What does your RO water ph at?

  • Thread starter putembk
  • Start date
  • Tagged users None
putembk

putembk

2,665
263
Was talking to the guy at the grow store yesterday about general stuff and r/o water came up. My water straight from the tap comes out at 7.0 but after I run it through my r/o filter it will ph at about 6.0. Is this normal? The guy at the store says his comes out at 6.8.

I have an eco tester 2 and it seems to be working fine. I calibrate about every 3rd or 4th reading and don't seem to be getting funny readings from it. It is about a year old now and am hoping that I don't have to fork over the $$ for a new one just yet.

Is my water ok, is my tester done or am I just stoned?
 
K

kushtrees

591
63
I never pH RO it's a pain ad the second u add anything it essentially takes that pH. Also how often you calibrate depends on your meter and how much you take care of it. I have a hanna that gets recalibrated every other day i use it otherwise it goes off by .1 or so
 
S

Steel Erection

313
28
My Ro Water comes out around 8. From what I understand the ph of your RO has nothing to do with the RO Filter. The ph of you water is going to change as your water table does. The eco tester is a solid pen. I use the eco tester and have 2 hanna 98129 pens in the closet. It's easy to use and stable. Calibrate when you feel like it. I calibrate once a week and if I question a number I'll calibrate it again and recheck. It only takes a minute to re-calibrate and be sure.-SE
 
socalval

socalval

652
143
I fill a five gallon jug for a buck 25 its 6.7 with a new filter on the 3rd of every month by the 30th its 7.0 or 7.1
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

6,892
313
Proper RO water should have no dissolved solids in it at all. If there is a significant or measurable quantity, then the filter may need service, or possibly your water is hard enough for it to benefit from a water softener pre-treatment before the RO filter.

Distilled water is by definition 7.000. RO water should come close to this.

The above may all be true in lab conditions- but out in the real world, if your RO water is EC .1 or less, then it will quickly take on the pH of whatever you put in it. Add your nutes and additives, then test and adjust pH. The softer the source water (lower EC), the less pH up or down additive will be needed.
 
Y

Ythor

38
8
Don't worry about the pH of RO water; it is very difficult to accurately measure the pH of high-purity water, particularly with inexpensive, consumer-grade pH meters. They simply don't work well without some ions in the water.

Furthermore, the low concentration of dissolved solids means the pH can swing wildly when anything is added to it: there's no buffering capacity. Once you add nutrients to the water, the pH probe will work better, and an accurate measurement can be made; the pH can then be adjusted to optimize growth.

High purity water *should* have a pH of 7.0 fresh out of the machine (be it an RO unit or distillation unit), but the presence of atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (which forms carbonic acid in solution) will quickly cause the pH to drop to ~5.6 upon exposure to air. With a fresh, clean RO membrane, there may be insufficient buffering capacity and the pH will drop to this point after a couple of hours or so. As the membrane ages, the pH may not move quite so quickly as there will be a higher level of dissolved salts. (Also note that a nice, fresh membrane in the RO unit will lead to water so pure that you can get an "ice spike" when the water is used to make ice cubes.)
 
Max Frost

Max Frost

1,078
263
SUPER informative guys!!! I've been having a pH issue I'm hopeful you scholars can help me solve! I have the Blue Labs pH pen.

PH pen 1


http://www.amazon.com/Bluelab-pH-Pen-Plant-Germination/dp/B005POOJHG

When I bought it, I got two so I'd have a back-up. I've been using only one of them for about 9 months now. I've been having pH problems which have worsened over the last 2 months or so. The problems are most apparent in early veg. The plants become stunted and get what I had thought was burn (but no feedings have been given at all, and I'm using straight Happy Frog soil -- shouldn't burn). Here's an example of what I'm seeing...

001


003
004


I cleaned my probe with the Bluelabs probe cleaner and recalibrated. Then I put the meter in the 7.0 solution, it goes right to the "7" number. When I rinse and put it in the 4.0 solution, it goes right to 4.0! I calibrate and get a check mark indicating a successful calibration.

SO...I hydrated and calibrated my back-up unit thinking it was time to put it into service. Well..it seemed to take a long time for the meter to get to the 7.0 number. Then, after rinsing and placing into the 4.0 solution, the meter never did get all the way to 4.0. It only got to around 4.5-ish, and it took forever for it to get there! I hit "CAL" and again got a check mark indicating a successful calibration.

My problem is that the two meters now read differently and I'm not sure which to trust! The "old" meter still settles in on a number pretty fast, while the newer back-up meter is still taking a long, long time to get settled on a number. In fact, the auto shut off hits several times usually before it's done. The readings are several points apart with the newer back-up meter reading a higher pH in any solution. Example: When the old meter is reading 6.5, the newer back-up meter will be reading 6.7-9.

Common sense is telling me since I've been having unexplained pH problems (I've been suspecting my soil up til now) I should start using the newer back-up meter which is reading higher. However...something in my gut is telling me not too. It may just be my lack of confidence due to it's slow reading and difficulty calibrating.

I would really appreciate some of you all-knowing pH gurus lending me your advice! Would you trust the new meter or stay with the old? Do my problems in the pics look like they might be caused by higher pH or a lower pH? This would help me in deciding too.

Thanks so much in advance!

Best,

Max
 
putembk

putembk

2,665
263
First thinking you have a calcium/magnesium deficiency. The r/o filter is taking it out and you need to put it back in. Next I never try and test straight r/o water. There is nothing it it to test. I will add something so I get a reading. Before I test r/o water I add cal/mag and some molasses so the meter can get a more accurate reading. I know sea is going to jump in and tell you exactly what your problem is but for me that works.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
23,596
638
You know... that's kinda looking like the B- that @IPlay4Keepz finally figured out (pix posted in my charts thread).

Look at my charts. I personally don't think there's a Ca- involved here, but then if it's insufficient for other minerals to be able to work, then it simply is. I'll look at the charts, too, but I've never seen anything quite like what you're showing myself.

Now, for the meters, simply put I'd be using the one that actually calibrates and behaves as it's supposed to. Hopefully the other one's under warranty, but IMO they both should be performing in exactly the same manner.

Now, the charts... BRB.

K, I think the most helpful chart for you is the flow chart, and it's indicating possible toxicities. IME, toxicities can look just like deficiencies--not all, but many. Because of all the symptoms that little plant is expressing, it's fitting with many problems. Hrm.
 
BIGDAMBUD1

BIGDAMBUD1

407
143
Single out an affected small plant and isolate her to a small floro lamp and area away from the others, and go get yourself a fresh gal of store bought water...use it on this 1 plant only for a couple days...it'll help you gazillions in your diagnosis...it should perk right up...my opinion is that it would have to be some kind of shit up ph to achieve them issues...at that stage of growth...especially with no feedings...ck very close for pest and disease...you mentioned gnats..may be a sign...lower the intensity of your light a bit maybe...til ya get a handle on it..I bet it's more than ph...Happy Frog...Floro...seed...water..will easily get you to that stage...of course you know that...look closely Maxx..single it out first, get back to the basics of growing...you'll then correct it...I'm guessing you are over-thinking your issue...that's easy to do sometimes...take a deep breath...this is not over your head or skills by no means...you'll win..I just know it...B
 
D

Donkdbz

309
28
Max you have potassium burn. which in turn will cause calcium and magnesium problems.

should probable flush with some dechlorinated PH'd tap water. Then hit with fresh batch of nutes with a bunch of runoff.

also your happy frog looks weird not used to seeing such big chunks of bar on top.
 
Natural

Natural

2,536
263
Max Frost said:
SUPER informative guys!!! I've been having a pH issue I'm hopeful you scholars can help me solve! I have the Blue Labs pH pen.

View attachment 367633

http://www.amazon.com/Bluelab-pH-Pen-Plant-Germination/dp/B005POOJHG

When I bought it, I got two so I'd have a back-up. I've been using only one of them for about 9 months now. I've been having pH problems which have worsened over the last 2 months or so. The problems are most apparent in early veg. The plants become stunted and get what I had thought was burn (but no feedings have been given at all, and I'm using straight Happy Frog soil -- shouldn't burn). Here's an example of what I'm seeing...

View attachment 367627

View attachment 367628 View attachment 367629

I cleaned my probe with the Bluelabs probe cleaner and recalibrated. Then I put the meter in the 7.0 solution, it goes right to the "7" number. When I rinse and put it in the 4.0 solution, it goes right to 4.0! I calibrate and get a check mark indicating a successful calibration.

SO...I hydrated and calibrated my back-up unit thinking it was time to put it into service. Well..it seemed to take a long time for the meter to get to the 7.0 number. Then, after rinsing and placing into the 4.0 solution, the meter never did get all the way to 4.0. It only got to around 4.5-ish, and it took forever for it to get there! I hit "CAL" and again got a check mark indicating a successful calibration.

My problem is that the two meters now read differently and I'm not sure which to trust! The "old" meter still settles in on a number pretty fast, while the newer back-up meter is still taking a long, long time to get settled on a number. In fact, the auto shut off hits several times usually before it's done. The readings are several points apart with the newer back-up meter reading a higher pH in any solution. Example: When the old meter is reading 6.5, the newer back-up meter will be reading 6.7-9.

Common sense is telling me since I've been having unexplained pH problems (I've been suspecting my soil up til now) I should start using the newer back-up meter which is reading higher. However...something in my gut is telling me not too. It may just be my lack of confidence due to it's slow reading and difficulty calibrating.

I would really appreciate some of you all-knowing pH gurus lending me your advice! Would you trust the new meter or stay with the old? Do my problems in the pics look like they might be caused by higher pH or a lower pH? This would help me in deciding too.

Thanks so much in advance!

Best,

Max
Click to expand...

SM's got it right..take the slow meter back..my shop does in-house 1 yr warranty with BlueLab Pens. Make sure you are using tap water to soak your meter for 24 hrs prior to calibration...distilled and RO won't work. You should be able to use your buffer solutions to check and see which pen is more accurate btw. Never been a fan of happy frog or ocean forest...I like straight pro-mix from clone to flower. Gives me consistent results and room to adjust feeds accordingly. Looks like a PH problem from my house bro.
 
Natural

Natural

2,536
263
putembk said:
Was talking to the guy at the grow store yesterday about general stuff and r/o water came up. My water straight from the tap comes out at 7.0 but after I run it through my r/o filter it will ph at about 6.0. Is this normal? The guy at the store says his comes out at 6.8.

I have an eco tester 2 and it seems to be working fine. I calibrate about every 3rd or 4th reading and don't seem to be getting funny readings from it. It is about a year old now and am hoping that I don't have to fork over the $$ for a new one just yet.

Is my water ok, is my tester done or am I just stoned?
Click to expand...

Was reading some MFG specs and sounds like 5-6 is typical for most machines. I was wondering if it would be an indicator to change filters..but the most important indicator is to check the ppms.
 
Danksgiving

Danksgiving

32
8
Max Frost said:
SUPER informative guys!!! I've been having a pH issue I'm hopeful you scholars can help me solve! I have the Blue Labs pH pen.

View attachment 367633

http://www.amazon.com/Bluelab-pH-Pen-Plant-Germination/dp/B005POOJHG

When I bought it, I got two so I'd have a back-up. I've been using only one of them for about 9 months now. I've been having pH problems which have worsened over the last 2 months or so. The problems are most apparent in early veg. The plants become stunted and get what I had thought was burn (but no feedings have been given at all, and I'm using straight Happy Frog soil -- shouldn't burn). Here's an example of what I'm seeing...

View attachment 367627

View attachment 367628 View attachment 367629

I cleaned my probe with the Bluelabs probe cleaner and recalibrated. Then I put the meter in the 7.0 solution, it goes right to the "7" number. When I rinse and put it in the 4.0 solution, it goes right to 4.0! I calibrate and get a check mark indicating a successful calibration.

SO...I hydrated and calibrated my back-up unit thinking it was time to put it into service. Well..it seemed to take a long time for the meter to get to the 7.0 number. Then, after rinsing and placing into the 4.0 solution, the meter never did get all the way to 4.0. It only got to around 4.5-ish, and it took forever for it to get there! I hit "CAL" and again got a check mark indicating a successful calibration.

My problem is that the two meters now read differently and I'm not sure which to trust! The "old" meter still settles in on a number pretty fast, while the newer back-up meter is still taking a long, long time to get settled on a number. In fact, the auto shut off hits several times usually before it's done. The readings are several points apart with the newer back-up meter reading a higher pH in any solution. Example: When the old meter is reading 6.5, the newer back-up meter will be reading 6.7-9.

Common sense is telling me since I've been having unexplained pH problems (I've been suspecting my soil up til now) I should start using the newer back-up meter which is reading higher. However...something in my gut is telling me not too. It may just be my lack of confidence due to it's slow reading and difficulty calibrating.

I would really appreciate some of you all-knowing pH gurus lending me your advice! Would you trust the new meter or stay with the old? Do my problems in the pics look like they might be caused by higher pH or a lower pH? This would help me in deciding too.

Thanks so much in advance!

Best,

Max
Click to expand...


it looks to me like a deficiency in an immobile nutrient such as calcium boron or iron. i think this because your new growth looks relatively healthy while the old growth is pretty deficient.. it also could be some soil pathogens, salinity issues or air pollution... this is a great link for mineral deficiencies

http://5e.plantphys.net/article.php?id=289
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Top Bottom