Using silver "kill coils" for bacteria control?

**lj516** · 04-02-2012, 09:03 PM

Hi all,
I have been doing much research and contemplation about the best and easiest ways of controlling bacteria in a DWC set up. I am not sure if any of you are computer nerds such as I but one of the methods to keep bacteria, or anything for that matter, out of a PC water cooling loop is to use pure silver coils. Can anyone think of a reason that this would not work assuming circulation around the coil was sufficient? I was thinking about using this in the RDWC sqydro setup that employed the waterfalls for DO. If one coil were placed in the output before each bucket would this be adequate? Really curious if anyone has tried it. If not I would love to be the first!
LJ

**Bigz2277** · 04-03-2012, 09:35 AM

no experience in this but they use Colidial Silver to stress females into producing male flowers (this is how femmed seeds are made) so i think this might lead to an increased herm rate. any breeders care to chim in?

**HSA** · 04-03-2012, 10:53 AM

Lj516: I have a few concerns with your idea. First, silver is highly conductive metal so my worry would be it's interaction with the other elements in your nutes. I wanted to use a copper wort cooler from my home brewing days in my reservoir outside to cool my nutes and my instructor warned me against it for the same reason. Silver is a much better conductor of electricity than copper. You might want to rethink this one. I hope that helped. HSA

**scroglodyte** · 04-03-2012, 11:00 AM

if you can afford silver pipes, just buy dank from me...........

**lj516** · 04-03-2012, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Bigz2277

no experience in this but they use Colloidal Silver to stress females into producing male flowers (this is how femmed seeds are made) so i think this might lead to an increased herm rate. any breeders care to chim in?

Hum that would not be good... Colloidal Silver is a solution of silver particles in water meaning they would come into direct contact with the plant. What I am thinking of is a coil of silver placed into the circulation lines. No direct silver-plant contact. Wonder if that makes a difference.

Originally Posted by HSA

Lj516: I have a few concerns with your idea. First, silver is highly conductive metal so my worry would be it's interaction with the other elements in your nutes. I wanted to use a copper wort cooler from my home brewing days in my reservoir outside to cool my nutes and my instructor warned me against it for the same reason. Silver is a much better conductor of electricity than copper. You might want to rethink this one. I hope that helped. HSA

I have considered the reaction of the silver with other elements but when silver was first discovered having anti micro-bacterial properties people would place silver coins in milk to prolong its life. You would assume that if it can be used in human consumption cases then maybe it would be ok this situation?

Originally Posted by scroglodyte

if you can afford silver pipes, just buy dank from me...........

Samelink as above but as you can see the stuff is pretty affordable.

**BigBuddahCheese** · 04-03-2012, 12:10 PM

Clean, no light penetration seems to work for the informed. I do like beneficials in there though.

**lj516** · 04-03-2012, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by BigBuddahCheese

Clean, no light penetration seems to work for the informed. I do like beneficials in there though.

Right but if you bought lets say 5 of these coils that would last years(they do in pc cooling loops) and work as well as bennies+no light+clean this seems like the better option to me.

**polyarcturus** · 04-03-2012, 08:39 PM

people used to turn blue in the 1600s from silver consumption....

**polyarcturus** · 04-03-2012, 08:40 PM

some body else tried to say this was a good idea, but its not. this type of thing shoul donly be used on ornamental plants, in other words plants that are not to be consumed