Hey DGC,
I have a grow question I would love to get some insight on. I am a no till organic grower and I use my regular tap water that comes out with a pH around 6.8-70. I have several 5 gallon buckets that I have on rotation so I can let it set for at least 24 hrs prior to use so it can dechlorinate. My question is, is it ok or even recommended to use warm water instead of cold water as to get some of the water from the hot water heater/tank because it would have additional calcium from calcium buildup in the hot water tank?
The biggest reason why I wanted to start using warm water instead of pure cold water is because I have hardwood floors in my grow room and when placing several buckets of almost ice cold water on the floor in the warm room it was causing puddles from the condensation buildup. Using warm water negates this problem.
Thanks DGC for not only all the education you provide but also the entertainment.
Good question!… I’d have to say measure your EC of cold water vs hot water.
Also you can get a free water test from most major box stores like Home Depot that might give you a broken down analysis. Warm water is definitely better than cold water. This time of year I keep a electric water kettle in the grow. I mix 1 liter of near boiling water with 4 liters of 40• water and end up with 60-65• water. Have you ran into any Cal or Phos deficiency?
Hot water will raise ph and decrease it’s oxygen content and increase CO2 content. Also your water company my be using chloramine instead of chlorine. Chloramine will not evaporate like chlorine does. But I also let mine sit out to be close to room temp. Your ideal water temp for maximum oxygen content is about 68 degrees.👍🏼
Thanks Rasufa and Weaver MTN Grow op. Appreciate it. I just test the PPM of the water and it’s only reading 48 and pH was 6.9.
Luckily water that gets to the plants is always room temp as I use a blumat watering system with soaker hose and the res is just outside the tent where it is always 74 or above at all times.
And sorry Guru, my meter doesn’t measure EC. This is the first time I’ve used it on over a year as I grow no till