Tap water comparisons
- Thread starter JSB99
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JSB99
Well-Known Member
I take it you just use tap water for everything. I recall ≤ 110ppm is good. Is that correct?
Big Green Thumb
Well-Known Member
Mine is about 470. 3rd or 4th worst water in the USA. I just installed an RO today.
dstroy
Well-Known Member
Yes, I use tap water, only because the water quality here is good. I'm no expert though, I know that tapwater is really bad in some places but I read the water quality report for my area when it comes out and test the water all the time to make sure that it's still ok.
It really is situational, because tap water could be 90ppm, but all the 90ppm can be all sodium which is bad. If you are not sure, just use RO water, cant go wrong with that as long as your fertilizer contains the essentials.
I have an RO system that we use for drinking water currently but when I installed it I included a little extra plumbing so I can run a line from that and use RO if the tap water quality is no good.
Thai_Lights
Well-Known Member
My tap water is like 10ppm... bless up.
GrowyMcGrowFace
New Member
~50 ppm 7.5 PH. Comes out about perfect with Jack's 321. Not enough in it for clones though.
JSB99
Well-Known Member
JSB99
Well-Known Member
The water here is really good too (Oregon). I'm going to try the tap, and if I see any problems, I'll get in-line RO filters. I already have a tote with a line feed on a float valve, so it's pretty simple with me as well.
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
Mine is usually about 74 ppm straight out the faucet but it smells like frikkin pool water because it is so chlorinated. If you feed your plants nutrients then using regular tap water is not much of a big deal unless the ppms are super high but if you grow in organic living soil you need a source of non chlorinated water.
RO systems are good but uber wasteful. They usually give one gal of water to every 3 gal of waste water. Nobody seems to ever talk about the best source of water on earth around here which of course is rain. Maybe it is because a lot of peeps who grow live in generally arid regions I don't know but rain water contains both minerals (macronutes) and microbial life. It is so easy to put out a bucket under an awning or downspout when it rains. If you collect it and keep it covered it can be stored for weeks or even longer without aeration. Another easy & organically safe water source in the summer months is to use water collected by a dehumidifier or a/c unit for your plants. Dehuey or collected a/c water will be very low ppms much like RO or distilled water so you if you use these sources will need to add back minerals like cal-mag to avoid macro deficiencies.
RO systems are good but uber wasteful. They usually give one gal of water to every 3 gal of waste water. Nobody seems to ever talk about the best source of water on earth around here which of course is rain. Maybe it is because a lot of peeps who grow live in generally arid regions I don't know but rain water contains both minerals (macronutes) and microbial life. It is so easy to put out a bucket under an awning or downspout when it rains. If you collect it and keep it covered it can be stored for weeks or even longer without aeration. Another easy & organically safe water source in the summer months is to use water collected by a dehumidifier or a/c unit for your plants. Dehuey or collected a/c water will be very low ppms much like RO or distilled water so you if you use these sources will need to add back minerals like cal-mag to avoid macro deficiencies.
JSB99
Well-Known Member
Mine has no smell and actually tastes great. And I agree about collecting rainwater. I plan on getting a couple 55 gallon rain barrels. We get between 7 and 8 months of rain.
JSB99
Well-Known Member
I used to live in Phoenix, and the water was so hard! It tasted terrible. I had an RO system and a salt water softener for my house. It's a whole different world in OR
Thai_Lights
Well-Known Member
I live on the west coast too but a small city in canadaI used to live in Phoenix, and the water was so hard! It tasted terrible. I had an RO system and a salt water softener for my house. It's a whole different world in OR
Big Green Thumb
Well-Known Member
How many ppm in your well water? I bet it's high. No chlorine, but lots of minerals in it.
Lordhooha
Well-Known Member
Ppm wise not sure never worried about it. I know I has a good amount of calcium and good minerals. My plants have loved it. Supersoil+ well water and mammoth p I never have a deficiency or any issues.
Lordhooha
Well-Known Member
That's terrible that we live in the times we do and water quality is close to being undrinkable480 out of the tap here in SoCal... It will kill any plant that it touches.. It took me a while to figure out why my plants were always F'd up
JSB99
Well-Known Member
Unreal! I don't know what is was in PHX, but it tasted like shit. Water coolers were really popular.480 out of the tap here in SoCal... It will kill any plant that it touches.. It took me a while to figure out why my plants were always F'd up