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watering - RO or Distilled.. (pH question inside!)

Ridetsu

Gamer
okay, so i got my RO filter today (i have also managed to obtain 6 mature plants and 40 seeds, so it seemed like a good idea). I got it up and running, and tested its pH level - and my god was that high. Its got to be near 7.5 to 8.0 on the pH scale!
Rainwater around here is about 5.9 - 6.2 depending on the time of the year.
Distilled water is 6.0 or slightly below it..
and my R.O filter has a pH level of maybe 7.8 to 8.0

should i worry about the pH level of the water? I mean, it is R.O water, so its really clean - but the pH level is drastically different, so i am a bit concerned.

I used to have a salt-water fish tank, so i know how to lower and raise pH levels.. should i lower them down to 6.0? should i leave it the same?
argh!
 
Let it run some water through it and flush it out thoroughly. Do not use it like it is, because if it has a PH like that it means there is something buffering the GH (calcium, magnesium). If that doesn't work, then something is wrong and your source water is somehow bypassing the filter so it must not be connected properly or is damaged.

Lol, that is, unless you are testing the waste water instead of the RO water.

Do not use chemicals to lower your PH because you're just adding phosphate and that's VERY bad. That's like putting a band aid on a problem, except the band aid is made from uranium.
 
thanks for the link - i also called he company and they said that a 7.5 pH level was common and normal.

I ran it through the filtering phase before posting this - it was once cloudy and bubbly and weird, but now it is very clear. However, it still has a pH level of around 7.5 or above. Is that going to be hazardous to the plants? and if so, what should i do?
 
8.0 is a bit high for me to feel comfortable so glad you got it down!
 
If you're just using pH paper for measurements, don't worry about it because that only gives an approximate reading. You need a calibrated pH meter to get an accurate reading.

In other words, don't worry about it as the peat or sphagnum will give the acidity.

Get a CO2 generator if you're that worried to make it more acidic.
 
years ago when I had aquariums there was a lot of discussion about the pH of RO/DI water. There was some concern that the water had so little pH buffering that even the common pH test methods would skew the results.... which would seem to make sense (at least to a non chemist like meeee)

but I dunno what ever happen to this debate, it was probably at least 10 yrs ago


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