Calibration of a calcium reactor - a log of the horrors

Will be kept busy during my free time for the next 2 weeks - yep, that's the time needed to fully-calibrate a new calcium reactor, but thereafter - muahahahahaha. Maintenance-free calcium, carbonate hardness and pH for the rest of my tank's life.

The steps involved:
1) Calibrate pH measurement probe in pH 7.0 solution
2) Empirical CO2 injection into calcium reactor at 1 bubble/4 seconds
3) Let run for a day to stabilise
4) Measure pH of effluent fluid coming from the calcium reactor. Target is 6.5-6.8
5) Measure pH of tank water. Target is 8.1-8.4
6) Let run for a day, measure both pH values again to make sure that tank water's buffering capacity is enough to prevent a dip in pH from the calcium reactor effluent.
7) Titrate for carbonate hardness ("alkalinity" in aquarium terms) of effluent fluid coming from the calcium reactor. Target is 25-35 dKH.
8) Titrate for carbonate hardness of tank water over several days to a week. Target is 10-11 dKH. Chart trend of dKH values over several days - usually operating a calcium reactor will make carbonate hardness fall, which is not what we want. If there is a downward trend, I'll have to up the bubble count or the effluent rate, until dKH stabilises over several days.
9) Titrate for calcium levels of tank water (DAMN, I *wish* Santa would drop me one of those new electronic Pinpoint Calcium monitors ... no more titration!!!!!!). If calcium is below target value of 420-450ppm, use anhydrous calcium chloride to bring it up to my desired level.
10) All set and done, sit back, and thank heavens I'll never have to do another titration for calcium, alkalinity and pH ever again.

Well, I'm now at Step 5, Step 6 will be done tonight. Also, some problems cropping up with the pH controller - the probe is so damn sensitive (resident engineer gave me some lovely insight into how it works - apparently the pH probe is made of special glass that allows H+ to pass through, wow ..) and the monitor measures to 2 decimal points, so the digits keep fluctuating.

Right now tank pH is at 8.00 (rounded off to 1 d.p.), but last night it was at 8.20 so something's definitely wrong here. DAMMIT, I hope I won't have to keep calibrating the damn machine. Will dip it later in the calibration fluid to see if it reads 7.00.