KH Director

[Brew12]

Also I want to mention that we offer a KH reference fluid (7.5°dKH, max. tolerance 0.2) to doublecheck the readings and to calibrate the KHD.

How have I missed this????

Is this available in the US? I can't find it in the USA store.

 

[Vinny@GHLUSA]

How have I missed this????

Is this available in the US? I can't find it in the USA store.

We have some arriving in the next 2 weeks.

 

[MyReefRobbedMe]

We have some arriving in the next 2 weeks.

When it arrives in US can someone here please bump the thread to let us know so we can check our fav stores to order : )

 

[kodo28]

Hi

I understand your concern, this question is asked many times.
This is normal, you don't need to be worried, I am sure your calibration is perfect, your KHD works correctly.
We did many many tests and depending on the used method we found differences of up to +/- 2°dKH between all tests.

If you prefer to see other values (e.g. because you are used to them) then the KHD offers the option to enter an offset.

Please see also our statement about this in the KHD FAQ:
https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/kh-director-tips-troubleshooting/

Also I want to mention that we offer a KH reference fluid (7.5°dKH, max. tolerance 0.2) to doublecheck the readings and to calibrate the KHD.

Hi Matthias,

Thanks for the feedback,

I made some tests and found the Kh director giving the same readings of the Checker Hanna with a very low difference of ~0.2 max.

The method is to measure the water sample of the checker Hanna with a precision scale to get 10gr of water sample and 1 gr of reagent.
Then with the Kh director well calibrated ( ph probe) and doser heads also calibrated with the precision scale everything is reading the same.
Tested many times and getting all the time same readings between Kh director and Checker Hanna

Checker Hanna reading 157*0.056=8.7dkh same on Kh director .

Ps: Thanks for the info about the Kh reference, I didn't know about it...

 

[Brew12]

Let me start by saying that I love my KH Director. I love the Doser 2.1. I'm frustrated that there still seems to be an issue with pump heads that come with the Doser 2.1. I haven't even gone through my first 500ml bottle of reagent and I've had to replace the wear parts in heads 1 and 3. They are cheap so I can live with it but I don't understand it. How can the replacement wear parts last so much longer than the ones that ship with the units? I know when I got my first Doser 2.1 around a year ago that this problem was identified. I would have figured that the supply chain would have been fixed by now.
Again, love the stuff, just would have liked to have seen this issue resolved by now.

 

[WWIII]

What's strange is my oldest ghl 2.1 doser has never needed a new cap, or rollers, or anything. Well over a year old. Then my newer one I've replaced 2 of the heads cap/rollers multiple times in less than a year.

Ghl has now made more robust blue caps which will be available soon! (Finally)

https://forum.aquariumcomputer.com/...r-Products-But-Your-Blue-Covers-Are-A-Disease!

 

[Brew12]

What's strange is my oldest ghl 2.1 doser has never needed a new cap, or rollers, or anything. Well over a year old. Then my newer one I've replaced 2 of the heads cap/rollers multiple times in less than a year.

Ghl has now made more robust blue caps which will be available soon! (Finally)

https://forum.aquariumcomputer.com/...r-Products-But-Your-Blue-Covers-Are-A-Disease!

GHL sent me a wear parts kit when I had problems with my first doser. The blue covers in the kits are different than the ones that come with it originally. I have one doser head that pumps 1400ml per day so I expect to replace that every few months. Otherwise, the kits have been fantastic. I guess that is why I was disappointed that the new doser that came with the KH Director still had the old style blue caps. I would have expected them to have had this issue resolved through the supply chain by now. I didn't notice they were the old style until I replaced the one that failed yesterday.

 

[WWIII]

Do the ones they sent you have the 2 dots on them? Vinny said these newest ones have been tested long term and would be arriving in the US sometime in December. I've gotten some replacements that look different, but none with the dots that indicate the newest versions. I was told they were just made available in Europe this past month.

 

[Brew12]

Do the ones they sent you have the 2 dots on them? Vinny said these newest ones have been tested long term and would be arriving in the US sometime in December. I've gotten some replacements that look different, but none with the dots that indicate the newest versions. I was told they were just made available in Europe this past month.

They don't, but they still work much better and last longer than the originals.

 

[Mortie31]

What's strange is my oldest ghl 2.1 doser has never needed a new cap, or rollers, or anything. Well over a year old. Then my newer one I've replaced 2 of the heads cap/rollers multiple times in less than a year.

Ghl has now made more robust blue caps which will be available soon! (Finally)

https://forum.aquariumcomputer.com/...r-Products-But-Your-Blue-Covers-Are-A-Disease!

Why don’t they tell us these things, they must see the posts constantly complaining about them

 

[WWIII]

Why don’t they tell us these things, they must see the posts constantly complaining about them

No doubt! I randomly peruse the ghl forum, fb, and what not to find hidden gems here and there. I think part of the problem for us in the US, is until it's here and ready to go we don't hear about it. I also think GHL is growing fairly rapidly and making adjustments as far as that goes. It will be interesting for us in the US to see if marine depot carrying the full GHL line helps fill in any of the gaps. Marco, Vinny, Mathias, and them are very helpful, but seem to be stretched a little thin at times.

I always chalk it up to Europeans just do things a little differently. I do like that they don't announce something and then we never see it for years and years, but there is a balance that needs to take place. I'm sure it will be like the kh director hoses, in that once it's available and ready to ship out to customers they will say it's ready to go. As for them not letting guys in Europe know easily, I dunno?

 

[Mortie31]

No doubt! I randomly peruse the ghl forum, fb, and what not to find hidden gems here and there. I think part of the problem for us in the US, is until it's here and ready to go we don't hear about it. I also think GHL is growing fairly rapidly and making adjustments as far as that goes. It will be interesting for us in the US to see if marine depot carrying the full GHL line helps fill in any of the gaps. Marco, Vinny, Mathias, and them are very helpful, but seem to be stretched a little thin at times.

I always chalk it up to Europeans just do things a little differently. I do like that they don't announce something and then we never see it for years and years, but there is a balance that needs to take place. I'm sure it will be like the kh director hoses, in that once it's available and ready to ship out to customers they will say it's ready to go. As for them not letting guys in Europe know easily, I dunno?

I’m in the UK and we don’t here anything either... thankfully there are enough of us on the various forums to let each other know about software updates and product changes etc.

 

[WWIII]

I’m in the UK and we don’t here anything either... thankfully there are enough of us on the various forums to let each other know about software updates and product changes etc.

It's starting to get that way here as well. @Ditto has helped a ton of guys here with keeping us informed of updates and explaining how to do stuff on the p4. The good thing is once you have the gear setup, there's usually nothing to mess with too much. Besides the updates and these darn doser heads!

 

[Ditto]

@WWIII - thanks for the call out. I agree that the community is growing!! I find this forum which is one of the best along with the GHL great for information and assistance.

The community is growing and the help between the GHL users is great and believe we have one of the best communities here!!

As for updates I usually keep it to software but I can and begin to post things that I am reading about on the Facebook and the GHL forums for additional awareness for users. (like the blue caps I read the post and did not even think of reposting it)

I also concur with @WWIII once the product is setup is rock solid requires minimal if any adjustments. With the features and the multiple ways to access your equipment, have it alert when and issue, or just send you tank health messages makes this one of the best products out there. (When connected to a P4
On the alerts and notifications forgot this is the KH director thread)

 

[Brew12]

I know I complained about the heads, but only because I have so much respect for the quality of GHL that I was surprised they haven't fixed this issue yet.
GHL reminds me of Siemens industrial PLC's. Not the easiest to use, but once you get them running they run and run and run. Except doser heads.

 

[Jamie7907]

Doser 2.1 heads suck lol especially 1 & 3 on the director, mine last ~4 months. Still wouldn’t get rid of it for anything the unit is solid and stable. Any word yet on graphing for the stand alone directors?

 

[VJV]

Germans are engineers at heart. They believe a product will sell simple because it is very good and well made. Which they usually are. But it can be a bit frustrating. I am European and went with ProfiLux because I believed that I would get better support for the products. However I find that I tend to get faster responses if I ask here on R2R than in GHL forum. Anyway I have a spare doser 2.1 so was really keen to go with the KH Director. However, after seeing a lot of these posts I am tempted to add an APEX EL and the Trident. Why? The idea behind automated testing for me is all about peace of mind and reduce workload. It seems with the KH you get neither. You will still have to keep checking whether your results are accurate by continuing to use regular test kits to make sure you can rely on the trends displayed. Is the Alk going up or do I need to calibrate the pH probe? Do I need to change the tubing? etc... I am more inclined to get the Trident package because 1- I get all three tests; 2 - titration is a tried and tested method that does not require probes or other devices that require maintenance to maintain precision. I obviously do not need to test Magnesium everyday but I see that as a bonus. And this will allow me to play with both systems and see which one I enjoy using the most

 

[BedrockIOMC]

I so want to get a GHL system. :-(

 

[Jamie7907]

Lol the trident will have its own problems to be sure. Why do you think it’s not out yet? Trust me it’s not because they don’t want it to be. And the trident is only a tester it offers no form of control, the calcium isn’t actually a titrated test but a calculation based off of magnesium, the sample size itself while it may be a selling point also reduces accuracy, reagents will cost far more than any other unit currently available. I manage 3 kh directors and other than pump heads one and three the units are rock solid but to be fair I’m testing 24x a day. Comparing the kh director to a regular test kit subject to perceived optics is laughable even if the numbers do match there’s no guarantee the test kit is right, just what you are used to and what you expect to be right through more than likely if the numbers are different and the kh director was correctly installed it will be right. Reduced workload doesn’t mean no maintenance, what you are looking for is just plain laziness. To be fair I also have the Alkatronic, used to have the kh guardian (pure junk) and will also get the trident and reefbot if they ever come out but in no way do I think either of these compare to actual controllers they are simply testing mechanisms.

 

[Brew12]

You will still have to keep checking whether your results are accurate by continuing to use regular test kits to make sure you can rely on the trends displayed. Is the Alk going up or do I need to calibrate the pH probe? Do I need to change the tubing? etc... I am more inclined to get the Trident package because 1- I get all three tests; 2 - titration is a tried and tested method that does not require probes or other devices that require maintenance to maintain precision. I obviously do not need to test Magnesium everyday but I see that as a bonus. And this will allow me to play with both systems and see which one I enjoy using the most

I don't mind calibrating the pH probe or the dosing pumps. I do that almost every month anyway. It doesn't take much extra time for me to do it. My gut feel is that Trident will have some accuracy issues, also. We don't know how often the different pumps will need to be calibrated, or if they can be calibrated. Accurate titrations require known amounts of liquid to be added. Very precise amounts. I haven't found a pump yet that is completely consistent over time. The question becomes how, and how often, this system will need calibration. Optical sensors can also need maintenance and cleaning. Without more information, it is hard to know if it will be more accurate and less work or not.

And the trident is only a tester it offers no form of control, the calcium isn’t actually a titrated test but a calculation based off of magnesium

Adding control will only take a software change. I suspect that will be in the works. My understanding is that calculated calcium was an early plan but they are now going to do actual testing based on information saying they were considering selling the calcium reagent separately.

reagents will cost far more than any other unit currently available

Not sure about this either. They estimated $20/month for 4 samples a day but until the product is released with pricing we have no way of knowing.