[Masteroogway420]

Hey guys I’m close to starting a new indoor grow and have been researching my water to see if it is suitable. I found out the water I was using from the tap in my previous grow had 666PPM and also contains chlorine I didn’t know about. With this new found information on my tap water being extremely hard should I just water with bottled spring water? Or should I use distilled and add Cal Mag from the start? I’m going to be growing in happy frog and extra perlite for drainage along with advanced nutrients. Any help is appreciated, thank you!!!!!

 

[Deadstill]

Hey guys I’m close to starting a new indoor grow and have been researching my water to see if it is suitable. I found out the water I was using from the tap in my previous grow had 666PPM and also contains chlorine I didn’t know about. With this new found information on my tap water being extremely hard should I just water with bottled spring water? Or should I use distilled and add Cal Mag from the start? I’m going to be growing in happy frog and extra perlite for drainage along with advanced nutrients. Any help is appreciated, thank you!!!!!

Howdy, and welcome to the Farm!

I had the same problem here on well water. My well water comes out at approximately 650ppm.

You have a couple of options available. First, you could get your water professionally tested to find out exactly what's in your water, and adjust accordingly. This may or may not be a good option, depending on what's in your water. A little chlorine is ok but too much will cause problems. Luckily my water contains mostly iron, calcium and magnesium, so it's not too bad.

Second option you could get an RO system. They're relatively inexpensive these days. I found one that works great even on my well water on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/3-Stage-Port...1691339697&sprefix=geekpure+ro,aps,218&sr=8-8

And finally, yeah you could do bottled water but that's going to rack up expenses pretty quickly. Even if you pay for water and the waste water from an RO system might jack up your water bill a little bit, it's still going to be cheaper than buying bottled water.

 

[ArtfulCodger]

I'd get an RO machine. Dragging bottles of distilled water around gets old fast. (Ask me how I know. )

 

[Masteroogway420]

Howdy, and welcome to the Farm!

I had the same problem here on well water. My well water comes out at approximately 650ppm.

You have a couple of options available. First, you could get your water professionally tested to find out exactly what's in your water, and adjust accordingly. This may or may not be a good option, depending on what's in your water. A little chlorine is ok but too much will cause problems. Luckily my water contains mostly iron, calcium and magnesium, so it's not too bad.

Second option you could get an RO system. They're relatively inexpensive these days. I found one that works great even on my well water on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/3-Stage-Portable-Aquarium-Countertop-Reverse-System-100GPD/dp/B07H2TSNZM/ref=sr_1_8?crid=22R6IFK8WGEC0&keywords=geekpure+ro&qid=1691339697&sprefix=geekpure+ro,aps,218&sr=8-8

And finally, yeah you could do bottled water but that's going to rack up expenses pretty quickly. Even if you pay for water and the waste water from an RO system might jack up your water bill a little bit, it's still going to be cheaper than buying bottled water.

Thank you!! Is there any other way I can make my tap water more suitable other than RO system? I heard someone say I could mix 1:1 tap and distilled to reduce the PPM and let it sit for 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate. Also how well would cheap store bought spring water work since it has slight minerals like tap but a much lower PPM? Thanks again for the help

 

[Masteroogway420]

I'd get an RO machine. Dragging bottles of distilled water around gets old fast. (Ask me how I know. )

Understandable, the only hard part for me with a RO machine is that I live in a town house so unless that runs from the sink I don’t think I could run it. If i’m willing to do the dragging around do you think it would be safer to invest in cheap bottled spring water with lower PPM than my tap?

 

[Deadstill]

Understandable, the only hard part for me with a RO machine is that I live in a town house so unless that runs from the sink I don’t think I could run it. If i’m willing to do the dragging around do you think it would be safer to invest in cheap bottled spring water with lower PPM than my tap?

The RO system I linked is small and easily connected to either a sink or garden hose. In fact most RO systems these days are fairly small. Even the more expensive, higher volume systems tend to be fairly compact. RO systems have come a long way in recent years, in efficiency and price.

Edit to add: How many plants are we talking, here? About how much water do you think you'll need per day?

 

[ArtfulCodger]

Understandable, the only hard part for me with a RO machine is that I live in a town house so unless that runs from the sink I don’t think I could run it. If i’m willing to do the dragging around do you think it would be safer to invest in cheap bottled spring water with lower PPM than my tap?

I run my RO machine from a sink. You just need to get the right fittings. If you absolutely can't use an RO machine, I'd use distilled over 600+ ppm tap.

 

[Masteroogway420]

I run my RO machine from a sink. You just need to get the right fittings. If you absolutely can't use an RO machine, I'd use distilled over 600+ ppm tap.

Okay thank you! If I decide to go distilled route would I need to add my nutes from the start or would my seedlings be good for the first few weeks in happy frog soil.

 

[chuck88]

I used to buy/haul city water and one day I said enough....

Tried my well water with a ppm of 500 and ph of 7.5, with no ph down. KISS....

Works like a charm BUT I use Mega Crop one part or GH MaxiGro/Bloom in ProMix HP, all of which is ph buffered.

Give it a go with one plant and see....

Cheers

 

[PahPahCee]

A lot of grocery stores have RO stations where you fill 5 gallon jugs up for pocket change.

You can also try diluting 1/4 tap w/ 3/4 ro/distilled and you can stretch your water a bit.

 

[Masteroogway420]

The RO system I linked is small and easily connected to either a sink or garden hose. In fact most RO systems these days are fairly small. Even the more expensive, higher volume systems tend to be fairly compact. RO systems have come a long way in recent years, in efficiency and price.

Edit to add: How many plants are we talking, here? About how much water do you think you'll need per

Great I’ll look into them, do they make a lot of noise? And I’m just going to be growing 2 plants in 5 gal smart pots in my indoor grow tent.

 

[Masteroogway420]

A lot of grocery stores have RO stations where you fill 5 gallon jugs up for pocket change.

You can also try diluting 1/4 tap w/ 3/4 ro/distilled and you can stretch your water a bit.

Great, is there any advantages that RO has over distilled or are they both completely stripped of minerals and nutes?

 

[Deadstill]

Great I’ll look into them, do they make a lot of noise? And I’m just going to be growing 2 plants in 5 gal smart pots in my indoor grow tent.

No they're silent and it's not exactly a "machine" it's just a filtration system powered by the water pressure from your spigot/faucet.

For what you're doing, that RO system I linked should be more than enough for your needs. I have the same one and it produces about 40 gallons of 0PPM water per day.

It's only 50 bucks and I only have to replace filters about every 6 months. They will last much longer than that, you'll just see reduced output after about 6 months. Still, well more than enough for 2 plants.

 

[PahPahCee]

Great, is there any advantages that RO has over distilled or are they both completely stripped of minerals and nutes?

No advantage that I’m aware of. Which ever is easier for you.