Water source

[Brian Hillestad]

I have 2 options to start my AP system:

 

1.  Well water with higher acidity

2.  Public water source (certainly with chemicals)

 

Any suggestions on which way to go, and also how to best lower the acidity naturally?

 

Thanks

[Johann]

 

1) Well water:

It depends where you live. Well water may not be better than city water. It may or could have more chemicals or higer concentration of chemicals in it than city water.

Around here the health department will test the water for free.

 

2 )Public water source :

http://www.hickorygov.com/egov/docs/1222796597643.htm

Here is info about the treatment plant in my city, procedure and chemicals they use.

Makes me wonder if filters would take the chemicals out and what effect it has on fish and plants.

They use:

Chlorine

Fluoride

Aluminum Sulfate

Sodium Hydroxide

Phosphate ( they did not specify which phospate they added)

Sodium Hypochlorite( replacement for Chlorine).

 

I have city water, and I have also a shallow well( 6 ft deep) that is not in use. So far I use city water. I think my shallow well has really good water because I have salamanders living in it, but I did not perform a test on it yet.

[Kobus Jooste]

Well water can be really useful in terms of vital trace elements sourced from rocks and a total (or near) total lack of the type of chemicals typically associated with water purification and treatment, but it can also be too hard, too soft, have pH issues or even contain too much sodium or other salts if its surrounded by rock with a marine origin.  Best is to have a sample of each possible source analysed and make an informed decision. 

[Kobus Jooste]

Sorry - did not see the water acidity bit.  A product like potassium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate, lime, chunks of limestone, shell grit, coral sand have all been recommended at some point or another - depends on what you can get your hands on. 

Kobus Jooste said:

Well water can be really useful in terms of vital trace elements sourced from rocks and a total (or near) total lack of the type of chemicals typically associated with water purification and treatment, but it can also be too hard, too soft, have pH issues or even contain too much sodium or other salts if its surrounded by rock with a marine origin.  Best is to have a sample of each possible source analysed and make an informed decision. 

[Lonny Harper]

What about Reverse Osmosis.  I live in the city, and city water is my only option.  When I started this growing adventure, I was planning on using an R/O filter for hydroponics.  Aquaponics is different since you don't have to flush your system every couple of weeks.  Any thoughts on R/O?  Is it worth the $200?

[Ryan Chatterson]

RO is great but if you remove all minerals, you will need to add them back at some time so they are not lacking. Same thing if you use RO water for freshwater fish tanks. If the water is at 0 and you put fish in, minerals are going to start to diffuse through the mucose membrane and try to equalize with the water which can kill the fish. Osmosis baby...yeahhhhhhh.

I would go with the acidic well water and buffer it up with sea/oyster shell or something like Calcium/potassium hydroxide.

[Lonny Harper]

Do city water departments tell you that is in the water?

 

[Johann]

 

 

Yes the do.

Here a link how they process the water in my city

http://www.hickorygov.com/egov/docs/1222796597643.htm

 

Here is a H2O report from my city

http://www.hickorygov.com/egov/docs/1281707864_974029.pdfhttp://www.hickorygov.com/egov/docs/1281707864_974029.pdf

Pull up your city website, go to utility's and start looking around.

 

Do city water departments tell you that is in the water?

 

 

[Lonny Harper]

Yep, my city had it online too.  It shows contaminate levels, hardness, and levels of other trace elements.  Which numbers are most important to be looking at?  I called and they told me they do use chloramine.  Is that a deal killer or easy to deal with?  Here are some of the levels the report shows.  Can you tell me what you think;

 

Alkalinity ppm 100-115

Calcium ppm 64-67

Magnesium 24-28

PH  7.9-8.5

Postassium ppm 2.8-5.0

Sodium ppm 93-102

TDS ppm 553-612

 

I really have no idea what these numbers mean.  Can I work with these numbers, or is a reverse Osmosis the answer?

 

thanks ahead of time!

[Brian Hillestad]

You really need to bring the Ph down much closer to 7.0  Way too high at 8+

Lonny Harper said:

Yep, my city had it online too.  It shows contaminate levels, hardness, and levels of other trace elements.  Which numbers are most important to be looking at?  I called and they told me they do use chloramine.  Is that a deal killer or easy to deal with?  Here are some of the levels the report shows.  Can you tell me what you think;

 

Alkalinity ppm 100-115

Calcium ppm 64-67

Magnesium 24-28

PH  7.9-8.5

Postassium ppm 2.8-5.0

Sodium ppm 93-102

TDS ppm 553-612

 

I really have no idea what these numbers mean.  Can I work with these numbers, or is a reverse Osmosis the answer?

 

thanks ahead of time!

[Johann]

Lonny, chloramine is hard to deal with, it is a bond between ammonia and chlorine.

Do a search on this site about chloramine and also google it.

Chloramine is not like chlorine, if you  aerate water with chlorine in it for 24 hrs it will be gone, but not chloramine. Chloramine will be there for a long time before the bond will break.

Also if you have chloramine  in your tab water your test kit will read ammonia and chlorine.

Your ph would be better around 7.0 for fish and plant, but some fish and plants like a higher ph value.

Take a sample from your tap, let it sit for 24 hrs and then check your ph to get a accurate reading.

You have to understand also, like my city, that is a annual( once a year ) report that is required per EPA.

 

[TCLynx]

Chloramine can be dealt with by some water conditioners or I think there are some carbon filters that will take care of it.  Just gotta do some research about how to test for ammonia after using the water conditioners that can take care of chloramine.

 

Chlorine can be outgassed fairly easily.

 

Acidic well water (provided it is good/safe water to drink) can be dealt with by using something to buffer it up a bit, lime, shells, etc as Kobus said.  (would likely need to do this if collecting rain water too.)

 

I think Flouride is the one that is really difficult to get rid of from city water

[Lonny Harper]

Thanks for all the info.  I would like to be able to do this without a $200 reverse osmosis.  I'm way over budget already.  I think materials are more expensive in SoCal.  I think I will put rain gutters on my greenhouse to harvest rain water.

 

What about the TDS hovering around 600?  That sounds really high.  Will that be a problem?