DWC pH swinging like crazy

[grownnotflown420]

Hey buddy. So what I think is going on here is your airstone is causing some offgassing of co2 and increase in oxygen that causes a spike in PH. RO water doesn't have any buffer so the symptoms will be exacerbated. Tap water holds a lot of calcium bicarbonate that buffers out the effects. It's completely normal and should be expected. Adjust after 24 hours and it won't move too much after that. More feed will help as it will help to buffer the water.

If you see a sudden drop in PH then worry. Hope this helps

Thanks so much man, I think with the help of all you guys I have hope that this next batch will be the one

I do agree with your comment of the off gassing of Co2, but I went from RO to tap water to see if that had an effect, trial and error never hurt anybody lol!

I also changed the air pump to a smaller one, the one I was using before was a bit of a beast, I had it lying around so thought why not, then thought about the whole injecting more warm air, causing water temp to rise, chiller working harder, cost more electricity!!!

Thanks again man

No problem buddy. You will get there for sure. The same effect will happen with municipal water but it won't be as aggressive. RO water will change PH if you put your hand in it. H20 is the world's most aggressive solvent when pure.

When it comes to DWC, my opinion is more air the better :) the effects of heating your water are minimal and reducing the risk of root rot should be top priority. More air mitigates the risk. I think you can overthink these minor details and forget the most important ones.

If the PH issue is a massive problem you can buffer with a bit of CalMag but the PH will still climb for the first 24 hours then settle. Personally, in DWC where the stability is key, I'd be mixing my RO water with municipal water at about 50/50 as the bicarb will stabilise the PH as well as provide a small amount of sterilisation properties to the mix. Liquid oxygen is another option but it doesn't hang about for too long like chloramine does. Anyway, I'm waffling, good luck bud

Not waffling bro that's actually really interesting!
I've just added 1ml/l calmag so we'll see
I've just found some slime on my pump so soaking it all in isopropyl alcohol to get it sterile, I'll add some hydroguard next time too

[seymore_budz]

Thanks so much man, I think with the help of all you guys I have hope that this next batch will be the one

I do agree with your comment of the off gassing of Co2, but I went from RO to tap water to see if that had an effect, trial and error never hurt anybody lol!

I also changed the air pump to a smaller one, the one I was using before was a bit of a beast, I had it lying around so thought why not, then thought about the whole injecting more warm air, causing water temp to rise, chiller working harder, cost more electricity!!!

Thanks again man

No problem buddy. You will get there for sure. The same effect will happen with municipal water but it won't be as aggressive. RO water will change PH if you put your hand in it. H20 is the world's most aggressive solvent when pure.

When it comes to DWC, my opinion is more air the better :) the effects of heating your water are minimal and reducing the risk of root rot should be top priority. More air mitigates the risk. I think you can overthink these minor details and forget the most important ones.

If the PH issue is a massive problem you can buffer with a bit of CalMag but the PH will still climb for the first 24 hours then settle. Personally, in DWC where the stability is key, I'd be mixing my RO water with municipal water at about 50/50 as the bicarb will stabilise the PH as well as provide a small amount of sterilisation properties to the mix. Liquid oxygen is another option but it doesn't hang about for too long like chloramine does. Anyway, I'm waffling, good luck bud

Not waffling bro that's actually really interesting!
I've just added 1ml/l calmag so we'll see
I've just found some slime on my pump so soaking it all in isopropyl alcohol to get it sterile, I'll add some hydroguard next time too

I do love a waffle :) you're fighting a lost battle if you're trying to eliminate slime around the pump trust me. Aerobic bacteria will always hang about the areas that have the most DO available and that's your pump. You'll be soaking the pump daily if you want it slime free. You will always have bacteria in the system it's just about attracting the right ones and keeping the wrong ones at bay. Healthy plants will promote healthy bacteria within the root zone not leaving any room for the horrible stuff. Weak plants and adverse conditions causes the good bacteria to dwindle and leaves the door open for the stuff you don't want. Keep the root zone around 18-22C, don't go crazy with the EC and keep your PH in range. If you make those your primary concern then the rest is trivial.

[grownnotflown420]

No problem buddy. You will get there for sure. The same effect will happen with municipal water but it won't be as aggressive. RO water will change PH if you put your hand in it. H20 is the world's most aggressive solvent when pure.

When it comes to DWC, my opinion is more air the better :) the effects of heating your water are minimal and reducing the risk of root rot should be top priority. More air mitigates the risk. I think you can overthink these minor details and forget the most important ones.

If the PH issue is a massive problem you can buffer with a bit of CalMag but the PH will still climb for the first 24 hours then settle. Personally, in DWC where the stability is key, I'd be mixing my RO water with municipal water at about 50/50 as the bicarb will stabilise the PH as well as provide a small amount of sterilisation properties to the mix. Liquid oxygen is another option but it doesn't hang about for too long like chloramine does. Anyway, I'm waffling, good luck bud

Not waffling bro that's actually really interesting!
I've just added 1ml/l calmag so we'll see
I've just found some slime on my pump so soaking it all in isopropyl alcohol to get it sterile, I'll add some hydroguard next time too

I do love a waffle :) you're fighting a lost battle if you're trying to eliminate slime around the pump trust me. Aerobic bacteria will always hang about the areas that have the most DO available and that's your pump. You'll be soaking the pump daily if you want it slime free. You will always have bacteria in the system it's just about attracting the right ones and keeping the wrong ones at bay. Healthy plants will promote healthy bacteria within the root zone not leaving any room for the horrible stuff. Weak plants and adverse conditions causes the good bacteria to dwindle and leaves the door open for the stuff you don't want. Keep the root zone around 18-22C, don't go crazy with the EC and keep your PH in range. If you make those your primary concern then the rest is trivial.

I thought slime was a no no lol...
It was only a little bit, but at least the whole set up should be sparkling after a soak lol

But thanks again man

I can't wait to get the baby in to watch her explode, got a bloody skunk seedling (sweet seeds), I ran it in soil last time and fuck me I love it so hoping I can pull it off in hydro

[seymore_budz]

Not waffling bro that's actually really interesting!
I've just added 1ml/l calmag so we'll see
I've just found some slime on my pump so soaking it all in isopropyl alcohol to get it sterile, I'll add some hydroguard next time too

I do love a waffle :) you're fighting a lost battle if you're trying to eliminate slime around the pump trust me. Aerobic bacteria will always hang about the areas that have the most DO available and that's your pump. You'll be soaking the pump daily if you want it slime free. You will always have bacteria in the system it's just about attracting the right ones and keeping the wrong ones at bay. Healthy plants will promote healthy bacteria within the root zone not leaving any room for the horrible stuff. Weak plants and adverse conditions causes the good bacteria to dwindle and leaves the door open for the stuff you don't want. Keep the root zone around 18-22C, don't go crazy with the EC and keep your PH in range. If you make those your primary concern then the rest is trivial.

I thought slime was a no no lol...
It was only a little bit, but at least the whole set up should be sparkling after a soak lol

But thanks again man

I can't wait to get the baby in to watch her explode, got a bloody skunk seedling (sweet seeds), I ran it in soil last time and fuck me I love it so hoping I can pull it off in hydro

Slimy roots is a no-no but you will never get rid of the slime around the pump :) bloody skunk sounds awesome!

[grownnotflown420]

I do love a waffle :) you're fighting a lost battle if you're trying to eliminate slime around the pump trust me. Aerobic bacteria will always hang about the areas that have the most DO available and that's your pump. You'll be soaking the pump daily if you want it slime free. You will always have bacteria in the system it's just about attracting the right ones and keeping the wrong ones at bay. Healthy plants will promote healthy bacteria within the root zone not leaving any room for the horrible stuff. Weak plants and adverse conditions causes the good bacteria to dwindle and leaves the door open for the stuff you don't want. Keep the root zone around 18-22C, don't go crazy with the EC and keep your PH in range. If you make those your primary concern then the rest is trivial.

I thought slime was a no no lol...
It was only a little bit, but at least the whole set up should be sparkling after a soak lol

But thanks again man

I can't wait to get the baby in to watch her explode, got a bloody skunk seedling (sweet seeds), I ran it in soil last time and fuck me I love it so hoping I can pull it off in hydro

Slimy roots is a no-no but you will never get rid of the slime around the pump :) bloody skunk sounds awesome!

Ah fucking awesome man thank you so much
I'll be posting the diary bro!
Also, cleaning the pump has somehow led to me rewiring both my grodrobes

[grownnotflown420]

Think we smashed it guys, I Ph'd just before lights out last night, 11pm, checked at about 1pm today and pH barely moved! I have a strong feeling it was the pH down I was using