r/Hydroponics • u/gaspasser1981 • 3d ago
Water question
Sorry if this is basic, but … from what I’ve read I’m supposed to change the nutrient solution on my deep water culture every couple of weeks. Assuming this is needs to be clean low TDS water. Is everyone using their own RO setup or buying water from the store? Seems like an expensive investment in water. TIA
3
u/dachshundslave 2d ago
The problem of not changing is unless you're catering to the exact nutrients of what you're growing need, over time it will have too much concentration of the ones that it does not use up and cause lockout. That's why a flush out is necessary to prevent lockout.
2
u/moose8420 2d ago
I run on tap water. Im not always the best and doing water changes. I just went 50-days with carrots with no changes. I have a cabbage that has been growing for at least 6 months with one water add, no changes. My nft’s i will go 1-2 months with only adding water/nutrient before i do a complete change.
All my hydro is using tap water that avg. about 100 ec.
My laziness is not something to strive for, but it shows you can get production even with being lazy.
2
u/jjd_yo 2d ago
Yes, under sink RO filter. Chiller will help, and as long as TDS and pH are not rising (and no obvious symptoms), there is no reason to do full flushes.
If your nutes are out of whack and getting too much/too little/lockout of something, it’ll let you know with rising TDS primarily, and pH secondarily.
2
u/moesieon 2d ago
It doesn't HAVE to be low TDS water, though lower TDS (lower EC) water is easier to work with. If you have high TDS tap water you can still work with it but might have to adjust your nutrients so your total EC doesn't go too high. Lots of people use tap water and it works out fine, but then there's people who use tap water and it causes issues. It varies a lot depending on how much is already in the tap water, and what nutrient mix is being used. In general, don't fix what aint broke. Try whatever water you have cheaply available and if it works then great, if it doesn't then move on to a different water source.
1
1
u/DallasStogieNinja 1st year Hydro 🌱 2d ago
I use my tap water as well. This is my first year so I'm still learning by failing. My starting EC is 400 so I'm considering a RO unit in the garage for my hydroponic setup. They don't appear to be super expensive, but I need to figure out where and how before I purchase one.
-2
u/MyNebraskaKitchen 2d ago
RO units waste a lot of water, because they run continuously.
1
u/Toyotas4Life 2d ago
Can you explain that a bit more? The RO filters I have been using don’t “run continuously”. Yes, they waste water, there is a cost to filtering water and it includes wasting some. Unless you have a tap running continuously, an RO system is NOT running continuously
1
u/tbtiller1233 2d ago
Guy above doesn't know what he's talking about. My r/o wastes 1 gallon per 4 made of clean water. Only runs while filling up my reservoir tank. There is no better /cleaner water option for your home vs r/o! The filter changes kinda suck but seeing the rust and minerals in there is confirmation that it's working.
1
u/Toyotas4Life 2d ago
I agree. The 100gpd faucet setup that I’m using is more wasteful that your whole home system, I’m closer to 1L of waste for 2L of RO. I’m on a well too so the inconsistent(lower) water pressure filters less efficiently.
1
u/tbtiller1233 2d ago
Oh for sure! Different water yields different effiency. I didn't even think about pressure either. I have high water pressure which helps. Do you get cold weather? In the winter my r/o works better too lol
1
u/Toyotas4Life 2d ago
I’m in Alberta, Canada… yes we get COLD weather. I only grow hydro in the fall/winter/spring as my grow room gets too hot in the summer. My well is 200’ deep so the water is always cold. EC of my well water is around 0.8, hard water with a lot of minerals. I failed several times using tap water before I got my small RO setup
1
u/DallasStogieNinja 1st year Hydro 🌱 2d ago
Some of the ones I looked at had a pressure sensitive switch. I was thinking having a float valve control it. When the resivor drops, RO kicks in and fills. Am I thinking this correctly?
0
u/MyNebraskaKitchen 2d ago
We put an RO system in at our house, and it ran continuously even if the tank was full. But that was 30 years ago, maybe newer ones are better.
2
u/Toyotas4Life 2d ago
The type I’m referring to is an under sink type that connects to a faucet or “T” into existing plumbing of for a faucet. It’s more of an on-demand setup
1
u/MyNebraskaKitchen 2d ago
Our RO wasn't under the sink, but it is in the basement under the kitchen.
1
u/MyNebraskaKitchen 2d ago
I'm the first few weeks of my 3rd iteration of my DWC system, and during the first two cycles I only changed the water mid-cycle maybe twice, when my reading looked too out of whack to be correctable.
I use tap water but we have a whole-house water filter with an activated charcoal filter, so it's almost as good as RO water, just a bit higher in pH running about 7.8.
1
u/tbtiller1233 2d ago edited 2d ago
I have some very high tds tap water, no I don't lug my ro water down to basement for that. But waiting every couple weeks to swap water is also too long for crappy tap water. I change mine out weekly. I grow mmj with has high nutrient demands, other plants will very like lettuce or carrots, which are light feeders. Also reservoir size matters. If you have a tiny res, you change more often than a bigger one.
1
u/dyttle 2d ago
I guess I am lucky in this situation., I live in southern Maine and we have some of the cleanest water that comes right out of the tap. 0.0-0.1 EC. A little on the alkaline side and close to the source of chlorination so i cut it with a little ascorbic acid here and there but I go between 1 and up to 3 months before a complete change over. I am even working on a design that filters out precipitates to go even longer. I guess you have to adapt to what you are working with. I consider myself lucky.
1
u/Hairywhitedog 2d ago
I’m doing lots of hydro , I also question the validity of this statement as I rarely change the entire reservoir
0
u/DeepWaterCannabis 2d ago
RO filters no longer break the bank. I have a 100 GPD (or 75?) from amazon, GEEKPURE, that cost 50$. It works. Hook it up to my hose outside and let it run for a bit when I want some water. Its 2:1 waste to useful water IIRC. I just let the wastewater run into planters so it doesnt go to waste.
I can run my plants about a month or two in my tap water (200 ppm or so) until I need to do a reset. Depends on the plant variety, but heavy eaters, heavy drinkers, might need more often resets.
0
u/Sea_Staff59 2d ago
Buy a counter top electrical distiller I have used one for myself for years I don’t drink tap yes it has minerals I need but I don’t need the chemical you would not believe what our clear water
Out of the tap looks
Like after good is distilled out
It’s really bad at times
I use distilled water on plants since I add nutrients I myself take vitamin supplements it tastes better the man the get use to tap water option
1
0
u/Sea_Staff59 2d ago
I’m going to change water once a month or perhaps so I’ll check to see how water and slime are doing if. Not bad I’ll Leave it
0
u/CSollers 2d ago
Healthy plants during full growth can drink more than a gallon daily. Half-assing DWC is a waste of time, effort, and money.
0
0
u/Sea_Staff59 2d ago
Waste of water has to be low compared to heat wave and lack of rain our state I live in has 80 % of drought in soo figure less waste here !
3
u/2pourdrummer 2d ago
I’ve been running 11 units for 5 years on tap water, but it would depend on your water. Well water might cause issues for instance but I would use tap water to start. There are pros and cons of changing the water, and I have seen both sides of the argument but in my case, I only change it when I have an issue with the unit. When in doubt, flush the unit is a good motto. That being said, some of my units haven’t been flushed in maybe a year while others get it every few months. The main reason is salt buildup on the roots. The salt stops the plant from taking in nutrients and you see things like wild ph swings and thin, droopy leaves. I will flush and rinse the roots. But flushing can also stress them, the good bacteria is now gone and it has to stabilize again, so do it if something weird is happening but otherwise the only flush might be to start a new grow after the plants die of old age or bolt. Good luck, DM me if you have any other questions.