DWC PH issues - Ph dropping like a rock - Please help

John1961 said:
I think @JD77 found the answer to my issue.

Yesterday, I did another reservoir change. I waited four hours or so before taking the following readings:

Air temp: 67
Water temp: 65.3
Humidity: 32%
PH: 5.8
PPM: 550

Today, about 16 hours later, I took the following readings:

PH: 4.8
PPM: 560

Water level in my 5-gallon reservoir dropped by about a pint.

When did this daily drop start happening? About a month or so ago, right about the time I turned on the gas furnace for the winter season. And where does my furnace sit? About 15 feet away from my grow cabinet.

So now I have to decide: Do I continue to use RO water, knowing that it sucks up CO2 like a sponge? I would have to continue to add 1.0 to 1.5 ML of PH-Up to the reservoir daily, not knowing how this might impact the plant. Or do I change to tap water, which would hopefully be more PH stable, not knowing what exactly is in the water to start with and having to deal with chlorine / chloramine?
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Are you on city water or well? Please refer to the chart I posted.

You are experiencing leaching and since it's relatively minimal I would lower the ppm by 100. Monitor the situation if it stabilizes great if not continue to drop ppm by small increments until the problem resloves itself.

Res changes aren't needed to adjust. simply add some water to dilute the concentration of nutes in your res!
Viola!

Hope this get a you going in the correct direction!
 
Hi guys and girls! Sorry if am hijacking this post I have sort of the same issue as John1961. I use a 5 gallon single dwc bucket for my plant. I have around 2.6 gallon in it when i changed waters two days ago, now am down to 1,84. My PH drop from 6 to 4.1, i use GHE 3 series and i used there recommendation for nuts i know what is high. but i had some issue earlier and one of my plant dies. This is my first grow and since maxed out my second plant is now growing like crazy. my roots are white as peelers so nothing bad.

I have no issue with adjusting the PH every now and there, but am not sure how i do it? Do i have to really change the bucket. Or can i just add some water or a premix of then nutrients and then just adjust ph with a glass of water and some ph up or down? If i add plain water i just dilute the nuts right?

thanks or any help. :)
 
dooxy said:
Hi guys and girls! Sorry if am hijacking this post I have sort of the same issue as John1961. I use a 5 gallon single dwc bucket for my plant. I have around 2.6 gallon in it when i changed waters two days ago, now am down to 1,84. My PH drop from 6 to 4.1, i use GHE 3 series and i used there recommendation for nuts i know what is high. but i had some issue earlier and one of my plant dies. This is my first grow and since maxed out my second plant is now growing like crazy. my roots are white as peelers so nothing bad.

I have no issue with adjusting the PH every now and there, but am not sure how i do it? Do i have to really change the bucket. Or can i just add some water or a premix of then nutrients and then just adjust ph with a glass of water and some ph up or down? If i add plain water i just dilute the nuts right?

thanks or any help. :)
Click to expand...

Ph should flux up not down what was your ppm of solution?
 
Don't forget that water temp effects ph and also my best way to fix this is flush for 24 hours at 5.5 then feed but let water bubble with air stone ph it and have it bubble 24 hours before use and then check ph should rise and re ph and use it should be more stable then you gotta remember that your nutes effect your ph, water temp effect ph so the air pump could be heating it or your nutes aren't fully mixed then you have your air stone mix them together they bond to make the solution and drop ph is my only quick guesses or under feeding
 
just started i dont have a way to check ppm, but am starting to understand that it is impotent. But regardless can you just add more water with some ph up in in or will that dilute the nutrient? or is the best bet to just water change every time the ph drops?
 
dooxy said:
just started i dont have a way to check ppm, but am starting to understand that it is impotent. But regardless can you just add more water with some ph up in in or will that dilute the nutrient? or is the best bet to just water change every time the ph drops?
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I would top off until res change it's not good to play the see-saw game with ph up and down to much chemicals in the mix is really bad
 
dooxy said:
sorry of am repeating myself but "top it of" is that with just normal water or a mix of the nutrient with water? :)
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Ph'ed water only.
 
dooxy said:
just started i dont have a way to check ppm, but am starting to understand that it is impotent. But regardless can you just add more water with some ph up in in or will that dilute the nutrient? or is the best bet to just water change every time the ph drops?
Click to expand...

Ppm or EC is very important until you learn each compound you are using I have been with GH PRODUCTS for years and love them so I know there feeding chart very well but in flower I'll get up to 1200 ppm and veg is half that I suggest you get a meter just for at least run off for after flushing is done that's how I know she is salt free
 
Hi all -- I'm late to the party but have read the thread and have a couple of comments.

First, I have a lot of experience with CO2 in aquatic reservoirs having had planted aquariums with CO2 injection for decades and a chem background. I'm pretty sure that being near a road or turning on the furnace aren't going to add enough CO2 to affect your pH. Also, "RO water sucking up CO2 like a sponge" doesn't sound right to me either. I don't mean to be critical or judgmental, I just think you need to look elsewhere. (Certainly if a combustion device is adding that much CO2 to your reservoir, it needs to be serviced since there is going to be CO in the mix as well, which is bad news...)

I used GH FloraSeries for my one and only hydro grow and had pH stability issues as well, but I also had a too-small reservoir (~3 gallons), and I suspect that was part of the problem. (I never did figure it all out.)

Just a thought: the people who have used Advanced Nutrients "pH Perfect" products (AN seems to have a lot of them) all seem to have no pH problems at all, saying that it really works. If I do another hydro grow, I think I will make the switch and use up the GH stuff on my fuchsias and tomatoes. I don't look forward to battling pH daily again.

Just my .02. Good luck figuring it out and correcting, and happy harvests. :)
 
Scientific said:
.....................Just a thought: the people who have used Advanced Nutrients "pH Perfect" products (AN seems to have a lot of them) all seem to have no pH problems at all, saying that it really works. If I do another hydro grow, I think I will make the switch and use up the GH stuff on my fuchsias and tomatoes. I don't look forward to battling pH daily again.

Just my .02. Good luck figuring it out and correcting, and happy harvests. :)
Click to expand...


If you're going to use AN don't bother with anything more than the basic m,g,b. If you want to climb in the way back machine and look for it, I journaled a side by side m,g,b vs m,g,b + 1/2 dozen of their additives. No noticeable difference. I try to do regular reservoir changes every 7 to 10 days. Depends on how much they are drinking. The more they drink, the more often the reservoir changes.
 
I have been having the same problem, but I think I have solved it for myself. I have about a gallon of tap water at this point, but I'll mix it with RO water or my nut water. The PH has been staying steady at 6.5, I have actually worked on getting it down now, instead of up.

Either way the tap water is keeping it steady. The tap water is about 100+ ppm.
 

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