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 HempMaster
Space Trucker
 
Registered: 04/08/11
Posts: 253
Loc: Canada 
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
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 Best water to use 
#549988 - 04/24/11 12:47 AM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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I was just wondering if anyone knows if it really is better to use Bottled Spring/demineralized water than tap water in a hydroponic system? my buddy swears by it, but it just seems like a waste of $$... is it better to use demineralized water or spring water? If i had to geuss i'd say demineralized water would be best as your adding the nutes.....
just wondering on everyones thoughts...
cheers
Hemp
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My Tombstone will read: IwasburiedfacedownsoucanallkissmyA$$
my current grow
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Dephect
Registered: 06/25/08
Posts: 740
Last seen: 3 years, 5 months
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Re: Best water to use [Re: HempMaster]
#549991 - 04/24/11 01:58 AM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Tap water for sure is not the best to use. Buying bottled water is obviously not a ideal option unless you live in a area where the water is absolutely horrible.
I honestly have a PUR water filter attached to my faucet because all though my areas water is clean it still has shit in it that raises the ppm along with chlorine.
The water filter most of the bigger growers have are called RO filters or Reverse Osmosis. RO water is the cleanest water you get as far as I know. Correct me if I am wrong.
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 mhbound
Ballin out at all cost
Registered: 09/22/08
Posts: 8,144
Loc: High 
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Re: Best water to use [Re: Dephect]
#549996 - 04/24/11 05:56 AM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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I use tap water for the most part except when I flush. Its different in different parts of the country but I've never had any problems especially if you let it sit out for 24-48 hours before using.
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Suck my balls America
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Shaggy420
Registered: 07/06/10
Posts: 3,372
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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Re: Best water to use [Re: mhbound]
#550019 - 04/24/11 07:48 AM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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the water here is off the scale regarding hardness, i ordered a free water test kit and it was something ridiculous, unless we did it wrong it gave a reading of over 1000ppm. in fact i think it was 1300 
so when i eventually start my grow im either going to buy a small water distiller or buy RO water from my local garden centre.
just out of interest anyone here used anything similar to this http://www.h2olabs.co.uk/?gclid=CJzAhpeltagCFcoa4QodTxx2Bg
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maryanne3087
Stranger
Registered: 06/27/10
Posts: 1,111
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Re: Best water to use [Re: HempMaster]
#550112 - 04/24/11 01:19 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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R/O or Distilled would be the best but vs tap water you have to potentially add things that you're removing such as Magnesium, Iron, Calcium.
A big problem with using tap water is a lot of people aren't aware of the PPM of their tap water, it's alkalinity(pH), and buffering capacity(ability to maintain pH).
If you have tap water with a ppm of under 100 and don't have problems with buffering capacity you should have no problems using tap water.
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HempMaster
Space Trucker
Registered: 04/08/11
Posts: 253
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
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Quote:
maryanne3087 said:
R/O or Distilled would be the best but vs tap water you have to potentially add things that you're removing such as Magnesium, Iron, Calcium.
A big problem with using tap water is a lot of people aren't aware of the PPM of their tap water, it's alkalinity(pH), and buffering capacity(ability to maintain pH).
If you have tap water with a ppm of under 100 and don't have problems with buffering capacity you should have no problems using tap water.
My buddy, who just happens to be a botanist, has been telling me that i should use pure H2o with minimal dissolved solids/minerals. I guess that means distilled or demineralized water... think i will try that for my next batch just to see if there is any noticable differance.
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My Tombstone will read: IwasburiedfacedownsoucanallkissmyA$$
my current grow
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KaptKid
Spaced Pirate
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 5,615
Loc: Bright Side of the Sun
Last seen: 11 months, 6 days
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 Re: Best water to use [Re: HempMaster]
#550249 - 04/24/11 07:02 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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My tap water is 400 ppm and a pH of 7 to 8. Let it set 24 to 48 hours with an air stone in it.
Buying water or using a RO filter is not cost effective for me.
Could do it on the 2x2 table its just a 8gal res but the 4x4 table has a 70 gal res.
Hope to be using that table soon.
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Child of the 60's, Tripping ever sence.
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starrider
Registered: 12/26/08
Posts: 125
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Re: Best water to use [Re: Shaggy420]
#558618 - 05/26/11 03:11 PM (13 years, 5 months ago) |
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Thinking that your TDS meter is wrong. When I took a reading of my water it read 43ppm.
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"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite."
William Blake
Anything I write is a lie. Any picture I post is a fake. I only write for entertainment.
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muse42
Zomberrific
Registered: 04/20/10
Posts: 1,000
Loc: West Coast
Last seen: 12 years, 11 months
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Re: Best water to use [Re: starrider]
#559514 - 05/30/11 01:16 AM (13 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Thinking that your TDS meter is wrong. When I took a reading of my water it read 43ppm.
The ppm of your tap water all depends on where you live. My tap water is out of control and unusable.
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It looks like it's going to be another Gravity Bong type day...
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HempMaster
Space Trucker
Registered: 04/08/11
Posts: 253
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 11 years, 4 months
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Re: Best water to use [Re: muse42]
#562199 - 06/05/11 01:53 PM (13 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
muse42 said:
Quote:
Thinking that your TDS meter is wrong. When I took a reading of my water it read 43ppm.
The ppm of your tap water all depends on where you live. My tap water is out of control and unusable.
my tap water here is around 160ppm, but in the city i lived in b4 moving here it was over 250ppm..
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My Tombstone will read: IwasburiedfacedownsoucanallkissmyA$$
my current grow
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brainsOplenty
ganja farmer
Registered: 05/14/11
Posts: 769
Loc: zion
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Re: Best water to use [Re: muse42]
#564709 - 06/15/11 07:20 PM (13 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
muse42 said:
Quote:
Thinking that your TDS meter is wrong. When I took a reading of my water it read 43ppm.
The ppm of your tap water all depends on where you live. My tap water is out of control and unusable.
 my tap water is totally sick! used it on the start of my garden grow, totally threw my babies for a loop. i've since collected rainwater which i've been using, and had to ph adjust with sulfur. all good now. for my upcoming hydro grow i just sprung for a hydro logix stealth 100 ro water filter. well worth it
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it's written right here.
it's absolutely clear.
the ganja herb is the healing of the nation.
 
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Shaggy420
Registered: 07/06/10
Posts: 3,372
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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i recently ordered another water test kit, turns out our tap water is about 300ppm.
would water that hard cause any problems with a grow?
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KaptKid
Spaced Pirate
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 5,615
Loc: Bright Side of the Sun
Last seen: 11 months, 6 days
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Re: Best water to use [Re: Shaggy420]
#564882 - 06/16/11 03:37 PM (13 years, 4 months ago) |
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My ppm is 400. Have not had any problems with it.
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Child of the 60's, Tripping ever sence.
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Shaggy420
Registered: 07/06/10
Posts: 3,372
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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Re: Best water to use [Re: KaptKid]
#564888 - 06/16/11 04:08 PM (13 years, 4 months ago) |
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good to know i wont have to trek back from the garden centre with pails of RO water of my back
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muse42
Zomberrific
Registered: 04/20/10
Posts: 1,000
Loc: West Coast
Last seen: 12 years, 11 months
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Re: Best water to use [Re: Shaggy420]
#564973 - 06/16/11 09:32 PM (13 years, 4 months ago) |
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Found a place that sales RO water! Now I can stop wasting all my money on overpriced Distilled water.
RO $0.25 per gallon
Distilled $1 per gallon
Easy decision
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It looks like it's going to be another Gravity Bong type day...
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Shaggy420
Registered: 07/06/10
Posts: 3,372
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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Re: Best water to use [Re: muse42]
#565004 - 06/17/11 03:35 AM (13 years, 4 months ago) |
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im still considering buying a small distiller, like one of these.
http://www.jdharris.co.uk/water-distiller?gclid=CJjHmbzRvKkCFUtC4QoduUJ-eg
makes 16 litres per day, which would be more than enough for my requirements.
 anyone know whether they are actually any good.
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Goombah
Esquire
Registered: 11/07/10
Posts: 118
Loc: Peoples Republic of MA 
Last seen: 10 years, 6 months
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Quote:
maryanne3087 said:
A big problem with using tap water is a lot of people aren't aware of the PPM of their tap water, it's alkalinity(pH), and buffering capacity(ability to maintain pH).
If you have tap water with a ppm of under 100 and don't have problems with buffering capacity you should have no problems using tap water.
MarryAnn, could you elaborate a little more on "buffering capacity?" My tap water is less than 100ppm and I have been having a hard time lately maintaining the pH in my hydro system. I figured it was from the nutrients I was using not the tap water. Does anyone know if temperature fluctuations can effect pH readings as well?
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maryanne3087
Stranger
Registered: 06/27/10
Posts: 1,111
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Re: Best water to use [Re: Goombah]
#567308 - 06/25/11 03:18 PM (13 years, 4 months ago) |
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Temperature does effect pH readings, some meters do account for the temperature of the solution you're measuring making the reading accurate either way.
Buffering capacity is just the waters ability to maintain pH making it a bitch for adjusting. Ideally for horticultural purposes you want water that has low buffering capacity so you can change the pH with ease and not have to worry about fluctuations.
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KaptKid
Spaced Pirate
Registered: 04/20/08
Posts: 5,615
Loc: Bright Side of the Sun
Last seen: 11 months, 6 days
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Quote:
maryanne3087 said: Ideally for horticultural purposes you want water that has low buffering capacity so you can change the pH with ease and not have to worry about fluctuations.
low buffering capacity
Please explain. How do you know you have this?
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Child of the 60's, Tripping ever sence.
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orangejuice
Stranger
Registered: 03/22/10
Posts: 11
Loc: oakland
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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Re: Best water to use [Re: KaptKid]
#567746 - 06/27/11 09:10 AM (13 years, 4 months ago) |
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for the most part, if you have to use ph down your water has a high buffer (lots of Ca usually) that keeps the ph high. If you have to use ph up or nothing to balance ph you water has a low buffering capacity.
for example with r/o water and my nutes mixed I get a ph of around 5.0. (low buffer)
but with tap water and those same nutes I get a ph of about 7.0. (high buffer)
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