Is R/O Water all that important?

noxiously said:

Is R/O Water all that important?

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If you understand your water's makeup and your ppm is above 300ppm, then odds are you'll need an RO system. They're cheap at about $300 and for that price, they'll produce 200 gallons of RO water per day.

If someone says they have 450ppm tap water and are telling you that you don't need an RO unit, I'd ask to see their plants .

here you go a sweet ro system for dirt cheap aqua reef ro/di rev osmosis 100 at purewater club you will like it and wont kill the bank

I like the chlorine and even chloramamines in tap water helps keep everything clean! Tap water can also contain some trace elements that are good. The only time I use and RO is when the tap water reads over 250ppm and the Ph is really high or fluctuates. I also look at what is in my water you can get a free water quality report from your local water company. The water I get right now is great but just a mile or so down the road they source river water from a different water company that is REALLY bad; that's where a water quality report comes in . We should check this stuff to see what we are drinking anyway, you may be surprised to see what is in your water, some areas like NYC have great water and people drink bottled water that is worse! Find out where your water comes from!

NewGrowth said:

I like the chlorine and even chloramamines in tap water helps keep everything clean! Tap water can also contain some trace elements that are good. The only time I use and RO is when the tap water reads over 250ppm and the Ph is really high or fluctuates. I also look at what is in my water you can get a free water quality report from your local water company. The water I get right now is great but just a mile or so down the road they source river water from a different water company that is REALLY bad; that's where a water quality report comes in . We should check this stuff to see what we are drinking anyway, you may be surprised to see what is in your water, some areas like NYC have great water and people drink bottled water that is worse! Find out where your water comes from!

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I hear you on that one. I checked my tap water and it was somewhere around 400ppm. That's too high for my liking. Who knows whats all in that stuff. I've been drinking bottled water now for about 6 years. The only time I let tap water in my mouth is when I brush my teeth, and I barely do that. lol

My tap water is near 400. Since I have no idea what makes up that 400 ppm, I bought a portable RO system for 0ppm water. That way, I know what I'm putting in it. All those telling you that you don't need it are also admitting to having to cut back on nutrients. With RO, I don't have to cut back, and I have room for supplements or solubles. I read a lot of posts here against RO that might be classified as sour grapes reasoning. Because you don't have one or can't have one, you explain away the necessity of clean water and reason that what you are stuck with works just fine. I tried that reasoning. Then I got a ppm meter. Then I started bringing home 10-15 gallons at a time from Wal*Mart, and at that time, I decided to invest in RO. No more toting and hauling water.

Serapis said:

My tap water is near 400. Since I have no idea what makes up that 400 ppm, I bought a portable RO system for 0ppm water. That way, I know what I'm putting in it. All those telling you that you don't need it are also admitting to having to cut back on nutrients. With RO, I don't have to cut back, and I have room for supplements or solubles. I read a lot of posts here against RO that might be classified as sour grapes reasoning. Because you don't have one or can't have one, you explain away the necessity of clean water and reason that what you are stuck with works just fine. I tried that reasoning. Then I got a ppm meter. Then I started bringing home 10-15 gallons at a time from Wal*Mart, and at that time, I decided to invest in RO. No more toting and hauling water.

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I can understand using R/O water and having 0ppm. It's like a giving a painter a clean canvas or one that has paint splatters on it already; it gives the painter more room to express themselves. Having 0ppm water gives you a clean slate to start with so you know exactly what all is going in your water and gives you the ability to be somewhat of a scientist, lol that's what I wanna be when I grow up.

I also understand using tap water. It saves you money, which in these economic times makes any a little reluctant to purchase a system, or keep purchasing R/O water from Wal-Mart or where ever else. If it can be done with tap water for little cost then why not, but as people mentioned, you just don't really know what all is in it. I just wonder though, is the end result of the plant that much better by using R/O water instead of tap, and if it is any better is it worth the money?

noxiously said:

...you just don't really know what all is in it.

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A city water report will tell you exactly what's in it.

I just wonder though, is the end result of the plant that much better by using R/O water instead of tap, and if it is any better is it worth the money?

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R/O is not an upgrade, it's a necessity for those with hard water.

What would be considered hard water? I have heard about "hard water" my whole life but no one has ever told me what is considered hard water.

Nevermind, I just googled it, lol. So now that I know that water with high mineral content is considered hard water. But now I wonder, using a TDS meter, how many ppm would be considered hard water? 200, 300, 400?

I think the whole point of RO water is to add high quality minerals. Cal Mag. And to reduce the ppm of your water to add more food instead.
Its good if your reading off a bottle and not thinking about the other chemicals in the water when you add your nutrients.
I dont use RO water. But planning on using it. Depending on where u live the water might be a problem.

sparkafire said:

Don't waste your money on R/O if you can drink it you can use it in Hydroponics.

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Too bad that most every municipal water source (larger cities) is completely contaminated with Hexavalent Chromium.

So... You can drink your tap water in San Jose, or Detroit, or Atlanta... etc... but it's going to probably give you cancer... Look it up, it is a HUGE cover up. Your city reports do not include everything in the water. Otherwise you'd know about this BS. Tap water can be poison.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101220/ts_yblog_thelookout/study-tap-water-in-31-cities-contains-cancer-causing-chemical

Check and see if your city is on the list.

What you get out of your tap is not going to be the same as someone else.
My water comes out at 55ppm and 7.4pH, mostly from bicarbonates. There's really no need for me to filter my watershed stream run off.

I think that if you are subject to a municipal water system that utilizes reclaimed water and storage reservoirs then you should probably at least filter your water with a brita, if not with an RO system all together.

Personally speaking, when I lived in San Jose, CA I would never drink the tap water. Thank god too... Because I didn't expose myself to 3000% the safe amount of Hexavalent Chromium.

Watch Erin Brockovich and tell me that your water is "pure enough." I dare you.

My outside grow will be organic as possible and for that, I will use tap water. Since most of the nutrients will be natural and time release anyways, I won't care about ppms... I'll mostly be top dressing.

noxiously said:

What would be considered hard water?

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Water is mostly made up of calcium, magnesium, sulfate, chloride and sodium. If and when those are out of balance, they can cause excesses or deficiencies in your plants.

Without actually looking into your exact city water report, it's a safe bet that anything under 200ppm is ok for hydroponic use. When you're up in the 300's or above, you may want to look into R/O or 'hard water' fertilizer formulas. If I could get away with it, I wouldn't use an R/O filter but at least I know exactly what to expect when I'm brewing or feeding my plants.

Snow Crash said:

My water comes out at 55ppm and 7.4pH, mostly from bicarbonates. There's really no need for me to filter my watershed stream run off.

I think that if you are subject to a municipal water system that utilizes reclaimed water and storage reservoirs then you should probably at least filter your water with a brita, if not with an RO system all together.

Personally speaking, when I lived in San Jose, CA I would never drink the tap water. Thank god too... Because I didn't expose myself to 3000% the safe amount of Hexavalent Chromium.

Watch Erin Brockovich and tell me that your water is "pure enough." I dare you.

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I just went and tested my tap again. It was at 344ppm, and I looked on this chart I found and it fell in the "Marginally Acceptable" range. lol Boy am I glad I don't drink that stuff. I would love if my tap came out at 55ppm Snow. I take it you still live in Ca? I bet they have harsher laws that govern their watersheds there since it's CA. Too bad all these other states don't get on board with CA when it comes to environmental issues. When I tested a 1 gallon jug of Ice Mountain that came from some spring in MI it came out a little under 200ppm, then I tested a different 1 gallon jug that came from a spring in PA it came out at 38ppm. That's a huge difference, especially when you think you are getting the same quality of water from the same water company. I'm gonna have to start looking at the label closer when I purchase my Ice Mountain and see if it was bottled in PA, it actually tastes cleaner lol. Oh, I tested Dasani and it came out in the low 20's ppm if I remember correct.

Ironically, most of California does not have the cleanest water. The summers are dry, and the last decade has seen a decline year after year. I think this year was up from recent, but still below what is considered average. If you look at the link you'd see that many of the cities with the highest levels are located in California. As the (now 6th) largest economy in the world the amount of manufacturing and processing that goes into the fertilizers and pesticides in the central valley used to grow vegetables and fruits, the chemical processes of turning out a good majority of electronics, and the overall attitude of Californians to TRASH the state has really polluted just about everything there.

I assure you, there is no other State that from top to bottom is covered in trash like California is. If you live there, check this out, while you drive along the road, freeways are best, count the items of trash located on the side of the road. You won't believe it. I didn't even notice it myself until I took the train to Colorado (got off in Fraser). The entire way through cali, staring out the window, it was just garbage, couches, homeless shelters, more garbage, half a rusted car... Fucking nasty. But the moment we hit Nevada it was CLEAN the whole way! I spent some time in Arizona looking for the trash. Even up here in Oregon, despite being full of Californian transplants, it is still cleaner.

Northern California, and the coastal range valley cities, get enough fresh water to save some of it for the dry season. Where I grew up near Santa Cruz we had a lot of ground water and a big river so I never needed reclaimed water. Southern Cal is really a desert that they turned into cities. There's a reason the colorado river doesn't reach the ocean anymore. The run off from all this stuff just accumulates over time. The recycling process isn't nearly good enough to remove what they should be (obviously).

My girlfriends uncle actually started his own business installing serious in home water filtration systems. Recirculating RO systems, rain catchers, and shit like that. He does very well for himself in the North Bay.

I moved North from the Bay Area to Oregon. I lived in Colorado, all over California, been all across the country, and I fracking LOVE it here. The water, the air, the food, the people, just the vibe and energy. It was like when I got here I finally felt at "home." When I go back to California, I say "Going-going back, back to, Cali, Cali" And when I leave I say "I'm going back home. To Oregon."

One day I'd love to move to Napa or Sonoma back in California. Maybe if they legalize it. I have family friends that own a winery in Paso Robles and would love to get into doing what they do plus cannabis.

I think the message here, to stay on topic somewhat, is that you cannot just trust your water. There are people out here who get 55ppm straight from the tap. If you are pulling in 300-400ppm and it isn't well/ground water, then you've got a huge variety of contaminants in your tap. Asprin, Birth Control, Laundry soap, Paper processing chemicals, and heavy metals. Sure, you might be the ONE lucky person who lives in a city that treats their water properly but it just happens to have a lot of minerals... But if you happen to have more than 25,000 in your town and your own water reclamation plants... fuck drinking that piss!

Brita filters are pretty cheap and do a good enough job to make your tap water passable.

Now think about that. How much would it cost the water company to just filter the fucking water Brita style? Sure, probably a little bit... but they are so cheap about it they figure you can filter it yourself, and I think you should.

First, a fact: Cleaner water is always the best water. Reverse Osmosis water has the virtue of having almost all impurities filtered out while still containing some small, trace minerals. While this will impart a different taste than using New Jersey tap water, we arent wine connoisseurs. We are trying to smoke this shit. Unless of course you are this picky; R/O would absolutely be the best. However, I personally dont worry about it. I use city water direct from tap at lukewarm temp, changed every 7 days. After minimizing water use to 2 gal per bucket, I started to change water 2-3 times a week for a total nute use of 90mL/wk (or around that)

So, while R/O will mostly impart a better flavor, the plant will endure swamp water because it is a weed. Its all a matter of taste. I use chlorinated water as it kills some of the root bugs and have had zero issues with physical biomass with water at a baseline 120-160ppm. I would suggest filtering your water if it is over 300ppm with nothing added.

I also flush with plain tap water for 7-10 days before cut, and dry for 4-7 days in winter or 10-14 days during the summer... and have never had any chemical taste. The results have been a remarkably smooth toke with zero harshness and no cough.

I agree with qptyqpty, I'm sure R/O is probably primo, but depending on the contents of your water, you may not even be able to tell a difference when using it. I used to use R/O water and now I just use regular tap water...

To answer your question YES it is important depending on your city's tap water. The water here in the dry desert sucks really bad. I dont drink it so why should my precious plants.

I really doubt r/o vs tap is going to affect the flavor of your final product. Flavor is more dependent on plant health, flush, and flower time.

NewGrowth said:

I really doubt r/o vs tap is going to affect the flavor of your final product. Flavor is more dependent on plant health, flush, and flower time.

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True the flush is whats important to taste, but if you are looking to get a better taste soil grown has a better taste to it vs. hydro

RO is the way to go if you have the money. All the nutrient companies assume you are using water with less than 50ppm so that is what their nutrient calculators are based on. Also, if you are using a quality nutrient you will not have to add cal-mag. RO is a must if you use beneficials because tap water will kill them even if you let it air out for 24 hours that will not get rid of the chloramines which most cities use. Its a waste to spend 100s on nutrients if you are not using RO water.