The ancient Tap Water question

Switched to Tap Water a few days ago..I let it sit out for a day before using and seems like my plants like it...but after doing some research I see that Tap Water can cause calcium build up and other problems ..

What kind of water do you guys use? Is RO water a necessity? Or can I get by with a mix of distilled and tap water?

Thanks for all the help so far yall...this forum is way better than trying to get answers on reddit

you need a water test done to see what your dealing with to be 100% certain

bguwop420 said:

Switched to Tap Water a few days ago..I let it sit out for a day before using and seems like my plants like it...but after doing some research I see that Tap Water can cause calcium build up and other problems ..

What kind of water do you guys use? Is RO water a necessity? Or can I get by with a mix of distilled and tap water?

Thanks for all the help so far yall...this forum is way better than trying to get answers on reddit

Click to expand...

Can you drink your tap water? If you drink it, it is more than fine for plants. Check the EC of it.

klx said:

Can you drink your tap water? If you drink it, it is more than fine for plants. Check the EC of it.

Click to expand...

Me personally I don't drink tap water lmao but the plants should be fine Also with these meters(PH,PPP, EC) Which ones are most important? Or do I need all 3?

klx said:

Can you drink your tap water? If you drink it, it is more than fine for plants. Check the EC of it.

Click to expand...

Central USA, I believe we use chlorine instead of chloramine

bguwop420 said:

Me personally I don't drink tap water lmao but the plants should be fine Also with these meters(PH,PPP, EC) Which ones are most important? Or do I need all 3?

Click to expand...

Not sure what a PPP meter is but EC and PH are different things so yes if you are growing hydro you need both if you want to be good at growing.

Yeah Im not sure about your water quality as I am in a different country. I used tap water for years no problem but it was clean and drinkable. Now I use rain water its even better. I would get it tested then you know for sure and its not that expensive usually. Good luck!

klx said:

Not sure what a PPP meter is but EC and PH are different things so yes if you are growing hydro you need both if you want to be good at growing.

Yeah Im not sure about your water quality as I am in a different country. I used tap water for years no problem but it was clean and drinkable. Now I use rain water its even better. I would get it tested then you know for sure and its not that expensive usually. Good luck!

Click to expand...

I think the PPP is parts per something' and thanks

It's PPM...........parts per million.
TDS........total dissolved solids.

MickFoster said:

It's PPM...........parts per million.
TDS........total dissolved solids.

Click to expand...

Ok thanks Are those both needed for soil grows?

bguwop420 said:

Ok thanks Are those both needed for soil grows?

Click to expand...

It's kinda the same thing, just a different scale. Tds = the total dissolved solids, in the solution, ppm tells you the same thing, but at a different scale.

bguwop420 said:

Ok thanks Are those both needed for soil grows?

Click to expand...

Ec is the same thing, different scale, and it's the most universal.

PPM, TDS, and EC are all the same........just different ways to measure.
EC is the only standard measurement.

I used to go nuts about water when I first started growing. I was spending loads of money on gallons of spring water or distilled water, going back and forth to the store, just a pain in the ass. I have been growing since 2013 and since 2015 Ive used just tap water and Ive lived in multiple places since then. Some water was city water chlorinated, some was well water but it was all drinkable. I haven't noticed a damn difference since switching to tap water besides saving time and money, plants dont care. Ive never done hydro so I cant speak about that water but I would imagine that you just test your TDS so you can calculate your nutrients correctly and everything will be fine. The only thing I do is PH my water when I move somewhere new, so far all PH has been fine nothing too out of the ordinary.

They make cheap filters too you can attach to a hose, not sure how well they work with 5 micron filter but they are only like 30 bucks and you get 2 gallons per minute. Ill put a picture below. Good luck

Tap water is 100% good to use. You can get a small inexpensive test kit at the hardware store to get a idea of how much solids are present. If it is low- mine is under 40- you can use it with the recommended amount of nutrients. You only need to worry if it is really high. If it tests high you can test further to find out what solids are present and adjust your nutes.

You also don't need to let your tap water sit. If anything, you're just letting dust and dirt particles into the water that weren't otherwise there.

Just fill jugs & use them. All good.

sigh 200-300 ppm tap water here, RO is quite wasteful. I'd like to do a side by side comparison run of plain tap water. At the moment it works great to adjust the PH up a tad and provide buffers to the tank vs using ph up. DWC/Ebb/Flow not soil.

sandman83 said:

sigh 200-300 ppm tap water here, RO is quite wasteful. I'd like to do a side by side comparison run of plain tap water. At the moment it works great to adjust the PH up a tad and provide buffers to the tank vs using ph up. DWC/Ebb/Flow not soil.

Click to expand...

Have you had that water tested? Could just have a bunch of rock dust in it, also good for plants. I'd still veg a plant with it, if it grows well then it should be fine.