Local water quality

[madphrag]

I just went online to get a print out of our local water supply and was shocked when I seen that our average pH is 9.8 to 10.0! Is this possible or is this a typo?

[Alana]

wow, that doesn't seem normal...

[etex]

Doesn't sound right to me, either! Please keep us updated!

[madphrag]

I went to the pet store and purchased a 5 in 1 test kit and just in case, a small bottle of their pH down, (sulfuric acid, % unknown). First test, and sure enough, pH was off the chart. The chart only goes to 9.0. After adding a few drops of pH down at a time and retesting I got it close to 6.5 with 14 drops. This would explain a lot! One other situation I'll have to look into: Iron-None detected

[zainal abidin]

Alkaline pH is not good for your orchids even our health , with the pH 9 to 10 it's can cause skin irritation and may kill orchids without a mercy.Do something before it's too late.

[madphrag]

Alkaline pH is not good for your orchids even our health , with the pH 9 to 10 it's can cause skin irritation and may kill orchids without a mercy.Do something before it's too late.

Oh, I'm definitely going to do something. Looking into it as we speak. General Hydroponics has a powder form of pH down. Just have to figure out how far it will go and how much I'll need to order.

[orchidlady]

It would not be unheard of for a pH of 9-10 in some areas. You might also consider a reverse osmosis system. Did you check total dissolved solids-that might be a problem with your water also?

Susan

[madphrag]

It would not be unheard of for a pH of 9-10 in some areas. You might also consider a reverse osmosis system. Did you check total dissolved solids-that might be a problem with your water also?

Susan

Nothing on the data sheet about total dissolved solids. Total hardness, yes. Not sure if it's the same thing. Total hardness, (as CaCo3): 99-108 mg/L.

[Halloamey]

Mitch, total hardness is different from total dissolved solids (TDS) salts like Sodium and Potassium contribute to TDS but not to hardness. I suspect your water might have high conc. of Na, as it is used to reduce hardness.

[madphrag]

Thank you Amey. Looks like the only real cure is RO. I'm looking at a system that produces 60 gpd for about $180.00. Maybe I'll start a new thread for suggestions.