /MEAS key to turn on the tester. Rinse the probe in 

distilled water, and gently dab off excess water with tissue paper 

(do not rub or wipe the glass sensor).

2. Dip the probe in sample solution, stir gently, and allow it to stand 

until a stable reading is reached. Take readings after stability 

indicator icon (

) appears and stays on the screen.

Notes

A. Applications:

Model/Probe

Application

pH30/Bulb probe

Regular water solutions’ pH measurement 

such as hydroponics, aquaculture, pools and 

spas, water treatment, brewing, etc.

Special Notes

• The pH probe must be rinsed thoroughly after each use. Soap 

water should be used to clean off any grease or other 
contaminants.

• These pH testers will NOT give accurate or stable pH readings 

when testing distilled or deionized water. This is because distilled 
or deionized water do not have enough ions present for the 
electrode to function properly. To measure distilled or deionized 
water’s pH, users need to use a specialized instrument technique. 
When testing purified water like spring water or drinking water, it 
will take longer for the readings to get stabilized (typically 3 to 5 
minutes) because there are very few ions left to be detected by the 
sensor in those purified water.

• Do NOT store probe in distilled or deionized purified water 

because that will cause permanent damage to the pH probe. 
Purified water is only recommended for rinsing the probe. The 
probe should be stored in 3M KCL pH electrode storage solution 
(SKU 00653-04) for best accuracy.

Setting the Parameters

When tester is turned off, long press    /MEAS key to enter 

parameter setting. Short press MODE/

△ 

key to switch from P1 to 

Features 

• Large easy-to-read LCD with 

3-color backlight

• Accuracy of ±0.01 pH ± 1 digit

• 1, 2, or 3 calibration points

• Auto buffer recognition: US or 

NIST

• Stability and battery status 

icons

• Replaceable double-junction 

sensor saves your money

• Auto power-off function 

conserves battery life

• IP67 waterproof rating

• No air bubbles generating in 

blue gel inner solution

• Bulb protector can avoid 

impacting. Remove it to rinse 

the probe.

Bulb

protector

It's detachable 

to rinse the 

probe.

P2…P7. Short press CAL/

   key and parameter will flash, then short 

press MODE/

△ 

key to choose desired parameter. Short press 

CAL/

   key to confirm parameter selection. Long press    /MEAS key 

to return to measurement mode.

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