help before i throw out this f#@*ing ro unit, ph went nuts

[bobman]

i just bought a hydro-logic small boy. The guy in the store said it will reduce ppm. After roaming the internet because something did not feel right i called the company and low and behold it does not, so i shelled out another hundred for the ro unit add on(because I had already run water through it). I got that yesterday put the thing together and let it run for an hour, then i filled a gallon jug to sit overnight. I just calibrated my hanna checker (I know not the best) and my waters ph went from 7.8 down to 6. The company said this product will not change the ph. Not only is it down to 6 but the reading changes if I give a lite swirl and never give the same reading twice and will actually read in the high 5.9s. Is this just a nice welcome to the wonderful world of ro water or is something wrong somewhere? I guess instead of buying more ph down I should have bought ph up. I am thinking the solution is to mix my water to stabilize. Someone help please?

 

[tokinafaty420]

The company has idiots for public relations.

The ph of water is affected by the dissolved solids in that water. Removing these molecules will alter the PH.

 

[iman00b]

i started to reply thinking that i had the same system...but i dont. i do have a hydro logic but its the stealth ro100. i really like it. its slow so if you need ro water faster id get the ro200 because it does 200 gallons a day as opposed to 100 with the ro100. with that said, i don't know what add-on you got. the addon may have converted the small boy to the ro100/200 but im not sure. i don't have a ph pen, i just use papers. the finished water looks the be a 6 so i dont sweat it. i have a cheap tds meter so im not sure how accurate it is but the finished ro water is between 0-3, so im happy there. i hope this was somewhat helpful.

oh yeah, dont toss it out bobman. that wont get your money back and you still wont have clean water...if you can't use the water on plants maybe you can drink it? again just trying to help

 

[Zen Master]

you are taking things out of the water, thus affecting the pH. quite simple really.

 

[Weezard]

PH ooey!

PH ooey!

No worry my friend.
Any PH reading taken on R/O, or distilled water, is meaningless.

There are simply not enough dissolved solids for an accurate reading.
Suggest that you mix in your nutes to at least 250 ppm. then take your measurement.

Aloha,

Weezard

 

[bobman]

thanks guys, even though the company said it would not change i thought they were wrong. From my reading I did not expect it to go to 6. Time to break out the notebook and start tracking. I am only doing hempy now so there is a lot of room for error, but i want start playing around with rdwc and i do not want chase ph.

 

[tokinafaty420]

Cannot complain with 6, once you add back the Cal-Mg that has been removed from the R/O it should bring you back up some closer to 6.5-7.

 

[mrred]

i thought that 6 was the correct ph for R/O water

 

[Phedrosbenny]

I thought it should 7....right?

 

[TicalionStalion]

the stealth RO 100 is bomb, thats what I use...bring my TDS from almost 500ppm down to 004ppm, its freakin sweet.

 

[bobman]

ok since i have u guys. is it best too let the water sit for 12 or twenty four hours then add nutes let sit for another 12 hours then ph or just add nutes then wait a for 12 to 24hrs then ph. or is this overkill i have seen different opinions. again i really dont want to chase ph once i start rdwc. I realize ph will drift as the plants eat but i want the ph stable when i put it in the res. I am currently using gh flora.

the reason i ask is because i was adding nutes then ph-ing and then feeding. well i tested some solution after it was sitting for a few days and it went from 5.8 to 6.8. i want to avoid this.

 

[ShroomDr]

Any PH reading taken on R/O water, is meaningless.

There are simply not enough dissolved solids for an accurate reading.
Suggest that you mix in your nutes... then take your measurement.

100% correct

 

[blahman]

Is there something wrong with a ph of 6.0? I've been using a ro for years that outputs 6.0 bang on everytime. I've had good luck with GH 3 part. Usually drops to 5.5 after nutes and settles back to 6.0 after a couple days. Don't have to touch the ph at all with GH. AN is another story.

 

[bobman]

about how long does it take to settle? is it ok to keep it in jugs or better to bubble it? You have to forgive an old soil grower I am used to mixing and going. I am glad i started with hempy sooo forgiving but I am ready for a rdwc trial.

 

[mrred]

these are always accurate

bob, i havnt done dwc in a while but I would rarely if ever use ph down or up when using r/o water, but with tap, it would flux alot, if its r/o water then are keeping it in a dark place? and if its r/o water i wouldnt ph it at all, at least not after letting it sit

 

[joeking]

Is there something wrong with a ph of 6.0? I've been using a ro for years that outputs 6.0 bang on everytime. I've had good luck with GH 3 part. Usually drops to 5.5 after nutes and settles back to 6.0 after a couple days. Don't have to touch the ph at all with GH. AN is another story.

If you have had success with it, then it doesn't sound like there is anything wrong with it, unless you feel that there is room for improvement