Using silicate crystals/powder in hydroponics with a water chiller.

[Fro5ty]

Does anyone ever done it? I’m planning to use GHE Silicate. But I have water chiller on my RDWC. Will there be build up? And if there is build up. Will flushing the chiller with vinegar clean it out?

 

[SSgrower]

That's a good question, I don't as I am not familiar with the GHE crystals. I just started adding ProteKt by Dyna-Gro to my lineup. I don't have a chiller either so, but someone will answer your question. I always cleanup after a grow but mainly the tent for me. SS bump

 

[Onelow1]

I don't use the crystals but I use GH Armor Si and I run my nutrient through my chiller. I do use a in-line mess filter before the chiller, I should have it before the pump but I don't. So I have a separate pump and filter for the chiller. I clean the filter daily and flush the chiller once a month even with the filter. Inside the chiller is a chamber that the water flow will slow down and this is where I've had stuff accumulate. I've clogged it before when I wasn't using a filter, almost lost it, still acts weird. It's 2 years old. Am going to switch to MSA silica, is that what your referring to? Good luck man.

 

[Fro5ty]

I don't use the crystals but I use GH Armor Si and I run my nutrient through my chiller. I do use a in-line mess filter before the chiller, I should have it before the pump but I don't. So I have a separate pump and filter for the chiller. I clean the filter daily and flush the chiller once a month even with the filter. Inside the chiller is a chamber that the water flow will slow down and this is where I've had stuff accumulate. I've clogged it before when I wasn't using a filter, almost lost it, still acts weird. It's 2 years old. Am going to switch to MSA silica, is that what your referring to? Good luck man.

Thanks for all this information!

I’m probably going to buy silica ik liquid form instead of crystal/powder. I don’t really know what “armor si” is but it looks more something for the roots. From my understanding silica are minerals and are used for balancing your pH in hydroponics. So not something directly for your plants like Armor Si.

I have 2 mesh filters before my pump, they then go from 2 to 1 hose and that one is connected to my pump, that pumps it in my chiller. I already have some “dust” on the bottom of my main pot. Which means that it had to go true my chiller. I’m afraid of damaging my chiller so I’m careful with what nutrients I put in my water. This far I only used the GHE tri-part, GHE calmag 2.0, h202 and Hydroguard (and yes, I know HG and h202 at the same time is useless).

how do you flush your chiller? With vinegar? Also, do you use RO water? I’m at week 3 now of my first grow. Haven’t flushed my chiller yet.

 

[Onelow1]

" I don’t really know what “armor si” is"
It is General hydroponics silica. It's called Armor Si. It's the most abundant element on earth. It's very important for overall plant health and disease preventions plus numerous other things. It one of the most important additives you can use.
And YES, if you are using Hydroguard and h2o2 together, well all I can say is your making someone happy somewhere but it not your plants. One way or the other, please, but not both, your fucking up your plants. Either a sterile grow or a live grow. I do a live grow. By the time you get to 4-5 grows in a RDWC you'll look back on this and laugh!! lol It's all in the learning curve man, don't sweat it.
When I first started growing not too long ago I did the same things. I have more shit that I bought and don't need and didn't need but sure as hell thought I needed! I started with 4 sites in a 4x8 room, now I have two. That's all I need. I use General hydroponics because it works and I can screw things up with it just as easy as the expensive stuff. I have TONS of air pumps and don't even use one on my current system. Now I'm ready to lose the chiller too. Hydroguard and enzymes are working fine for me. I just keep refining and simplifying. Try not to stress to much about your plants and concentrate more on learning about growing, I know, easier said than done. lol
You can flush with vinegar or Florakleen from GH. Vinegar is cheaper. You'll switch the in-lets when flushing. In thru the out door and vise versa. Lots of info on flushing chillers.
Well, good luck man and keep asking questions, it saves you money! lol

 

[Fro5ty]

" I don’t really know what “armor si” is"
It is General hydroponics silica. It's called Armor Si. It's the most abundant element on earth. It's very important for overall plant health and disease preventions plus numerous other things. It one of the most important additives you can use.
And YES, if you are using Hydroguard and h2o2 together, well all I can say is your making someone happy somewhere but it not your plants. One way or the other, please, but not both, your fucking up your plants. Either a sterile grow or a live grow. I do a live grow. By the time you get to 4-5 grows in a RDWC you'll look back on this and laugh!! lol It's all in the learning curve man, don't sweat it.
When I first started growing not too long ago I did the same things. I have more shit that I bought and don't need and didn't need but sure as hell thought I needed! I started with 4 sites in a 4x8 room, now I have two. That's all I need. I use General hydroponics because it works and I can screw things up with it just as easy as the expensive stuff. I have TONS of air pumps and don't even use one on my current system. Now I'm ready to lose the chiller too. Hydroguard and enzymes are working fine for me. I just keep refining and simplifying. Try not to stress to much about your plants and concentrate more on learning about growing, I know, easier said than done. lol
You can flush with vinegar or Florakleen from GH. Vinegar is cheaper. You'll switch the in-lets when flushing. In thru the out door and vise versa. Lots of info on flushing chillers.
Well, good luck man and keep asking questions, it saves you money! lol

To be clear, I said that HG and H202 didn’t work together, to save you the trouble of telling me why it doesn’t. I used Hydroguard first. When my water tank started stinking, I added H202 to kill the bacteria’s and fungus’s that were growing in it. That’s why I said that my chiller have gotten Hydroguard and H202 pumped true it.

I added 75ml calmag to my system which hold around 260L. The rippeling And discoloring have gotten worse. But the grow have been fine tho! I don’t see really any stunned growth… I LST’ed some plants the day before and altho I didn’t look at them yesterday (I’m sick actually), I just looked at them and I can see some new growth of new branches that are developing.

I’ll go take some photos for you to see!

 

[Fro5ty]

" I don’t really know what “armor si” is"
It is General hydroponics silica. It's called Armor Si. It's the most abundant element on earth. It's very important for overall plant health and disease preventions plus numerous other things. It one of the most important additives you can use.
And YES, if you are using Hydroguard and h2o2 together, well all I can say is your making someone happy somewhere but it not your plants. One way or the other, please, but not both, your fucking up your plants. Either a sterile grow or a live grow. I do a live grow. By the time you get to 4-5 grows in a RDWC you'll look back on this and laugh!! lol It's all in the learning curve man, don't sweat it.
When I first started growing not too long ago I did the same things. I have more shit that I bought and don't need and didn't need but sure as hell thought I needed! I started with 4 sites in a 4x8 room, now I have two. That's all I need. I use General hydroponics because it works and I can screw things up with it just as easy as the expensive stuff. I have TONS of air pumps and don't even use one on my current system. Now I'm ready to lose the chiller too. Hydroguard and enzymes are working fine for me. I just keep refining and simplifying. Try not to stress to much about your plants and concentrate more on learning about growing, I know, easier said than done. lol
You can flush with vinegar or Florakleen from GH. Vinegar is cheaper. You'll switch the in-lets when flushing. In thru the out door and vise versa. Lots of info on flushing chillers.
Well, good luck man and keep asking questions, it saves you money! lol

These are 2 video. The 18s one was Thursday, the 16s one is from just now.