Clearex , drip clean & PH

does the drip clean or clearex affect the PH of your solution ??? i've never used either & have been thinking about 1 of them cuz i'm feeding with drip lines now . but my nutes come out perfect PH without any up or down needed , will either of these change that ???

dansbuds said:

does the drip clean or clearex affect the PH of your solution ??? i've never used either & have been thinking about 1 of them cuz i'm feeding with drip lines now . but my nutes come out perfect PH without any up or down needed , will either of these change that ???

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I use so little drip clean I have never noticed any change in PH.
I wouldnt recommend running clearex constantly just to keep your lines clean. Theres really not much that you can do with a bottle of clearex.

I use drip clean at .4 mL/gallon and I notice no change in pH.

I just ran out and need ta get some more, thanks for reminding me

Dans are you seeing build up in your drip lines? Im assuming your still using v+b. When i first switched to v+b i was adding drip clean but have since stopped and haven't noticed any difference.

g0dzilla said:

Dans are you seeing build up in your drip lines? Im assuming your still using v+b. When i first switched to v+b i was adding drip clean but have since stopped and haven't noticed any difference.

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I just used a sample of this stuff and wouldnt even think of putting it through my lines.

ill admit, i steer people away from drip clean

but.......

go buy a bottle and run it at the recommended .4ml/gal and compare it to when you werent running with it

ill put $ on it that you will notice absolutely no difference whatsoever

salt buildup shouldnt even be a worry if your feeding responsibily anyway

just my 2cents

Hey, if youre in the middle of a grow and havent been using drip clean it is recommended that you start out with even smaller doses, just in case it releases a lot of built up salt. Id say it works at removing salts, but Im not sure if its necessary. It certainly wont fix a shitty nute line though.

Dans are you seeing build up in your drip lines? Im assuming your still using v+b. When i first switched to v+b i was adding drip clean but have since stopped and haven't noticed any difference.

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Yeah i'm still using the V & B & no i'm not getting any clogging . but i do niotice some build up on the tube from the pump out of the rez . it can be cleaned easily with a rag , but was wondering about the inside of the tube . if it can build up on the outside ... i'm sure it can build up on the inside as well & figured it would be a good idea to check out drip clean & things like it , just in case .

I can very easily run a rez full of hot water through the lines after each 8 week run if you guys think its a waste to run the drip clean . i change the rez container with a clean sterile one every time it gets emptied ... so i'm not worried about the rez ... just the 1/2 " & 1/4" drip lines .

TribalSeeds said:

I just used a sample of this stuff and wouldnt even think of putting it through my lines.

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I do not share the same experience wonder if anything what is different. But i will keep an eye out. Thanks for the input. Dans seeing how drip clean is pretty cheap maybe give it a run and see if it makes a difference. Like you i would have no issues running a rez of water after each cycle but i could see that being problematic for bigger setups.

g0dzilla said:

I do not share the same experience wonder if anything what is different. But i will keep an eye out. Thanks for the input. Dans seeing how drip clean is pretty cheap maybe give it a run and see if it makes a difference. Like you i would have no issues running a rez of water after each cycle but i could see that being problematic for bigger setups.

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I'm with you. I have run v+b for 3 or 4 runs now and no clogging. I have 1/4" stake drippers I top drip for the first couple of weeks of 12s and none have stopped free flowing. I asked the same question to my hydro shop and they told me v+B has an anti-clogger in it to prevent blockage.I do have some white haze on my tubes and the sides of my rez but that is normal right?

I'm with you. I have run v+b for 3 or 4 runs now and no clogging. I have 1/4" stake drippers I top drip for the first couple of weeks of 12s and none have stopped free flowing. I asked the same question to my hydro shop and they told me v+B has an anti-clogger in it to prevent blockage.I do have some white haze on my tubes and the sides of my rez but that is normal right?

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I'm having the same white haze experiance which is why i'm looking into the drip clean .

netprophet said:

I'm with you. I have run v+b for 3 or 4 runs now and no clogging. I have 1/4" stake drippers I top drip for the first couple of weeks of 12s and none have stopped free flowing. I asked the same question to my hydro shop and they told me v+B has an anti-clogger in it to prevent blockage.I do have some white haze on my tubes and the sides of my rez but that is normal right?

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Well i have not gone through 3-4 runs with v+b but up until this point I havent seen any build up that I'm even remotely concerned about. I only have a 25 gal rez so very easy for me to keep it circulating and mixed properly. Maybe a slight white haze but I will have to do some checking tonight when lights on. As far as V+B having anti clog I can not speak on that. I would take anybody at a hydro shops opinion as a grain of salt but maybe a proper email/response from hydroponic research can clear things up. Lets not speculate what it does or does not contain until proven otherwise.

You should not "need" any Drip Clean when using V+B... Drip clean will however lower ph since it is derived from a acid based source...i.e. - Phosphoric acid

However most do not see any ph drop when using drip clean at such low dosages as .4ml per gallon.....

If your seeing a build up happening it is most likely due to something in your source water as opposed to V+B.....extensive testing was done to make sure V+B ran clean in hydro systems.....

Having said that, using Drip Clean during your grow and using Clearex to flush at the end is NOT a bad idea at all if you can afford the extra cost in purchasing these two items. We did a long test with Clearex and the product works VERY well as advertised. It works better than the one made by Advanced Nutrients called Final Phase.....as usual the product from AN is more of a "gimmick" than anything else which is on par with the rest of the products they make as well.

A GREAT new product is called Z7 made by Flying Skull Plant Nutrients......it is a 2 part system cleaner that was developed especially for RDWC type systems. Part A is the enzymes, and Part B is the bacteria....these two products work together and help keep a clean system from build ups as the enzymes will eat the dead root matter and any other organic compounds, and the bacteria helps the roots grow and protects from pathogens.

The folks that made this product are also the same people that make the CareFree pond and aquarium products.....anyone who ever used the Carefree products before should know how well they work for ponds and aquariums.....I mean think about it for a second, if you can develop a product that keeps POND water clear and clean, a hydro system should be a piece of cake.....IMHO

And because the products contains enzymes and bacteria, it can be used for the entire grow cycles from start to finish.......and when you go to prep your system and clean it for the next cycle, you will notice a HUGE difference.....usually just a quick scrub down and a couple of flushes at the MOST is ALL that is needed.

Edit: I sent Chris a email to see if I can confirm that V+B carries a flushing agent of some sort....

Also some of you experienced V+B users might be interested to know that a little birdie told me we can expect to see a V+B "Finishing" product in the near future.....

Shhhhhhhhhhhh...its a secret.....

TribalSeeds said:

Hey, if youre in the middle of a grow and havent been using drip clean it is recommended that you start out with even smaller doses, just in case it releases a lot of built up salt. Id say it works at removing salts, but Im not sure if its necessary. It certainly wont fix a shitty nute line though.

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Excellent & Accurate advice!
+Rep

Saw one extreme case in which Drip Clean was added for the first time about the 3rd week in flower........not only did they NOT cut the label dosage down, but instead they thought if they doubled and tripled the label suggested dosage rate, that the product would work better and faster...and they could make up for lost time I guess!!

And since this grower practiced mixing nutrients the same way as the Drip Clean meaning, "double the dosage to get better results" type of a mentality.....the amount of built up salt that was released was toxic to the crop. What a needless bummer....

Hey guys .... just to clarify . i'm not having any clogging problems , i'm just in the mind set of preventive maintenance . i noticed a white haze on the tube off the pump , cleaned it with a rag & wondered if it might be building up in the hoses is all . so i'm doing some research on what to use IF the clogging does happen (not saying it is or will ) . I can very easily remove the hoses after each run & clean them out with hot water . as i said every time my rez is emptied i replace it with a clean sterile one before refilling , so i'm not worried about the rez cuz every time i clean one ... i've never noticed anything like what i seen on the tubes .

didn't mean to start a controversy ... just lookin for info

bio ....... what kind of finisher is he talkin about marketing ???? very interested in hearing about that !

thanx for all your input guys .... i'm holding off on buying anything right now . don't need expensive bottles laying around that will eventually get thrown away .... like i have done sense switching to V & B !!! no more calmag , protekt etc..... a & b this and that ... who needs it ? not me !!!


Guys ... just as a heads up concerning the clogging with V & B , i was just reading in another thread that a member here is using the V & B with blumats sensors & has had no clogging . If thats the case than we have NOTHING to worry about with 1/4 " drip lines . cuz the blumats use a 3mm surgical tubing to feed the blumats through a pinch valve .... so if he's not having clog issues ..... we never will !!! I may even go back to using my blumats if theres no problems with it clogging the lines

Posted by rives

I've never used Canna nutrients, so I can't help you there. I've recently (this run) changed over to Hydroponic Research's Veg+Bloom RO formula, and am very happy with it. It works well with the blumats, and for the first time I've found a nutrient that has enough Ca & Mg to work with my water.

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Won't a pressure gauge inline tell if the line is stopping up?

I asked Chris at Hydroponic Research and he responded and said that V+B does indeed contain a phosphate species based component very similar if not the same thing used in Drip Clean. This is to make sure dripper lines stay clog free.

He also stated that the white haze like film is happening as minerals are diluted into the water.....perfectly normal, and harmless. FYI

^^^^^

Thanx Bio

Bio thanks for the info.. same with dans. Appreciate the follow up with hr