Medical MJ
Member
I run tap water with no problems, ph 7, ppm 180, system is an ebb and flow but going to top feed drippers next run.
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Anyone using straight tap water?
- Thread starter Buick455gs
- Start date
Buick455gs
Member
Thanks for all the help guys/ladys. Well I'm gonna give it a go with the tap water. Will be setting up after the holidays (around tax time)
. 4 2'x3' ebb & flow trays 24 plants per tray sog style, 1000w hps with cool tube, GH nutes. Harvest 24 evrey 2 weeks. Got most of what I need already but moneys kinda tight right now ya know. Oh I can't wait.
. 4 2'x3' ebb & flow trays 24 plants per tray sog style, 1000w hps with cool tube, GH nutes. Harvest 24 evrey 2 weeks. Got most of what I need already but moneys kinda tight right now ya know. Oh I can't wait.
gardenlover
Member
ph 7 ppm 120 Great lakes tap water
DarkLance
Member
Buick455gs, I've got 700ppm water at 7.5ph. DO NOT USE THIS WATER IN YOUR PLANTS if its from the same NorCal water supply as mine.
We host a wide selection of industrial and agricultural pollutants. Along with heavy metals and other particulate. And best of all, Chloramine!
I've killed several house plants with this water, I've always used RO in my garden though.
Recently I purchased an RO unit, along with a pre-filter. Stealth RO 100 and a Small Boy to be specific. I like to use a 60/40 or 70/30 ratio of RO to Filtered Water. The idea is that we need the micro nutes supplied by ground water, but we have to control the pollution.
The one option I did not get, though plan to, is the upgraded filter for the Small Boy. Its called a KDF85 (which I assume means its a Kinetic Degradation Fluxion filter), this is supposed to completely remove the chloramine. I can still taste the chlorines in my purified water mixture, as we bottle it for domestic uses. So I guess I'll have to drop another $40.
If the ~$350 price tag of all that is too much, I recommend finding a source of high quality RO. You need to make sure they filter for Chloramine and provide some sort of biological removal process. Either UV light or Ozone injection. I plan on adding this to my home system as well
My best source of RO was from a Dry Cleaner's shop, @ 15¢ a gallon with membership.
I now pay 1.2¢ out of the tap, including the cost of waste water (1:3 loss ratio). Amortizing the ~$350 I spent for the filter system over the 3,000 gal (one filter-set lifespan), I'm now paying 12.9¢, not bad when you consider the equipment should last 1-2 years, or 4-8 filter changes.
@Mist, have you used this product (Chloramine Buster) in a hydro setup? Any ill effect on the plants? I'd be very cautious adding chemicals to my water.
We host a wide selection of industrial and agricultural pollutants. Along with heavy metals and other particulate. And best of all, Chloramine!
I've killed several house plants with this water, I've always used RO in my garden though.
Recently I purchased an RO unit, along with a pre-filter. Stealth RO 100 and a Small Boy to be specific. I like to use a 60/40 or 70/30 ratio of RO to Filtered Water. The idea is that we need the micro nutes supplied by ground water, but we have to control the pollution.
The one option I did not get, though plan to, is the upgraded filter for the Small Boy. Its called a KDF85 (which I assume means its a Kinetic Degradation Fluxion filter), this is supposed to completely remove the chloramine. I can still taste the chlorines in my purified water mixture, as we bottle it for domestic uses. So I guess I'll have to drop another $40.
If the ~$350 price tag of all that is too much, I recommend finding a source of high quality RO. You need to make sure they filter for Chloramine and provide some sort of biological removal process. Either UV light or Ozone injection. I plan on adding this to my home system as well
My best source of RO was from a Dry Cleaner's shop, @ 15¢ a gallon with membership.
I now pay 1.2¢ out of the tap, including the cost of waste water (1:3 loss ratio). Amortizing the ~$350 I spent for the filter system over the 3,000 gal (one filter-set lifespan), I'm now paying 12.9¢, not bad when you consider the equipment should last 1-2 years, or 4-8 filter changes.
@Mist, have you used this product (Chloramine Buster) in a hydro setup? Any ill effect on the plants? I'd be very cautious adding chemicals to my water.
Mist
Member
I have been using it in my Ebb&Gro system for the past 3 grows and you can look at my grow diary and see that there aren't any ill effect to the plants. It is safe for both fish and plant life and if you have ever kept aquariums you know that tropical fish are one of the most sensitive creatures to any kind of water contaminates. I didn't have to worry about this issue where I used to live. So when I found out (through this forum) that there was an issue with many major sities useing chloramine in their treated water as a disinfectant and that it had very ill effects on fish and plants. I figured that I better find something to adress that problem. And RO systems weren't going to do it. Although they will remove chlorine in it's normal state they seem to fall short with Chloramine. You need to have an expensive carbon block filter in the mix to get it out of the water. So I went with a different approach and neutralize it instead.
The best part is the price. A 160z. bottle @ $13.50 treats 8,000 gallons of water.
Here is a link to the product manufacturer website.
http://clearpond.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CP&Category_Code=CBUST
Happy Growing.
Buick455gs
Member
Darklance,
Wish I was in Cali then I'd be all legal, plus I hate the snow. Living in Ohio we get alot.
Mist,
I also have chloramines in my water and use Aquasafe with no problems. Been using it for 3 years since my water company switched over from chlorine.
Looked up my local water supply and well I guess I'll have to do more research because I don't know what half that shit means.
Wish I was in Cali then I'd be all legal, plus I hate the snow. Living in Ohio we get alot.
Mist,
I also have chloramines in my water and use Aquasafe with no problems. Been using it for 3 years since my water company switched over from chlorine.
Looked up my local water supply and well I guess I'll have to do more research because I don't know what half that shit means.
H
Huntington
City water supply - pH 6.9, EC 55, no chlorine or chloramines added. The stuff out of my tap gets bottled by major companies and fills the shelves on the West Coast. Have used in organic soil and salt hydro and just about perfect for both.
Kudos to the people who stated in EC and not PPM. For those that stated in PPM what conversion factor are you using? EC requires no translation and should be the common language.
Kudos to the people who stated in EC and not PPM. For those that stated in PPM what conversion factor are you using? EC requires no translation and should be the common language.
A National Assessment of Tap Water Quality
http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/findings.php
Find your water supplier
Environmental Working Group has compiled drinking water contamination on over 39751 water utilities in 42 states through contact with state environmental and health agencies. For the first time ever, you will see how your tap water stacks up against other cities and towns throughout the US.
http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/yourwater/
thekingofNY
Cannasseur
We don't have a ppm meter, however i found recently online someone that does homebrewing in my town posted a water report, they had about 215ppm, however 110 of that was chlorine, which evaporates if let sit out. so its prob more like 115.
PH is 6.8-7.2 depending on time of year
PH is 6.8-7.2 depending on time of year
T
THC_Decapitator
i went to my city's water report but all the ppm are broken down by chemical / minerla etc . They don't list a total ppm is this normal ?
our city uses 90% well water the rest is imported
our city uses 90% well water the rest is imported
Mist
Member
Yep, that's how they normall look. Broken down by each component found in the water at rates of ppm or ppb. I didn't see a total ppm on any of the ones I have looked at either. But I think that things change too much throughout the year. I saw another person post about how their waters ph varies though the year and also about somebody else who's city used both well and imported water. This to me means that they are using different sources and also different blends of both natural water and treated water in these places. I know that when the aquifer is low in my area that we get more treatment plant water and the ph is high and the ph drops to a nice 6.8 or so when they are on the aquifer water. So I would say that in many areas there could be a lot of variables in yor water that you may need to keep an eye on throughout the year to make sure your still on with your mix.
CrossEyedMary
Member
I keep my water in a bucket with an airstone. I keep the lid off and use it after a couple days. This allows the chlorine to come out of the water before use.
Telegraphist.
Member
Tap water
Tap water
Tap water pH is ~8.4 but with little TDS (nothing on a blue truncheon).
Tap water
Tap water pH is ~8.4 but with little TDS (nothing on a blue truncheon).
shit my tap water has a ph of 9.0 way to high. i have to add nutes in and ph down to adjust to 5.8.
C
cyberwax
mine is 7.0 and 0.14 ec (98 ppm) and im using it straight from the tap.
M
mrred
do you mean why r/o if its organic? i'd only use r/o with chem nutes
