Auto pH regulator
- Thread starter Kmcc
- Start date
Yes. The ones I've seen only adjusted in one direction at a time. Monitor and dosing pump. Milwaukee Instruments MC122 pH controller and MP810 dosing pump is one such combination. Controller MSRP is $130US and dosing pump MSRP is $87US. MC720 is both items in one kit; MSRP is $215US. Accuracy is stated to be ±.2 pH, so if you set it at 5.8, it'll keep it somewhere between 5.6 and 6.0. You can get higher accuracy... can spend a couple grand (and more) on high-accuracy lab-grade equipment if you want to.
But your reservoir's pH is changing for a reason. Plants are consuming things from the nutrient solution - add back what they have consumed and the pH will, again, be where you want it to be. Using "homemade" pH adjusters that are inherently unstable in effect - use proper pH adjusting substances. Some kind of unwanted organisms living in the reservoir - kill them and regularly add H2O2 (etc.) to keep it pristine. Unstable nutrients - switch to higher-quality ones. Et cetera.
My guess is that, in your case, it's just plants consuming a higher ratio of certain elements in your nutrient solution than others. The small reservoir makes it more evident.
But your reservoir's pH is changing for a reason. Plants are consuming things from the nutrient solution - add back what they have consumed and the pH will, again, be where you want it to be. Using "homemade" pH adjusters that are inherently unstable in effect - use proper pH adjusting substances. Some kind of unwanted organisms living in the reservoir - kill them and regularly add H2O2 (etc.) to keep it pristine. Unstable nutrients - switch to higher-quality ones. Et cetera.
My guess is that, in your case, it's just plants consuming a higher ratio of certain elements in your nutrient solution than others. The small reservoir makes it more evident.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thank you for ur replay... yeah I'm pretty sure it's the plants consuming the nutrition then.. I just didn't realize it would affect ph levels so quickly but the girls do drink lot of water haha every 24h i adjust the ph level back to normal. Day before I adjust it to 5.8 after 24h it's close to 7 already. Could be my mistake to by .3 as I don't wait it to mix in properly .... will look in to the kit see if they sell it here in UK thank you
Stormblessed
Well-Known Member
Yeah I just looked a little online, cause who wouldn’t want one of those, but the least expensive one I saw was $215 before tax, so I’ll put it on my dream wish list for now lol
Stormblessed
Well-Known Member
I did see a nice temp/ph monitor though, only $20, so that will b a lot sooner in my future
- Thread starter
- #6
Had a look on mc720 think will get that one soon as I get some money together...
Stormblessed
Well-Known Member
Nice, how much u find one for if u don’t mind me asking, or is it the one tortured soul mentioned ?
- Thread starter
- #8
Stormblessed
Well-Known Member
Will definitely b worth it, especially when u get the big reservoir
Stormblessed
Well-Known Member
Some what on topic, does it stress my plant when I take the top off my dwc to check the ph/what’re level and stuff like that
- Thread starter
- #11
Yeah man definitely
- Thread starter
- #12
Stormblessed
Well-Known Member
Like the roots coming out of the water while I mess with the reservoir, does they stress them out
- Thread starter
- #14
Don't know man never did dwc but probably it does stress them out as they don't like light but if you clean ur system once in a month it's nothing bad.. I adjust my ph when the lights are of
in my nft the roots are in the reservoir already to 
touching my pump haha and that but never had problems with roots before ..
Stormblessed
Well-Known Member
I change the water ever week and check ph at least once a day
Might cause the natural pH shift to be a little slower. When I think "hydroponics," I think "DWC" (although I've done other types, and still do hempy now and then), so I mostly think in terms of one plant per reservoir. And larger ones, at that. 20- to 25-gallon Rubbermaid totes make great DWC reservoirs. Especially if you're running a long growth period SCROG, the plant's root system occupies a non-insignificant portion of that volume, and the size of the plant plus environmental conditions means that it's fully capable of transpiring a considerable amount of liquid per day in order to self-cool.
Not so you'd notice. I mean... Don't take it off, forget about it, and leave the house or something, lol. And don't set it down on a dirty floor (or anything, if you can avoid doing so). The root system doesn't instantly dry off, and it definitely doesn't instantly dry out. For checking the pH, you can cut a small hole in the lid and rig up some kind of cover over it, then simply remove the cover and draw up a sample as/when needed. I make it a point to take the sample to another room, because some electronic pH meters are affected by some RFI/EMI/IDK that some (not correctly shielded) grow lights and such produce. If you ever check a sample right in the grow space with the lights and everything else powered up, and the reading seems "a bit wonky," take it to the other end of your house and retest. If there's no change in the reading, then you don't have to worry about interference (but you'd still have to worry about the odd reading, of course
). I suppose you could also pour in nutrient solution through such a hole, but I didn't bother.As for actual reservoir maintenance (cleaning / nutrient solution changes), best practice is to have two reservoirs so that you can have the new one all ready to go. Then, remove lid from current one and stick it on the "new" one. Of course, you'd want to have a second aquarium power head (and/or air pump and set of air stones), too. And if your plant has more roots than Cousin It had hair, it's still going to be a bit awkward. <SHRUGS> Such is life.
