Water filters, need suggestions RO and regular

Looking for a decent filter to run my tap water through. I’ve only got 120ppm out the tap but I would rather control everything my plants get. I’m in a rental and already spent a ton of money with no return thus far so suggestions that are budget friendly would be awesome. Running 2 17g resivoirs and a 5g in a veg chamber.

3 Likes

Best advice i got is run the 150 ppm w tap you got. I thought same as you. I bought a pur. Top shelf one. Was close to $100 for a sink filter. To then hook it up. Run it a bit and find out my ppm went up. My ph went up. The filter actually added dirt to the water. I started around 150ppm too. Was using gallons of purified. Thought filter was cheaper in long run. Nope. Id run what you got.

2 Likes

So 120 ain’t all that bad then. The biggest issue is my ph is 8 so I’m using a metric fuckton of gh ph down.

Really? Did you do the priming step? I use pur filters in my place and they have sediment initially from the carbon, but it rinses right out with the priming.

5 Likes

Yup. Further I have tested the water with an EC/TDS meter with my Pur filter it goes from ~250 ppm at the tap to 49 ppm And at least I am fairly confident the lead and chlorine have been removed.

1 Like

Reverse osmosis receives all the media coverage because it is expensive. It is also the purest…at the cost of throwing away several gallons for each gallon you make plus the power. Replacement filters are cheaper for the old style carbon and mesh filters and they still do a very good job. Especially in series.

3 Likes

Yeah i ran it by directions. The little sliver n black thing with handle hooks faucet . Takes forever to fill jugs too. Dog wont drink from it either. He likes the tap better.

And ph high here too. Should only be few drops down to adjust. Up takes more usually.
The filter still hooked up but rarely used(when bumped) ill recheck it after work. Maybe it needed to run more. Cause they do say to run it a while.

1 Like

This one is recomend by Jeremy from Build a Soil. I use RO myself, but my PPM is 250+ depending on rain.

Wave Enviro 10 Stage Water Filter System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W9Q0GC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JyQxDb3HWH1C5

2 Likes

Im using advanced nutrients ph down now. It takes WAY less to drop the ph. I went from putting a small splash in 5 gallons to drop it from 7 to about 5.8 with the cheap orange stuff, to only using a few drops. Once liter bottle was only about $20.

I’ve been looking at getting a whole house filter myself. I have hard water and I’m afraid to check the ppm lol. I do have to disinfect my well about once a year. The water starts to smell.

1 Like

I use vinegar mostly. Primarily white wine vinegar… about a 1/4 tsp per gallon but then like I said I am at 49 ppm or so at that point. Takes me from 7.0 to almost 6.0

The more minerals in the water the more acid it will take to lower the pH as well.

2 Likes

Love my Hydro Logic RO units, I own 2 of them - great bang for the buck and they are plug and play. They also have an option to add a special KDF carbon filter which will remove chloramines (chlorine + ammonia, long lasting disinfectant many areas now use in drinking water, will not be removed by standard filter, and will not evaporate out like straight chlorine).

2 Likes

The best option would be rain water.

3 Likes

I agree with rooted… If your tap water ppm is only 120, then by all means stick with it. Tap water has calcium and magnesium, while RO water does not. Then you have to supplement with cal mag and it turns into a chemistry experiment. Each strain is different, some require less, some require more. Usually, the water department conducts regular maintenance on their water supply. I have to use RO filters where Im at, due to well water(country life). But, recently I have been bringing home “Glacier” water(40 cents a gallon), and it seems to work better than my “pur” filtered well water… The best water ive ever used is straight up “tap” … signed, sealed, and delivered! If you decide to go with the RO, be careful with the cal mag supplents… If my plants have a need for calcium or magnesium, I will add 2-5ml per gallon, and back off completely unless the plants really need it. I dont like adding to many additives to my soil or hydro grows… Im into “Keeping it simple” Good luck to you.

2 Likes

My tap water is 47ppm…

Yall must be living in some third world countries or something damn…

3 Likes

The last place I lived had 60 ppm tap water with 6.8 ph… It was “Superior”… just enough of “everything”… Plants really enjoyed it. :ok_hand: But, I wanna say this, My outdoor plants are strictly on well water, non-filtered, and there doing phenomenal… I dont get it.

Im starting to believe that most plant problems are caused by ambient temperatures that are either too hot, or too cold… Its a theory, but…

My indoor garden can get up to 90 degree’s, even with the AC,… and they dont look nearly as good as the outdoor plants on the same diet…Go figure. Hmmmm… :thinking:

5 Likes

Even with the tap i was adding 10ml to 5 gallons calmag and half that of armorsi and the two plants I had in bubblers filled a 4x4 tent until the spider mites came. Got 6 autos sprouted and they are about to get put in net pots as soon as roots show out of the peat pellets. Hope the drowning in Floromite i gave the entire room got rid of them.

2 Likes

OMG, I hate them dreaded mites! They really populate during the summer months,… But, only indoors, at least for me. Well, I was chit chatting with a hydro store owner last year, and she told me to use 1-2 drops of rosemary oil per gallon, and it wiped em out… Might wanna give it a try… Peace :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Bigger fans. My 4x4 tent has a 1000w hps ad with my 6in fan ducted thru the hood I’m running 85. I’m sure i can get it lower but not enough intake holes in that tent. Got to 6in and 3 4in to allow air in. About to just duct the ac into the tent lol 74 ambient temp in the room with the tent

I see systems with an addon deionization filter, is that needed? Wtf does it do?

Yah, Bigger fans will help indeed for most… But Iam 30 feet up, and it dont matter how many ventilating fans I run… Heat rises. And if you have an oscillating fan on em, the leaves dry out in warmer temps… Im having the “Summer Time Blues” right about now… Lots of growers are running into heat issues lately… Its a challenge.