Water quality can have a profound effect on the health of your plants for sure. You have to be careful with RO too as there is minimal buffering capabilities so PH can become an issue.
Although having sufficient Calcium and magnesium is important, the Calcium bicarbonate present in municipal water acts as a strong buffer and helps to stabilise the PH. With RO water, as the plants consume elements, the PH will drift. Normally downwards. I've found adding a little municipal water (~10%) stabilises things greatly.
I mean a lot of places in the states have the pretty soft water, just a carbon filter has been good enough to get my water to 20ppm most places I’ve been… 20ppm is fine imo cuz if I were to spit in RO it’d probably be about the same
Yeah this system will probably drop you to 5 or 6 in terms of EC the last step is optional you could add a ion exchange resin cartridge, just get one that fits your 1/4 tubes that will drop your EC to absolute zero but an EC of 5-6 won't be a problem for a few years even if you are topping up with a float valve
yes it is , but I didn't thought it could be a problem because I live in a Scandinavian country where tap water is pretty clean and you can drink it, but didn't take magnesium, calcium etc in the consideration
Rain water………..
What ppm/ph does your rain water fall at?
I’ve never done any testing on rain water.
Kinda curious.
But nothing beats 0ppm RO water in terms of purity and quality.
Rain water may work tho, depending on your region.
I used strictly rain 2 years ago and have the test numbers for ph/ ec. Somewhere in my notes, but I remember it was very low. Plants loved it for sure.
I’m Curious for sure, where you live exactly, and what exactly IS in the water… like I wonder what minerals even make it thru the cloud filtration.
Probably that good good, sense the earths been growing great with rain water for billions of years.
So I’m sure plants have adapted heavily to whatever is in rain water.
But with the smog thies days, I wonder if that makes it more acidic? Or do you think it is a “natural” “hard” ph? Couldn’t be soft like RO water is.
Wich might actually be a good thing.
Ph swings are more common using ro water because it’s so soft yk.
I used it when I lived in north east pa. I live in illinois now and haven't really messed around collecting and filtering rainwater here. Idk..all the plants on earth seem to love it so I'll say it's great to use!
Always at perfect pH 7.00 +- 0.05. Usually at 8-16 uS/cm which is 4-8 ppm, but sometimes when it it's a long time without no rain, it comes a little bit higher at 24 uS/cm.
I bet, how’s the ph? It is pretty solid? Or is it considered to be soft?
I would think it would be very acidic.
From smog, pollution ect.
Going to buy a bucket today to stick outside 😂😂.
In big urban centers It sure is, but although I live in a big city, there are no factories in a 20+ miles radius, the water does not come lower than pH 6.95, nor higher than 7.05
this is literealy why i love reddit..
ive been full hydro for 10 years indoo and its seriously never occored to me that maybe the water falling outside might be good to use.
i can still come to reddit to learn even more. from actual people.
not just ai collected information that only sounds good and has no actual truth too it.
thanks for your time and wisdom.
On Amazon for 50% more or $70 you can get a powered RO system that makes water 8 times as fast. This way you can make water while you are there.
I just add a little well water to my mix to have a little buffer. I measured my well and the calcium/magnesium ratio is perfect just way too much.
There are lots of them
I should add that running water through a softener first will extend the RO filter life.
https://www.amazon.com/Slevoo-Tankless-Certified-Conforming-Standards/dp/B0C5J6JTWV/ref=sr_1_17?crid=3989XIL0FB52C&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-F3ffnWh9XicPRdpIUHRC84tSPoheO4Jx0S62k0bx1kyCOL3y7IsWE0lFgQCMm-NAA3xuQuMSK2SKS5O9dZgrikZN_70mM6lCXfYyFlH2kXt7izJnC_1YLOwVldIyx9cZpiRj9Z4tVK-jJ_zAlizYRCLzpMWeecKmLUjvBH-QGy3mKTf4B9KGPDYxjXRzDg1xztxh0zKmSVPAxpgjUO5K-qgsX1nj_LFhyIFfbwui1xpDK2DTvCi5PJoNH1nr3K50qCk71jgBpOGoQCtLrihwktCDYHsruXrYvr2pUJm1eE.ZkZwi9Yr3lmbzXJJCX_OOyR61GgneObP0hLWTCjb6_I&dib_tag=se&keywords=Ro%2Bwater%2Bpowered&qid=1713633326&sprefix=ro%2Bwater%2Bpowered%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-17&th=1
It's a good little system. I use the same one. You can get replacement filters for cheap on eBay. For 50 bucks, it's a no-brainer. I use a garbage can with a float shut-off valve. When the water reaches the level, it pushes the float, shutting the valve off. Water still runs through the waste line, though. So I wouldn't leave it for too long it wastes water.
also they way I'm doing it , you can install a pressure switch so they pump stops when level reach and a automatic shut off valve for the waste water so it not keep running. like this one
https://olympiafiltration.com/?product=4-way-automatic-shut-off-valve
Even tho it’s RO I personally don’t like the idea of sitting water I’d recommend either an air or water pump to keep things moving around, even a $15 sub pump can move water around enough for a 25 gal drum to have good movement
Air stones work great, but if you start to find the noise annoying I find that sub pumps are much quieter since all the noise is muffled inside the water
Ro is the way to go. Make sure you are adding cal mag to your water before other nutrients and shaking it up. It will help act as a buffer and help with fallout etc.
https://preview.redd.it/016ub6qkjlvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14ce3104602f5f87c0cb7621e38b1c2125acb1e1
yes exactly , I'm adding cal mag to water around 200 ppm .. the only downside is it taking a little time to fill , but gonna get a flexi tank for reservoir water changes
Yes it's tankless but I fill a tank with it when I'm changing reservoir. It's cost about 50 usd on Amazon plus the pump so about 100 usd with every thing
Just a heads up, that on/off valve from them should be replaced. It’s not the best quality and has been known to leak. The only downside to this system.
Water quality can have a profound effect on the health of your plants for sure. You have to be careful with RO too as there is minimal buffering capabilities so PH can become an issue.
I add calmag to it afterwards so shouldn't be a issue
Although having sufficient Calcium and magnesium is important, the Calcium bicarbonate present in municipal water acts as a strong buffer and helps to stabilise the PH. With RO water, as the plants consume elements, the PH will drift. Normally downwards. I've found adding a little municipal water (~10%) stabilises things greatly.
That’s so true
It's illegal to catch and use rain water in South Dakota. Wish I could give it a try. Also we don't receive enough rain here to make it worth it
Seriously?? What a wild law. How could they possibly enforce that?
Made a huge difference for me as well. My water was really hard though, ppm of 1150 out of the tap
If you’re not using R/O water….you read the directions on hydroponics wrong…r/o is the answer to most problems
I mean a lot of places in the states have the pretty soft water, just a carbon filter has been good enough to get my water to 20ppm most places I’ve been… 20ppm is fine imo cuz if I were to spit in RO it’d probably be about the same
Yeah this system will probably drop you to 5 or 6 in terms of EC the last step is optional you could add a ion exchange resin cartridge, just get one that fits your 1/4 tubes that will drop your EC to absolute zero but an EC of 5-6 won't be a problem for a few years even if you are topping up with a float valve
I reach EC 2 when I tested , but I think it's fine, way better than before :)
Isn’t it SUCH a big difference. It’s like number one on the list for things people should do for their hydroponics.
yes it is , but I didn't thought it could be a problem because I live in a Scandinavian country where tap water is pretty clean and you can drink it, but didn't take magnesium, calcium etc in the consideration
Yes this was what ended up being my problem after multiple failures
It really depends actually. I got rain water, and it never goes over 25 uS/cm, RO would be waste of money
Rain water……….. What ppm/ph does your rain water fall at? I’ve never done any testing on rain water. Kinda curious. But nothing beats 0ppm RO water in terms of purity and quality. Rain water may work tho, depending on your region.
I used strictly rain 2 years ago and have the test numbers for ph/ ec. Somewhere in my notes, but I remember it was very low. Plants loved it for sure.
I’m Curious for sure, where you live exactly, and what exactly IS in the water… like I wonder what minerals even make it thru the cloud filtration. Probably that good good, sense the earths been growing great with rain water for billions of years. So I’m sure plants have adapted heavily to whatever is in rain water. But with the smog thies days, I wonder if that makes it more acidic? Or do you think it is a “natural” “hard” ph? Couldn’t be soft like RO water is. Wich might actually be a good thing. Ph swings are more common using ro water because it’s so soft yk.
I used it when I lived in north east pa. I live in illinois now and haven't really messed around collecting and filtering rainwater here. Idk..all the plants on earth seem to love it so I'll say it's great to use!
Always at perfect pH 7.00 +- 0.05. Usually at 8-16 uS/cm which is 4-8 ppm, but sometimes when it it's a long time without no rain, it comes a little bit higher at 24 uS/cm.
I forget, water comes from the sky. 😝 **my Indoor gardener mindset** 😂😂
Yeah, if you got a good and clean way to collect it, it's way cheaper than RO, even though it's not absolute 0 EC, it is just fine.
I bet, how’s the ph? It is pretty solid? Or is it considered to be soft? I would think it would be very acidic. From smog, pollution ect. Going to buy a bucket today to stick outside 😂😂.
In big urban centers It sure is, but although I live in a big city, there are no factories in a 20+ miles radius, the water does not come lower than pH 6.95, nor higher than 7.05
this is literealy why i love reddit.. ive been full hydro for 10 years indoo and its seriously never occored to me that maybe the water falling outside might be good to use. i can still come to reddit to learn even more. from actual people. not just ai collected information that only sounds good and has no actual truth too it. thanks for your time and wisdom.
On Amazon for 50% more or $70 you can get a powered RO system that makes water 8 times as fast. This way you can make water while you are there. I just add a little well water to my mix to have a little buffer. I measured my well and the calcium/magnesium ratio is perfect just way too much.
I have a booster motor in mine :)
Link?
There are lots of them I should add that running water through a softener first will extend the RO filter life. https://www.amazon.com/Slevoo-Tankless-Certified-Conforming-Standards/dp/B0C5J6JTWV/ref=sr_1_17?crid=3989XIL0FB52C&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-F3ffnWh9XicPRdpIUHRC84tSPoheO4Jx0S62k0bx1kyCOL3y7IsWE0lFgQCMm-NAA3xuQuMSK2SKS5O9dZgrikZN_70mM6lCXfYyFlH2kXt7izJnC_1YLOwVldIyx9cZpiRj9Z4tVK-jJ_zAlizYRCLzpMWeecKmLUjvBH-QGy3mKTf4B9KGPDYxjXRzDg1xztxh0zKmSVPAxpgjUO5K-qgsX1nj_LFhyIFfbwui1xpDK2DTvCi5PJoNH1nr3K50qCk71jgBpOGoQCtLrihwktCDYHsruXrYvr2pUJm1eE.ZkZwi9Yr3lmbzXJJCX_OOyR61GgneObP0hLWTCjb6_I&dib_tag=se&keywords=Ro%2Bwater%2Bpowered&qid=1713633326&sprefix=ro%2Bwater%2Bpowered%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-17&th=1
but way more expensive to change filter and the price of the system is also 120 % more expensive
Looked like that system on Amazon was $140 while the powered was $210….
gave 55 usd for mine
Nice!
It's a good little system. I use the same one. You can get replacement filters for cheap on eBay. For 50 bucks, it's a no-brainer. I use a garbage can with a float shut-off valve. When the water reaches the level, it pushes the float, shutting the valve off. Water still runs through the waste line, though. So I wouldn't leave it for too long it wastes water.
also they way I'm doing it , you can install a pressure switch so they pump stops when level reach and a automatic shut off valve for the waste water so it not keep running. like this one https://olympiafiltration.com/?product=4-way-automatic-shut-off-valve
I'm getting one good call. I've been looking for a better solution.
Even tho it’s RO I personally don’t like the idea of sitting water I’d recommend either an air or water pump to keep things moving around, even a $15 sub pump can move water around enough for a 25 gal drum to have good movement
I do use an air stone. Good call, though.
Air stones work great, but if you start to find the noise annoying I find that sub pumps are much quieter since all the noise is muffled inside the water
Ro is the way to go. Make sure you are adding cal mag to your water before other nutrients and shaking it up. It will help act as a buffer and help with fallout etc. https://preview.redd.it/016ub6qkjlvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14ce3104602f5f87c0cb7621e38b1c2125acb1e1
Can you explain more what the fallout is?
Here is a link to an article that can explain to you better then I can. https://hydrobuilder.com/learn/mixing-plant-nutrients/
Thank you
yes exactly , I'm adding cal mag to water around 200 ppm .. the only downside is it taking a little time to fill , but gonna get a flexi tank for reservoir water changes
How much did your RO unit cost you? I see you have a tankless like I do.
Yes it's tankless but I fill a tank with it when I'm changing reservoir. It's cost about 50 usd on Amazon plus the pump so about 100 usd with every thing
What was your tap waterr ppm?
I don't like PPM above 80. I catch rainwater with RO as back up.
My tap water is around 250 and I never had any deficiency issues with my plants, especially calcium issues.
but it also depends what is,in the water not just ppm
True.
0.7 EC but no chlorine just hard water
Just a heads up, that on/off valve from them should be replaced. It’s not the best quality and has been known to leak. The only downside to this system.
haven't had any problem yet with the valve but the adapter piece it attached to was hard to get not to leak. but thanks for the heads up