Alternative to pH Up

Hi everyone. I'm running a top feeder, clay balls for medium, 35 gallon res. Can I use pool and spa pH up (sodium carbonate) instead of General Hydeo pH Up (potassium hydroxide)?
It's way cheaper.
Thanks

Oo ee oo ah ah said:

Hi everyone. I'm running a top feeder, clay balls for medium, 35 gallon res. Can I use pool and spa pH up (sodium carbonate) instead of General Hydeo pH Up (potassium hydroxide)?
It's way cheaper.
Thanks

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its basically baking soda so yah it should work. But really ph up and down are fairly cheap for the gallon jugs.

Lordhooha said:

its basically baking soda so yah it should work. But really ph up and down are fairly cheap for the gallon jugs.

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Thanks for the reply.
I'm on disability, so every penny counts.

you dont want to add sodium to your rez ,it uses up available ppm space ,however it will work fine its just not ideal

Thanks for the reply. Normally I can just add my tap water, it averages 8.1. This time I needed to up my pH without thinning out the ppms.
I normally change my solution every 7-10 days, so buildup shouldn't be an issue.

Cheap ph buffers are less stable, meaning you may get swings in pH you are unaware of. It might also effect your ppm as well.. It could cause nutrient lock out, the nutrients could absorb into the sodium and become unusable and imbalanced... Not sure if it's worth saving the few dollars a year..

After due consideration I am going to try the pool and spa stuff. I'll let you know how it goes. As I said, the occasions I'll actually need to use it will be few and far between as I change nutes often anyway.

I know some people will freak out about it but I used to use sodium hydroxide "lye" to raise pH when I was doing flood and drain and had multiple reservoirs. It works fine without any ill effects. You're using it in such small amounts that it doesn't hurt anything and merely raises the pH. People see "sodium" and freak out.

You can use potassium hydroxide. Two pounds for $13 and mix up your own pH up. That's enough to last probably ten, twenty. thirty years.

I only needed to raise the pH if I lowered it too much after mixing a new batch of nutrient solution. The pH in a reservoir typically goes up and pH down is all that's needed. For that I use Phosphoric acid. I rarely needed to raise the pH. I still have the same 1 lb container I bought over ten years ago. It's still full.

What's wrong with baking soda? That's what I use.

Don't use baking soda... Use potassium hydroxide.

churchhaze said:

Don't use baking soda... Use potassium hydroxide.

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Why though I'm asking. I've used baking soda for couple years now.

Right. I was looking for a replacement because frankly, the General Hydroponics nPh Up is expensive. It's potassium hydroxide.
I ended up getting pool and spa pH up. It is indeed sodium carbonate, and a third the price of GH.
I used it a couple days ago, pH level hasn't acted funny yet. Plants look good, no signs of stress.
Time will tell.

smokegreenshlt said:

Why though I'm asking. I've used baking soda for couple years now.

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It's because sodium bicarbonate adds sodium and isn't as effective as potassium hydroxide.

A better question would be why purposefully buy the wrong ingredients?

Oo ee oo ah ah said:

Right. I was looking for a replacement because frankly, the General Hydroponics nPh Up is expensive. It's potassium hydroxide.
I ended up getting pool and spa pH up. It is indeed sodium carbonate, and a third the price of GH.
I used it a couple days ago, pH level hasn't acted funny yet. Plants look good, no signs of stress.
Time will tell.

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Get KOH flakes from essential depot on amazon. I rarely need pH up, but I always have KOH flakes for when I do need it.

churchhaze said:

It's because sodium bicarbonate adds sodium and isn't as effective as potassium hydroxide.

A better question would be why purposefully buy the wrong ingredients?

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Idk it's cheap. And it's never been a problem. Seems pretty effective to me.

Oo ee oo ah ah said:

Right. I was looking for a replacement because frankly, the General Hydroponics nPh Up is expensive. It's potassium hydroxide.
I ended up getting pool and spa pH up. It is indeed sodium carbonate, and a third the price of GH.
I used it a couple days ago, pH level hasn't acted funny yet. Plants look good, no signs of stress.
Time will tell.

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See any ill affects yet? I've used baking soda for a pH up for years. Recently just stopped using it due to my plants loving the lower pH I've been feeding them.. but if I do need it, it's rate there on the shelf.

Why not potassium silicate? Good old KSi.

AN makes the best up/down on the market. Super strong. GH is crap!

NeWcS said:

AN makes the best up/down on the market. Super strong. GH is crap!

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What are you talking about? AN is no better than any other. It's all potassium hydroxide. Doesn't matter what brand it does the same thing. In fact AN products suck. Overpriced watered down garbage marketed to people that drink the koolaid. You don't need twenty bottles with fancy labels to grow weed. AN is not a nutrient company it's a marketing company that repackages chemical salts and resells them to people that don't know any better.

GH pH down is just as good as AN as is Botanicaire or any other product out there that lowers pH. Heck, you can use drain cleaner "Lye/sodium hydroxide" and your plants won't know the difference.

Easy bud. Although AN products are roundly panned due to all the things you mentioned, their pH products are actually decent bottled solutions that come out cheaper due to their high concentration. Not better, just cheaper.