For people using pekacid to replace drip clean

So I have been using 400grams per gallon of pekacid to replace the overpriced drip clean. My boss did not believe me so he e-mailed custom hydro nutrients and he said drip Clean is a polyphosphate and pekacid is a orthophosphate. Then in the email the guy said to achieve the 24%p2o5 and 8%k2o of drip clean you would need 400grams per half gallon! I always thought drip clean is pekacid, it even smells the same.

Half strength snake oil works just as good as full strength snake oil

so stoned, you don't use drip clean?

I believe it is the same thing. There are various ways to name chemicals. I think that to make the 40% concentration, you would add 400 grams of pekacid to 600 grams of water, resulting in 1000 grams of Drip Clean.

Pekacid is 0-60-20 (60% P2O5 and 20% K2O). 40% of 60 is 24%. 40% of 20 is 8%

I bought a big old jar of the stuff. It was probably 5 lbs or so. I was going to mix up a liter of solution using the above formula, but I am lazy so I just put a teaspoon of the powder into the reservoir when the mood strikes me. 35 gallon lower reservoir feeding into a 5 gallon upper reservoir. I don't check pH or take readings of the salt concentrations. I am just a seat of the pants grower.

Potassium and Phosphorus are both good for plants, so extra probably doesn't do the plants any harm. In any case, the plants are doing fine, the blumat lines are not clogged, so I am not worried about it. If the reservoir is cloudy, throwing in a teaspoon of the straight pekacid power into the lower reservoir clears it up. If it is not doing any good, it is not doing any harm and I have about a 10 year supply now.

RedBeardy5 said:

so stoned, you don't use drip clean?

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Not anymore. I started using it when I got blumats. First dripclean then mixing my own with pekacid. Then some guys on here started saying it doesn't do anything so I quit using it and didn't see any difference with or without. I don't believe in feeding high ec nutes though. If you like it then keep using it

This link has information on pekacid.
http://www.iclfertilizers.com/Fertilizers/Knowledge%20Center/peKacid_%20booklet.pdf

I cant see the link for some reason.

because he linked to a file on his local computer.

try this, might be the same

http://www.iclfertilizers.com/Fertilizers/Knowledge Center/peKacid_ booklet.pdf

Thanks carson. I saved the file, but I intended to link to the PDF on the web.

awesome find

I stopped usng it as well

Thanks to you guys.....I never started.

Well I quit using it and my flood tables left a white residue that was impossible to scrub off, I'm guessing its salt. So I started the pekacid up again and no more residue, so I'm still using it.....

The Functions of Orthophosphates/Polyphosphates:

Polyphosphates provide many functions including the sequestering of iron and manganese and with the alkali earth metals such as calcium and magnesium. Each type of polyphosphate exhibits a different reactive sequestering rate for each of these metals/minerals. Polyphosphate also cleans or dissolves precipitated mineral scale that already exists in water distribution lines.

Hexametaphosphates (polyphosphate) inhibits scale formation caused by calcium and magnesium through sequestration and crystal growth modification at a rate 20 times more effective than the pyrophosphates. However, the pyrophosphates can sequester iron and manganese at a rate 16 times more effective than the hexametaphosphates.

Typically, in order to sequester iron, manganese and calcium it requires a 1:1 mole ratio with polyphosphate. This is generally achievable when dealing with iron and manganese that are usually in levels that are less than 5 mg/L. However, polyphosphates act as crystal modifiers that need only a fraction of that ratio to effectively modify the crystalline structure of calcium/magnesium. In theory, a hexametaphosphate dosage of 500 mg/L is required to actually sequester 200 mg/L of calcium (as calcium carbonate). However, a dosage of only 2 -4 mg/L of hexametaphosphate is all that is required to modify the crystal growth of calcium carbonate. By modifying the crystalline structure, these compounds will not precipitate into scale and actually stay in solution through repelling and suspension. This crystal growth modification function prevents the formation of mineral scale within water distribution systems. Polyphosphates will also dissolve already deposited mineral scale deposits within the system thereby increasing the carrying capacity of the water system. Polyphosphates are cathodic inhibitors that interfere with the cathodic site of the electrochemical corrosion cell formation. Anodic and cathodic electronic reactions are the two components necessary for the development of electrochemical corrosion. See: This interference greatly reduces the rate of internal metallic corrosion within water distribution systems.

Orthophosphates on the other hand are used primarily as a corrosion inhibitor with its ability to create passivity film on the surface of distribution pipe. Orthophosphate is also an anodic inhibitor that interferes with the electrochemical corrosion cell formation’s anodic site that can develop on the surface of metallic pipe material. With this interference, along with the created barrier between the water and pipe surface, internal pipe corrosion is greatly reduced.

Crop-Tech Consults: Ortho Vs. Poly-Phosphate
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Ortho vs Poly
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stoned40yrs said:

Not anymore. I started using it when I got blumats. First dripclean then mixing my own with pekacid. Then some guys on here started saying it doesn't do anything so I quit using it and didn't see any difference with or without. I don't believe in feeding high ec nutes though. If you like it then keep using it

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Are you still going good without the drip clean? I'm a blumater and would also like drop it too (except for an occasional tonic)

So is that all Drip Clean is? Nothing more than a solution of NPK 0-18.7-6.1 - whats the science behind simply running some P/K through drip lines causing it to clear salts?

I've been curious about what exactly drip clean is, and what it does.. so thanks for shining the light. I was skeptical but bought a little bottle on recommendation of a few reputable heads on the boards.
Using it, feels snake oily.
I was using it mainly with my over grown, root bound solo cup moms to try to avoid lockout as much as possible when they dry out too much, and to not deal with as much runoff..
I also grabbed barley pond enzyme for the same purpose..
IMO the enzyme works better, and i continue to use it.. I don't know if they even serve similar purposes, but that's how i was using them.

epicseeds said:

So is that all Drip Clean is? Nothing more than a solution of NPK 0-18.7-6.1 - whats the science behind simply running some P/K through drip lines causing it to clear salts?

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Great question.

use ata clean, do notice that the chalk and salt build up on the drip spikes is much easier to wipe off when i use the ata clean. if i don't use it, the build up becomes hard and needs de chalker to clean them. so i quite like it. supposed to keep the drip lines free slowing too. and its so concentrated you don't use much.