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What brand distiller did you go with?
Distilled Water vs Tap Water
- Thread starter RickyRicardo
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I dont really think it matters too much....but like previous post have said it does depend on whats in the water,if it has high chlorine etc,if it does just let it sit for 12 to 24hrs before use...if your that worried what it has in it just boil a shit load of water let it cool and bottle it.
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I think you could spend your life studying water - seriously. But lets just keep it simple. First we need good tools. Three things we are concerned with PH, Salinity and Chloramines? A TDS meter will tell you the salts (dissolved solids). Most nutrients you can get made for cannabis can work with water <200 PPM, Advanced Nutrients wants <10 PPM. Some nutrient vendors make a high PPM base fertilizer up to 300PPM. Generally speaking <200 PPM and you are good for tap water. If you are over this you need to blend in RO or DI water to get it under 200 PPM. If you are less than 50 PPM you may need to add some Cal-Mag to bring it up to 50 PPM. Ok a $10 TDS meter can tell you this but It is not good for testing nutrient levels for that you need an EC meter and good ones cost more. An EC meter will also measure TDS.
Next is Chloramines. Chloramines are formed when municipal water is treated with chlorine AND ammonia to sanitize the water. Check your local water report and look for ammonia in the sanitizer portion. Chloramines do not dissipate in the air and they are not good for your grow environment. It is very easy to treat for it. Just use ascorbic acid.
Chloramines Removal
You are looking for ascorbic acid - vitamin C. The store brand is usually the cheapest without other stuff added in. 50mg per gallon will treat water with 3.8 PPM of chloramines.
Finally is PH I saved the hardest for last. I have had more problems in grows caused by PH than any other factor and it has been costly. So spend money on good tools and take care of them. In soil, coco and mixes you need to know the PH in the root zone. Run-off is too unreliable. A good probe is the Accurate 8 (the knock works ok) or a Blue Lab Probe (they have different styles for soil, coco and rock wool). Then you need a probe designed for testing the PH of the nutrients. I don't know how to emphasize how important this part is to successful growing. Learn from my mistakes.
Next is Chloramines. Chloramines are formed when municipal water is treated with chlorine AND ammonia to sanitize the water. Check your local water report and look for ammonia in the sanitizer portion. Chloramines do not dissipate in the air and they are not good for your grow environment. It is very easy to treat for it. Just use ascorbic acid.
Chloramines Removal
You are looking for ascorbic acid - vitamin C. The store brand is usually the cheapest without other stuff added in. 50mg per gallon will treat water with 3.8 PPM of chloramines.
Finally is PH I saved the hardest for last. I have had more problems in grows caused by PH than any other factor and it has been costly. So spend money on good tools and take care of them. In soil, coco and mixes you need to know the PH in the root zone. Run-off is too unreliable. A good probe is the Accurate 8 (the knock works ok) or a Blue Lab Probe (they have different styles for soil, coco and rock wool). Then you need a probe designed for testing the PH of the nutrients. I don't know how to emphasize how important this part is to successful growing. Learn from my mistakes.
AutoWonders
Adios People. AutoWonders Has Left the Building.
ppm 135 before anything goes in. However, I am using distilled water at this juncture.
OP, if I were you I would just do two of the same seed side-by side, one with distilled, one without. And when you water from the tap, I would fill gallon jugs and leave the cap off for 48 hours to let chlorine evaporate (if your water system chlorinates the water, which it likely does if you don't have well water). All you need to do is measure the PH of your tap water once and you'll know what you're dealing with. If the PH is acceptable, then you're good to go.
My last grow I used distilled water for the seedlings, then switched to tap after a couple weeks. This time I'm just using tap, as it works fine.
My last grow I used distilled water for the seedlings, then switched to tap after a couple weeks. This time I'm just using tap, as it works fine.
Declorinated tap water is well within range. I borrowed city water from a friend to breed a certain soft water tropical fish, very consistent Ph levels.
At that cost I would recommend an R/O system. I got mine of Ebay for $205.00 it's a 6 stage and came with a bunch of filters. I have had it for 3+yrs and only have had to buy membrane filter. Makes 50gal a day. You can get for less as well but look for 1 that has extra filters. I also got a nicer faucet that matches my sink hardware. Well worth the cost, when I do bubble hash I make my own clean ice and water. Also makes enough I can use for day to day things like cooking so pays for itself.
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