Well water

[SatoriSOG]

saw a few threads scattered accross the web on well water, some said it was great, some said it was terrible

so what do you guys think? and I did try to search to no avail on here.
I'm looking for all the information i can before i dish out money for an R.O system.


I planned to use this in ebb and flow buckets.

 

[tokinafaty420]

Depends on the water. lol I know it sound obvious, but you shouldn't jump to conclusions based on the source. There are some very excellent sources of well water as well as tap. All depends on where you live.


Get yourself a TDS meter and test the ppms of it. Anything over 100 I'd go with a filter of some kind.

 

[PermaBuzz]

dp

 

[tokinafaty420]

I have well water, super hard, rusty, orangish color, ppm of 800+, highly alkaline.
Did an NFT hydro setup and had great results using this water. Used pure water to replenish the rez from evaporation but the rest was straight hard water.

See just goes to show it all depends on where you are. The house I grew up in that had a well had water coming out of the faucet at 50-60ppm. Was the best tasting water I ever had. The plants loved it too. Now I'm stuck with tap that ranges from 160-230ppm.

 

[oldone]

I'm on a well too. Same as PermaBuzz ~800, it sucks. You should be able to get yours tested by your local health dept.

I went with RO. See ya,
OO

 

[bobcat1963]

My well is great,comes in @ 50PPM on my cheap TDS meter.Plants like it.And it tastes good.

 

[12and12]

i agree with most of what was said above

it really depends on the water in your well

i use well water and have for years @ 7.5 ph and 300 ppm with no problems

but you just have to keep your ppm in mind when feeding
in some cases non ro water is good ph is more stable ...its cheaper...
just test the water for ph and ppm just remember if your water starts at 200 subtract 200 from your feeding value to know how much you are really feeding

 

[SatoriSOG]

thanks for all the replys guys, but i've come to realize an R/O unit is a very rewarding investment, just for the fact of more control.

but yes, my god I love how well water tastes, I'm trying some plants iwth just well water and going to do a side by side grow with r/o and nutes.

 

[tokinafaty420]

thanks for all the replys guys, but i've come to realize an R/O unit is a very rewarding investment, just for the fact of more control.

but yes, my god I love how well water tastes, I'm trying some plants iwth just well water and going to do a side by side grow with r/o and nutes.

Do not forget a Calcium and Magnesium supplement then if you are using R/O. Most nutes are made for tap water and do not include enough of either.

 

[David762]

Location is everything ...

Location is everything ...

saw a few threads scattered accross the web on well water, some said it was great, some said it was terrible

so what do you guys think? and I did try to search to no avail on here.
I'm looking for all the information i can before i dish out money for an R.O system.


I planned to use this in ebb and flow buckets.

Sorry to be so ambivalent. Let me explain.
I have been all over the USA, and some of the very best well / spring water I have ever tasted was from a natural spring at about 3,000 ft. in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada Mts. NE of Grass Valley, CA. It just bubbled up from a crack in the granite into a small pool, icy cold. I can guarantee that it had minerals in it, but tasty.
OTOH, some of the very worst well water I have ever tasted was in central Florida west of Orlando. It has so much sulphur in it that it overwhelmed the filtration system -- had to close my eyes and mouth when showering to keep from irritating my eyes, or from gagging.
Water quality varies quite a bit in a single state, too, for example NY. Well water around Emerald Lake was loaded with sulphur, just not as bad as Central Florida. Yet the well water in the Adirondack Mts. near Lake Placid was as sweet and clean as can be, minerals and all. Location, geological formations, local agra or industrial use, water table and annual rainfall all play their parts.

The real point is that water quality can be measured scientifically with a TDS meter and pH meter, but still have a subjective quality. If you are planning on either using hydroponics or aeroponics methods, you would be well-advised to use a filtration system. Well water quality can be too variable, by either season or drought cycle, and will keep you banging your head trying to maintain a quality product. Growing organically in soil is far less problematic with well water, but it would still bear measuring scientifically on a regular basis.

Best of luck with your new biologic endeavor ...

 

[SatoriSOG]

I'm going to be running the technaflora nutes, and using MagiCal for that

thanks for all the advice guys! I'l post side by side pics of the difference eventually

 

[tokinafaty420]

Sorry to be so ambivalent. Let me explain.
I have been all over the USA, and some of the very best well / spring water I have ever tasted was from a natural spring at about 3,000 ft. in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada Mts. NE of Grass Valley, CA. It just bubbled up from a crack in the granite into a small pool, icy cold. I can guarantee that it had minerals in it, but tasty.
OTOH, some of the very worst well water I have ever tasted was in central Florida west of Orlando. It has so much sulphur in it that it overwhelmed the filtration system -- had to close my eyes and mouth when showering to keep from irritating my eyes, or from gagging.
Water quality varies quite a bit in a single state, too, for example NY. Well water around Emerald Lake was loaded with sulphur, just not as bad as Central Florida. Yet the well water in the Adirondack Mts. near Lake Placid was as sweet and clean as can be, minerals and all. Location, geological formations, local agra or industrial use, water table and annual rainfall all play their parts.

The real point is that water quality can be measured scientifically with a TDS meter and pH meter, but still have a subjective quality. If you are planning on either using hydroponics or aeroponics methods, you would be well-advised to use a filtration system. Well water quality can be too variable, by either season or drought cycle, and will keep you banging your head trying to maintain a quality product. Growing organically in soil is far less problematic with well water, but it would still bear measuring scientifically on a regular basis.

Best of luck with your new biologic endeavor ...

Minerals is what gives water taste. I recommend people try a glass of R/O water and compare it to a glass of spring water. The difference is very noticable. Good water is becoming hard to come by.