PPM Of My Tap Water A Problem?

[Nape]

I am growing 10 Lowryders. They are doing good to OK considering our heat wave 106-114 deg F. I am wondering how my tap water of 998 PPM will affect my Soil grow. In three weeks of growing watering only when needed every 3-4 days my runoff water is comming out at 2000-2100 PPM Ouch.....

The soil is SuperSoil Bloom Mix. Pre Fert. Right there was my first mistake. I have not added any nutes at all. I flushed them with RO water 42 PPM and the runoff is now 450 PPM.

I know that my water is very high Alkalline. PH is 6.9 but the total alkalinity is way high. I know this because to keep my hot tub from scaling up BIG TIME, I add 10 OZ. dry acid to it. PH still at 6.9 after adding the acid. This is well water and I just started some WW from seed and want to get this water thing dialed in.

Thanks,

 

[Guest]

tap water can have bad microbe thingies that compete for resources with the good microbe thingies that you hope to culture. I think.

 

[stretchpuppy]

Big time hurt. That tap water PPM measure is outrageous man, you want that number in flowering, and I thought my 250 PPM was out of control. Still, even at 250, I don't use tap.

Start looking for sales on water in the food stores or invest in a RO filter. The only way to go.

 

[MTF-Sandman]

Yeah, definitely ditch that tap water...that much calcium will cause lockouts in flowering.

 

[meduser180056]

That tap water isn't suitable. Way too high PPMs there. Your gonna need to get an R/O unit or bring the water in from off site. The highest tap water I've heard of people getting by with is around 250ppms or so.

Almost all tap water is very alkaline and needs to be ph adjusted. R/O water will be a nice PH though. Probably will need to add PH up after adding nutes to R/O.

Get an R/O unit if you can and filter your well water with that.

I'm lucky tap water is 40 PPMs here.

 

[70s_PotHead]

Dang and I thought my 400+ well water was insane, dude get a RO unit man, best $125 I ever spent on grow equipment. My water is now 19

70s

 

[Hunt4Hazez]

What does RO stand for. I know its purified water but i dont know wat RO means.

 

[70s_PotHead]

Reverse Osmosis, do a google search and you will learn all about it

70s

 

[BruceLeeroy]

man 900 isn't even safe for human consumption. if your on city water then i'd do some investigating on what they're yearly tests show is normal, perhaps you have a water break somewhere prior to your house that is letting sediment in. do some searches with your towns name, water company name, and things like "water quality 2005" and see if you cant find it. all municipalities are recquired to test yearly and make the results available. i don't see how that high of a PPM is possible in a municipality without having some serious source of contamination.

if you're on a well, then it's time to filtrate or dig a new well.

R/O is your friend, but with that amount of starting PPM, you're gonna be changing filters every 2-3 months and that's gonna be spendy.

peace

edit: ok so after rereading i see your on well water. i would get that shit checked immediately with a county extension service, local university, or any water quality professionals in your area. i'm relatively certain that anything abouve 500 is NOT reccomended for human consumption. i wouldn't even cook with water that "hot".

 

[Nape]

Thanks for the replys gang. My RO unit just came today. I knew that this was going to be an issue. This is my first grow at this location. The RO gets the water to 44 PPM now. I do agree that the filters will take a beating, Oh well. I definitly don't drink that shit though

 

[Guest]

hopefully if you have pets they dont either....mine is only 200ppm

 

[Guest]

You might want to either check your meter...or report your findings to the EPa. The EPA states that water should not be higher than 500ppm...ever.

Is this a well...or city water?

Cheers,
SH

 

[MTF-Sandman]

It's well water...I'd take a sample to have it analyzed for harmful contaminents, but besides that there's not alot you can do except RO the water or dig a deeper well. You have to go around 500' deep around here to get soft odorless water in my neck of the woods...and that ain't a cheap well to have dug.

 

[Nape]

The well is 4 yrs old. I had the water tested then. It was deemed safe at the time. The PPM at that time was 450. Hard water in it self is not harmfull from what I have read. We had record breaking rain fall and snow pack this year so maybe it has something to do with it? The well is 650 Ft deep with solid bed rock @ 7' I am going to have it tested again for the hell of it. I know I use a lot of ice from the ice maker for my Bacardi 151 and Diet Cokes though

 

[nycdfan042]

whats the deal with distilled water...ive been using distilled water with great results...but im getting sick n tired of lugging aroung gallon juggs of distilled water up n down up n down...i also cannot grow as much as id like due to not wanting to be lugging around tons of water into my home....im lookin at RO units but the decent ones 2stage ones are over 200$ are the cheaper ones ok?? and first question is distillled water all its cracke dup to be?

 

[Nape]

whats the deal with distilled water...ive been using distilled water with great results...but im getting sick n tired of lugging aroung gallon juggs of distilled water up n down up n down...i also cannot grow as much as id like due to not wanting to be lugging around tons of water into my home....im lookin at RO units but the decent ones 2stage ones are over 200$ are the cheaper ones ok?? and first question is distillled water all its cracke dup to be?

I got My RO 5 stage counter top (no tank) for $189 and it works great. With distilled water, you have no trace elements, Iron, Mag, Calc ect. It is ok if your Nutes have these trace elements in it. You can also use Epsome Salts and Gypsom in your water to suppliment.

 

[MTF-Sandman]

nycdfan042 - check out ebay...you can get a 5 stage/50 gpd delivered (with storage tank) in the US for around $175.

 

[James-Bong]

got my RO unit from here.... http://www.spectrapure.com/

Took my tap from 450 ppm down to 001-005 ppm

 

[nycdfan042]

thanks alott guys...yes im using fox farm grow big and floraliscious additive...ill check those links out guys im deff gonna get an RO unit, ill check ebay like ya said thanks again