C
Carl Carlson
what kind of grow system are you running?
is my tap water ok to use?
- Thread starter peterjoseph88
- Start date
what kind of grow system are you running?
Just curious why you think this is so. Have you had bad experiences not leaving your water out over night?
peterjoseph88
Member
@ carl I run soil
STUPPA
Member
Your water is unusual in that it has a low e.c but a high pH .Normally you will find that soft (low e.c) water has a more acidic pH usually below 7.4 .
In some city areas they add alkaline agents to soft/acidic water to increase the pH , they do this to reduce the amount of corrosion the acidic water would cause in metal pipes . The OP might find this is the case with his water and as a result he could expect to get pH swings over time if using a rez to hold nutes .
by the sounds of it his nutes have good buffering capacity so it should'nt be a prob unless nutes were kept in a rez for a length of time .
In some city areas they add alkaline agents to soft/acidic water to increase the pH , they do this to reduce the amount of corrosion the acidic water would cause in metal pipes . The OP might find this is the case with his water and as a result he could expect to get pH swings over time if using a rez to hold nutes .
by the sounds of it his nutes have good buffering capacity so it should'nt be a prob unless nutes were kept in a rez for a length of time .
C
Carl Carlson
There is one more thing you should test.
Go to Lowes, the pond section and get a water test kit that includes alkalinity. They're about $10.
If the alkalinity is too high the pH of the medium will go up.
check out the attached file.
Understanding pH management and plant nutrition
Part 2: Water quality
Bill Argo, Ph.D.
Go to Lowes, the pond section and get a water test kit that includes alkalinity. They're about $10.
If the alkalinity is too high the pH of the medium will go up.
check out the attached file.
Understanding pH management and plant nutrition
Part 2: Water quality
Bill Argo, Ph.D.
Rumpleforeskin
Member
That's interesting because the bulk of people who don't leave it to air-out report no problems.
Rumpleforeskin
Member
Read any grow book and see what it says.
I remove all the chlorine from my water. Check my harvest pictures for some anecdotal evidence. Speeds up growing in my system. I used to veg longer when the chlorine was not removed. I got it down to 10 days veg and 60 days flowering (harvest every 70 days). I worked real hard to reduce cycle time, removing the chlorine had a significant impact.
***More anecdotal evidence***
Single plant 70 days old from clone. No chlorine:
I know what the grow books say, hence the reason everybody repeats the same advice, but I also know that hundreds of growers don't do that and have great harvests. I'd be willing to bet that it does nothing to help your grow by leaving it out.
These aren't as impressive in size, but hey it was only a 250 watter and 60 day strain. I'm sure there's somebody out there throwing 1000 watters at plants grown with water straight out of the tap though that are as big as anything out there.
These aren't as impressive in size, but hey it was only a 250 watter and 60 day strain. I'm sure there's somebody out there throwing 1000 watters at plants grown with water straight out of the tap though that are as big as anything out there.
Rumpleforeskin
Member
You can grow big plants with out removing the chlorine, it just takes longer.
Chlorine does nothing good for your plants, it's a no-brainer.
I won't debate this total fact any further.
Peace, R.
Chlorine does nothing good for your plants, it's a no-brainer.
I won't debate this total fact any further.
Peace, R.
Well some people have claimed that it helps kill pathogens in the water and keep their system clean. That's a good thing if it's true and it's not a debate guy, it's called sharing information.
R
rick shaw
According to California Public Utilities Commission Chloramine has replaced Chlorine long ago.The only thing leaving that will happen by leaving open containers is raising humidity.Japanfreaker I know what you mean about fractions of information presented as fact,the lawyers I work for call this hearsay,I also now know why To High carries a bat.lol
where im @ my tap ppm is 512.... crazy high. but i dont have the cash for an RO system so i use it anyway. no ill effects thus far. to each their own though. this is just a lil gl80 w/ a 4oow
Tolkin Bowls
Member
I checked with my local water supply and they still use chlorine here in Washington.
dunkydunk
Member
My tap water is just over 100 ppm, and I don't generally filter it or leave it sit out. I do split it with r/o water to get the ppms down to about 70. I find having a little straight tap makes for a more stable pH. I have also found the tap water to have some seasonal fluctuations, so it's good to keep an eye on it. In the winter it gets too cold to feed straight to the plants, but my rez lasts about a week, so it's sitting out all that time.
Sounds like you have good tap water as a base, you shouldn't need to do much with it. Chlorine/chloramine isn't going to be a benefit to your plants, but nor is it the deadly poison people make it out to be. It's added at the water treatment plant to water that has already been cleaned to keep it that way after it leaves the facility, not to kill possible pathogens in the water as it come into the plant.
Sounds like you have good tap water as a base, you shouldn't need to do much with it. Chlorine/chloramine isn't going to be a benefit to your plants, but nor is it the deadly poison people make it out to be. It's added at the water treatment plant to water that has already been cleaned to keep it that way after it leaves the facility, not to kill possible pathogens in the water as it come into the plant.
Zendo
Member
I got my local printout for our water, and It too only contains chlorine, no cloramine.
Mine comes out at 167ppm, and smells like a swimming pool.
I aerate my water, and just a few hours of this removes chlorine.
I've used this for both organic compost teas/soil and gh nutes for hempy with no issues.
hth
Mine comes out at 167ppm, and smells like a swimming pool.
I aerate my water, and just a few hours of this removes chlorine.
I've used this for both organic compost teas/soil and gh nutes for hempy with no issues.
hth
I use to get warnings in the mail that told us to boil the water it tested positive for e coli. So I bought a ro/di uv water system. Worked very well
hmm you got all worked up about this stuff,
I have a TDS meter, it says around 300ppm, which is highish, but I cant really buy a RO now.
Im trying to buy a pH tester because as you say it is an important component but here in the forums I cant seem to find a thread about pH meters. While I could buy an expensive one, my aim is for something cheap so any recomendations will be helpful.
I have a TDS meter, it says around 300ppm, which is highish, but I cant really buy a RO now.
Im trying to buy a pH tester because as you say it is an important component but here in the forums I cant seem to find a thread about pH meters. While I could buy an expensive one, my aim is for something cheap so any recomendations will be helpful.
