There was a discussion about these meters recently on the Soil forum. It might help.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soil, Compost, and Mulch forum

OK, I did that.

To see if your meter is working properly, water a small pot of soil-any kind, no plants, with a mix of 1/4 vinegar to 3/4 water; wait several hours before reading for an acid reading. And water another small pot of soil with baking soda; about 1 tsp per cup for alkalinity. Be sure to follow the instructions for cleaning.

I have found that rubbing the contacts with the scrubbie that is usually enclosed in the package is critical. Also making sure the contact is clean and dry after use. If it is not dry, the contacts will corrode and no longer work. Never leave it in the soil. Sandy

I found this great site which has some good information on how to use a pH meter. Take a look.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to use a pH meter

what type of pH meter did you get? what kind of electrodes?

Some of the above advice is only correct for some types of electrodes.

pH meters take time to stabilize. In a normal lab, most readings take up to 30 seconds to stabilize ie give you a correct reading.

As far as the advice for checking your pH meter (pouring acid through soil) - that is poor advice. First of all you don't need the soil. Second, it tells you almost nothing about how well your meter is working.

Most soil in N.A. is going to be in a range from 6.5 to 7.5. Which means most is close to neutral. vinegar and baking soda are far from these readings.

The only way to see if your meter is working is to take readings of a known pH, that is close to soil - 7.5 and 6.5. These are called buffers - a chemical of a known pH.

I have not used home pH meters, but my guess is that they are not very reliable for the small changes in pH we are normally looking for.

Commercial labs usually add water to the soil and let it sit for a while with stirring. Then they measure the water above the soil layer. They do not just pour it through the soil.

When taking readings, it is also important to keep the pH probe moving, or the liquid stirring. Without that you will not a proper reading.