Tapwater that has a ppm of 118 and a ph of 6.8 for your hydro grows? I have used nothing but RO water since I started growing. I love RO water. but I do not own a RO system. I buy my RO water at local fish stores for .25 cents a gallon. But it gets tiresome lugging it. But I am committed to continue to do so, if thats what I decide. So I filled one of my jugs last night with tap, and let it sit overnight with no lid on it. I took readings tonight, and it sits at 118 ppm and 6.8 ph. They are actually the same numbers I got when I first filled the jug last night, so nothing really changed letting it sit out, except maybe some chlorine evaporation. So, would you be happy about those numbers in tap, or wary? They are not that far off from the RO water I use. The RO water usually has a 60 ppm and a 6.8ish PH. So given that, what would you do? Keep using RO, or try the tap?
Well, you have two things to consider. 1. What do those solids consist of? Harmful solids (chlorine, salts, etc) or beneficial? Either way, it could swing things one way or the other (eg, too much calcium). 2. Those dissolved solids take away from what you want the plant to uptake. So if you mix say a 1000ppm feed solution, only 882PPM will be what you want the plants to utilize. So do you compensate by adding more nutes? I guess what I'm trying to say is it affects the balance of things. Will it kill your plants, not likely (some strains may be more sensitive than others). Its also adding in a few variables which you cannot account for, so if your ladies get sick - thats one more thing you'll have to try and isolate to correct it. Edit: Forgot to mention, have you ever considered distilling your own water? Its somewhat of a bitch unless you buy special equipment, but you could do a google search for some videos on how to easily distill water at home on the stove. Not a great option - just one to consider. Also, humidifier water is essentially distilled water and can also be used.
Thanks for the reply. I have considered getting an RO system, but had not considered distilling my own. Also, I do not need a humidifier. I have been lucky enough to hold good RH numbers through my grow. I do have a small humidifier though that I use in the winter in my room because I have a very nice acoustic guitar, so I like to keep it more humid in the dry winter months. I do not know if it would be enough water for my plants though. I just thought since the RO water I ma dealing with has a ppm of 60 that a ppm of 118 is not that much higher. But I guess if whats in the tap water making it 118 is worse stuff than whats in the RO's water 60 ppm, then I guess I will stick with the RO.
I do organics in soil, so take this with a grain of salt. Reading about water on a (non mj), gardening forum, it was noted that many large scale hydro operations actually prefer a water with a starting ppm of ~125 or so. Makes sense. Why remove all the minerals just to put them back in? I only use tap, but mine only has ~40 ppm. 118ppm vs $.25/gallon? A no brainer for me. Now if it was 300ppm+, that would be a different story. Wet
Honestly theres really know way of determining the impact when you factor in strain sensitivity, what those dissolved solids consist of, or the 100's of other factors. I guess the only way to determine if its a bad thing using the tap is to go ahead and try it on some clones or something. Also, as far as you comment on the humidifier, I think we may be mixing terms here: Humidifier adds moisture and wont create any distilled water for you. A dehumidifier pulls moisture from the air and can be used for plants (I'd definitely clean out the reservoir though). Also, rainwater can be used. Get a big drum and hook it up to a downspout. You'll be surprised how fast it fills. Just make sure bugs cant get in there and lay eggs in the stagnant water (that'd be a bad thing! I personally use tap water, but im not on a municipal water system (well water) and its an extremely deep well. Finally - I've seen RO systems for like $100 delivered so its a pretty good solution if you have the money for it. Not to mention its better for you so its an investment
look for your local water store u can get r/o water for 25 cents a gal its the best way to do it unless u r growing big then i would get my own r/o ppms of water store - 2 i hear if u r ganna use tap water get sum dolomite lime it will buffer your ph for u.
While I appreciate the response, I must ask you a question. How high were you when you wrote that reply? The 4th sentence of my post states I use RO water that I get at my local fish store for 25 cents a gallon. But my RO water comes in at about 60 ppm.
just use the tap.. let it sit... its gonna be fine.. tons of people use tap... i too got tired of the drag the water home game... got my hydrologic installed yesterday... good luck
I dont do hydro..........but I know alittle about h2o and 118 ppm is pretty good, I would use it.........worst case go back to the RO
BadAxe I second the rain water suggestion. Many people collect rain water for their patio gardens so it's not too noticeable these days. You'll find less ph dancing and lockouts with RW, no need for acid, more room for ferts. I collect the RW from my roof gutter into a 55gal drum. I don't filter or treat the water, just add ferts. I've seen a huge improvement from using RW after switching from 175ppm well water. One thing is I no longer have to use ph down acid.
That was a stoned misread. LOL. I just read it wrong. Only problem with using a dehumidifier,especially now in the colder months, is that the RH in my house is already sitting in the 30's. I really don't need to suck that out of the air.
I changed my res in my 2 buckets today. I used RO water in one, and I decided to try my tap in the other. I have not yet had to add a drop of PH up or down this entire grow. We will see if the tap water will require it, or if I can keep steady numbers. Its no big deal if it starts to go awry, I am only dealing with 3 gallons in the bucket, and I can drain, flush and refill with RO in an instant if I have to. But if I don't, then I am saving the trip to the fish store every 2 weeks. My old ass back is getting sick of lugging three 5 gallon containers up and down stairs. I will consider rain water. The only issue with me collecting rain water is that I have no yard, so no garden. But I am also not terribly visible, and do not have the nosiest of neighbors. Its something to consider for the future. What do you rain water collectors do in the winter (That is, those of you in wintery areas)? If I collect rain water in the winter, it will just be a drum full of ice.
For the cold RW from outdoors during the winter I bought this aquarium heater. It will heat up a 5gal bucket in about 20min. Titanium to protect from acids. Finnex HMA - 100 Watt w/ Electronic Controller Aquarium Titanium Heater (20-30 Gallons) ASIN: B002TDUMK4 $26.00 Your RO should work fine if that's what you already have going. The main idea here is to avoid high ppms from hard water and ph down acid, it really causes problems. My RW comes in at less than 0.1 tds, or I think 10ppm after conversion then I go to 1.4 tds with ferts, ph holds steady at 6.5. I use a bit higher ph due to rockwool, top feed drip DTW, and hydroton