Ph Down with?

Fiete

Well-Known Member
I want to try Coco and the PH I have with my Tap are 7.9. If I put lemon juice in the pH drops but hours later it's going up so that's not what I want! How I can decrease the pH for longer than 12 hours?
 

Larry3215

Well-Known Member
Or sulfuric acid (plain old battery acid), dilute that and use it. Stupid cheap and work great. I bought a $7 container of battery acid at the auto parts store, added 1/4 cup to one gallon of water and thats at least as concentrated as PH down. That $7 container of acid will make something like 15 gallons of PH down.
 

JohnDee

Well-Known Member
Or sulfuric acid (plain old battery acid), dilute that and use it. Stupid cheap and work great. I bought a $7 container of battery acid at the auto parts store, added 1/4 cup to one gallon of water and thats at least as concentrated as PH down. That $7 container of acid will make something like 15 gallons of PH down.
Larry...you've got more nerve then me. Not for using HsSO4 (I do to)...but for posting about it. People tend to get rather hysterical about the idea of using battery acid on plants.

Large commercial hydro ops use it. It is super smooth and very powerful.

The risk is in diluting it. NEVER add water to a powerful acid. Always add the acid to the water...like Larry said. And use safety glasses and professional grade containers. Not for dumbbells and noobs.
JD

PS Once diluted, it's as safe to handle as any other ph down
 

smokebros

Well-Known Member
I want to try Coco and the PH I have with my Tap are 7.9. If I put lemon juice in the pH drops but hours later it's going up so that's not what I want! How I can decrease the pH for longer than 12 hours?
Just so you're aware, lots of nutrients nowadays self buffer into a range. You may find that once your nutrients are mixed together, they could land in a perfect range with your water.

Get a bottle of PH up and PH down to keep on hand. But 7.9 isn't a bad starting PH at all.
 

Logan Burke

Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm sure there are dozens of things you could use in place of PH Up/down, but I don't think it would be a good idea or worth leaving yourself vulnerable to any issues it may cause...better to either buy name brand PH UP./Down or make your own. Just be careful if you make your own.
 

Beachwalker

Well-Known Member
Larry...you've got more nerve then me. Not for using HsSO4 (I do to)...but for posting about it. People tend to get rather hysterical about the idea of using battery acid on plants.

Large commercial hydro ops use it. It is super smooth and very powerful.

The risk is in diluting it. NEVER add water to a powerful acid. Always add the acid to the water...like Larry said. And use safety glasses and professional grade containers. Not for dumbbells and noobs.
JD

PS Once diluted, it's as safe to handle as any other ph down
In another life when I was a contractor my company acid washed buildings & brightened tractor trailers etc. with hydrofluoric acid. I use and recommend the safe commercial products.
 

Big Perm

Well-Known Member
$33 for 5 gallons at my local parts store. Should last me a year, maybe 2.
View attachment 4198638
I severely underestimated how long this 5 gallons will last me.

2 months now and I've used 1/2 a cup of the 5 gallons. I run hydro and coco. I mix up 5 gallons a day for coco and my res is 60 gallons. At this rate it will last me 26 1/2 years....not the 2 years I had guessed in my last post.
My tap water has a ph of 9.12. I'm always bringing that down to 5.7 after nutes.
I've read that sulfur is beneficial to plants. It also helps fight unwanted bacteria. There are a few people swearing by sulfur here on riu. Since battery acid is sulfuric acid...win/win. My plants are loving it. I won't say that it is better than any other ph down product out there. I will say that it works great, is cheap and will last a long time.
The recipe is simple. 1 gallon distilled water. Pour out one cup and pour in the acid to fill it back up. Done. Then I put it in a squeeze bottle for convenience.
1/2 a cup from a $33 5 gallon container is $.21 (I rounded up).
$0.10 a month isn't too bad. I'd consider my usage average. If you hand feed it will be much less than that.
20181106_012003.jpg
People hear "BaTteRy aCid!!! and they are like OMFG!!!!"
Acid is a liquid with a low ph "Bubble pops", lights come on.
Battery acid is Sulfuric acid that has already been diluted to 1/3 before it goes into the 5 gallon container. further dilution makes it easier to manage.

I'd say that comparing battery acid to commercial ph down is like comparing powdered nutrients to commercial liquid nutrients.
 

Big Perm

Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm sure there are dozens of things you could use in place of PH Up/down, but I don't think it would be a good idea or worth leaving yourself vulnerable to any issues it may cause...better to either buy name brand PH UP./Down or make your own. Just be careful if you make your own.
So...it's not a good idea to make your own...or it is? You said both.
 
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Beachwalker

Well-Known Member
I severely underestimated how long this 5 gallons will last me.

2 months now and I've used 1/2 a cup of the 5 gallons. I run hydro and coco. I mix up 5 gallons a day for coco and my res is 60 gallons. At this rate it will last me 26 1/2 years....not the 2 years I had guessed in my last post.
My tap water has a ph of 9.12. I'm always bringing that down to 5.7 after nutes.
I've read that sulfur is beneficial to plants. It also helps fight unwanted bacteria. There are a few people swearing by sulfur here on riu. Since battery acid is sulfuric acid...win/win. My plants are loving it. I won't say that it is better than any other ph down product out there. I will say that it works great, is cheap and will last a long time.
The recipe is simple. 1 gallon distilled water. Pour out one cup and pour in the acid to fill it back up. Done. Then I put it in a squeeze bottle for convenience.
1/2 a cup from a $33 5 gallon container is $.21 (I rounded up).
$0.10 a month isn't too bad. I'd consider my usage average. If you hand feed it will be much less than that.
View attachment 4228000
People hear "BaTteRy aCid!!! and they are like OMFG!!!!"
Acid is a liquid with a low ph "Bubble pops", lights come on.
Battery acid is Sulfuric acid that has already been diluted to 1/3 before it goes into the 5 gallon container. further dilution makes it easier to manage.

I'd say that comparing battery acid to commercial ph down is like comparing powdered nutrients to commercial liquid nutrients.
I recommend nobody bring caustic acid in their home. My company used to wash buildings truck fleets excetera with hydrofluoric acid. The
strength of the product I used dissolves metal. I've use hundreds of gallons of it but I would never use it like this. I recommend everyone use a commercial pH product and be safe and keep loved ones and pets in your home safe as well. You don't want this unnecessary danger in your home.

Edit: I just noticed I said same thing some time ago above, oh well
 
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Big Perm

Well-Known Member
hydrofluoric acid
You are the only one talking about hydrofluoric acid here for the 2nd time. I don't doubt that you used to wash trucks with a very powerful acid. I wouldn't want that on me either. We aren't talking about that though. We are talking about using an acid to lower ph in water.
 

Big Perm

Well-Known Member
Pour your bottle of ph down all over your face. What do you think will happen? Now pour my bottle of ph down on your face. What do you think will happen?
It's the same thing.
 

Beachwalker

Well-Known Member
You are the only one talking about hydrofluoric acid here for the 2nd time. I don't doubt that you used to wash trucks with a very powerful acid. I wouldn't want that on me either. We aren't talking about that though. We are talking about using an acid to lower ph in water.
You assume I'm talking to you. I'm talking to people that might be influenced by you, they should Google pictures of acid burns before they make the decision to bring yet another unnecessary danger into their living area where others could be affected by it. I think it's an easy decision once they do
 

Big Perm

Well-Known Member
You assume I'm talking to you. I'm talking to people that might be influenced by you, they should Google pictures of acid burns before they make the decision to bring yet another unnecessary danger into their living area where others could be affected by it. I think it's an easy decision once they do
So, 'safe' commercial ph down will not give an acid burn? I guess I'll have to look into that.
 
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Big Perm

Well-Known Member
You assume I'm talking to you. I'm talking to people that might be influenced by you, they should Google pictures of acid burns before they make the decision to bring yet another unnecessary danger into their living area where others could be affected by it. I think it's an easy decision once they do
I do agree with you in that if someone isn't capable of safely mixing one liquid with another, not to attempt it.
 

Big Perm

Well-Known Member
You can also scare the hell out of people talking about Dihydrogen Monoxide, (DHMO), or "hydroxylic acid" and all of the dangers that come with it. It's used in bombs, it will dissolve almost anything. It is used as an industrial cleaner around the world. It also causes suffocation, and is directly responsible for killing millions of people each year.

Hydroxylic acid, or Diyhdrogen Monoxide is.....drumroll.....H20, or more commonly referred to as water.
 

JohnDee

Well-Known Member
I do agree with you in that if someone isn't capable of safely mixing one liquid with another, not to attempt it.
BP dude...
This is why I never discuss this issue. People react badly. Hey on your water...with such a high ph, by the time you have that corrected, your EC must be way high. You should get a small RO unit.

I'm in a new location and finally tested the water. 100 ppm and ph under 7. Perfect for growing. I was very relieved.
Cheers,
JD
 
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