1 month plants - Checkup - Nitrogen Toxicity? - Ppm & Ph Dropping

BadlyDrawnBoy

BadlyDrawnBoy

Active Member
Ppm is dropping only slightly, ph is staying stable currently at 5.7. I fed 2ml per liter, will probably up to 2.5ml on Sunday when i change the res.

Also, are those little hairs in the center of the top section already a sign the plant is flowering?? 20170802_112451.jpg 20170802_112508.jpg 20170802_112544.jpg 20170802_112718.jpg 20170802_112729.jpg
 
FennarioMike

FennarioMike

Well-Known Member
BadlyDrawnBoy said:
It's set on "conditioned water" setting. I'm not familiar with the machine or what each setting does. Should it be on the backwash setting?
Click to expand...
Usually they have some sort of timing mechanism so that it will backwash at regular intervals. If you can get me the model and make of the head, of take a pic of the label on it, I'll look it up and see how it works.
 
BadlyDrawnBoy

BadlyDrawnBoy

Active Member
FennarioMike said:
Usually they have some sort of timing mechanism so that it will backwash at regular intervals. If you can get me the model and make of the head, of take a pic of the label on it, I'll look it up and see how it works.
Click to expand...
20170802_191344.jpg

this is where i get the water before it runs to the softener... 20170802_191411.jpg
20170802_191433.jpg
20170802_192155.jpg
 
FennarioMike

FennarioMike

Well-Known Member
http://www.masterwater.com/wp-content/uploads/PDFs/consumers/literature/combination-units/manuals/mba-series/460i Timer Instructions.pdf

Here's the manual for that head. It looks like by default it's set to backwash at 2 am. It doesn't specify how often it does that, but when they installed it they must have programmed in the hardness and the capacity of the tank - and it calculated the frequency of regeneration cycles from there. So, in the pic that 7 is displaying the time. You can change that if needed.

Do you regularly add salt pellets to the brine tank and does it get used up?
 
BadlyDrawnBoy

BadlyDrawnBoy

Active Member
yeah we buy bags of pellets and add them to the tank. they do get used up, but it lasts awhile. you can feel the change in water hardness when showering when the tank is running low. it's 2am now, i went down to look if the dial changed over to backwash, but its still on conditioned. i'm glad i'm able to get the water from the pipes before it hits the salt tank. just wish i could filter it somehow. plants seem good though regardless
 
FennarioMike

FennarioMike

Well-Known Member
If it's using up the salt then it sounds like its working then. How long ago was it put in? There is a life span to the resin beads in it and they can either just change out the tank or replace the resin. I used to run and maintain giant RO systems and pre-treatment components for dialysis clinics. Every year or so the hardness would start to creep back up and we'd re-bed the softeners with new resin. It's a big, shitty job - definitely not recommended. Do you test for hardness at all? It's probably a good idea to get a simple home test kit and just check it monthly. Once it starts to creep up, have the softener's tank replaced.

But, you could filter it right there where that spigot is that you catch it from. You could get a filter housing and a sediment filter from Home Depot for about $50ish. Replacement filters are cheap - get the whole house type, not the 5 micron. With well water, a 5 micron would plug up immediately. They come with a 3/4" pipe thread and you could get 3/4" M-NPT to garden hose adapters and connect a garden hose from the spigot to the filter, and another hose coming out of your filter and you have an inexpensive, DIY portable sediment filter.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Whole-Home-Water-Filtration-System-GXWH04F/100471282

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Universal-Fit-String-Wound-Whole-House-Water-Filter-2-Pack-HDX2SF4/205373461

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-3-4-in-Female-Hose-Thread-x-3-4-in-Male-Pipe-Thread-Swivel-Adapter-50007/100186564

http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-Thread-x-Hose-Nipple-D49/100111603
 
BadlyDrawnBoy

BadlyDrawnBoy

Active Member
FennarioMike said:
If it's using up the salt then it sounds like its working then. How long ago was it put in? There is a life span to the resin beads in it and they can either just change out the tank or replace the resin. I used to run and maintain giant RO systems and pre-treatment components for dialysis clinics. Every year or so the hardness would start to creep back up and we'd re-bed the softeners with new resin. It's a big, shitty job - definitely not recommended. Do you test for hardness at all? It's probably a good idea to get a simple home test kit and just check it monthly. Once it starts to creep up, have the softener's tank replaced.

But, you could filter it right there where that spigot is that you catch it from. You could get a filter housing and a sediment filter from Home Depot for about $50ish. Replacement filters are cheap - get the whole house type, not the 5 micron. With well water, a 5 micron would plug up immediately. They come with a 3/4" pipe thread and you could get 3/4" M-NPT to garden hose adapters and connect a garden hose from the spigot to the filter, and another hose coming out of your filter and you have an inexpensive, DIY portable sediment filter.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Whole-Home-Water-Filtration-System-GXWH04F/100471282

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Universal-Fit-String-Wound-Whole-House-Water-Filter-2-Pack-HDX2SF4/205373461

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-3-4-in-Female-Hose-Thread-x-3-4-in-Male-Pipe-Thread-Swivel-Adapter-50007/100186564

http://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-Thread-x-Hose-Nipple-D49/100111603
Click to expand...
That's something I'll definitely consider if I begin seeing issues with the plants. I don't really know what to be looking for, as symptoms of inferior water quality, in the plants. what mainly is filtered out that would be detrimental to the plants health?

I was also thinking of getting my drinking water from that spigot also. I would want to filter it firstly, but drinking water that is softened seems...not a good thing?

The salt lasts for awhile, we change it a few times a year. Whenever we change the salt, the water feels much better, I haven't noticed any hard water.
 
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