Can I used distilled water in my DWC?

[cjsbabygirl313]

Noob here with a DWC and wondering if I can use distilled water. My well water has like 247ppm TDS ... and oddly enogh after it goes through the PUR faucet filter its even higher. I know that in my AeroGardens for kitchen herbs and such that hey say specifically NOT to use well water because all those hard minerals will gunk up the system (and as much red staining as I see in my washing machine’s cup and the housing for the PUR filter I don't doubt it!).

But what about the DWC bucket for onenof my girls?

 

[Lordhooha]

Noob here with a DWC and wondering if I can use distilled water. My well water has like 247ppm TDS ... and oddly enogh after it goes through the PUR faucet filter its even higher. I know that in my AeroGardens for kitchen herbs and such that hey say specifically NOT to use well water because all those hard minerals will gunk up the system (and as much red staining as I see in my washing machine’s cup and the housing for the PUR filter I don't doubt it!).

But what about the DWC bucket for onenof my girls?

I use my well water for my rdwc. Haven’t had a issue. My well water runs around 200ish. Ppm. The pur filters are terrible too. Aero gardens are just that aeroponics not dwc so there’s nothing to gunk up. Hell my danner pump hasn’t had any issues either running my well water.

 

[Lordhooha]

I had culligan come out and install a water softer awhile ago for the rest of my house and he told me it was 20 grains hard which is super hard. But for growing I have never had an issue with hard water and my plants.

 

[rkymtnman]

But what about the DWC bucket for onenof my girls?

I use RO/distilled for all my hydro. Just makes things easier knowing that what you put in your water is all that is in it. And it eliminates your water as a possible problem if any problems arise.

 

[yoshisisland]

im fairly new myself but its my understanding that if you have tap water (or well water ) that it too high in ppm its better to just use distilled water but you have to add calmag so you dont have a defficincy (speaking from expereince )

 

[cjsbabygirl313]

Thanks all - I do think (for my particular situation and set up) that the distilled water with only cal mag - and eventually the other nutes - will porbably be best. And, as @rkymtnmam pointed out, it will pretty much rule out the possibility of the water itself ever being a problem.

 

[Fractured but whole]

Thanks all - I do think (for my particular situation and set up) that the distilled water with only cal mag - and eventually the other nutes - will porbably be best. And, as @rkymtnmam pointed out, it will pretty much rule out the possibility of the water itself ever being a problem.

mix half well with distilled and you are good to go. I personally have seen to many issues with just distilled.
roots work on positive and negative ions, adding de ionized water to that creates problems.

 

[Homie Da Clown]

If you are just gonna run 1 bucket, just for fun, then I would mix half and half like ^^^^ was recommended. That should bring your ppm down too a 100.. That is decent to start with. I would use +life twice a week. I would use a 1 part salt. Keep ppm low and supp with cal mag. Bring starting ppm from a 100 up to 200 with calmag, then add base. My UC system didnt make it over 500 ppm last run... Over feeding in dwc is almost a givin for a nube... Make it as simple as possible. If you decide to run a bigger system, then i would get a RO filter. U can get 1 thats 50 gal an day. Get a 55 gal plastic drum and fill it.. Then you can pump out what you need when you need it. When it gets low, refill from RO filter...

You can also hook a float valve in a control bucket and run a collection of buckets (rdwc) from that 55 gal drum.

 

[John1961]

You can buy RO water from Wal-Mart for less than 40 cents a gallon. Hard to beat that.

I too run a DWC (5-gallons of water in a 10-gallon reservoir) and all I use is RO water.

 

[Nafydad420]

+1 for the RO from walmart, my RO from there comes out at like 50-70 ppms, works out perfect, havent had to add any cal-mag or anything, week 2 flower.

 

[Homie Da Clown]

+1 for the RO from walmart, my RO from there comes out at like 50-70 ppms, works out perfect, havent had to add any cal-mag or anything, week 2 flower.

what median or you using? And whats your Ec?

 

[Nafydad420]

rapid rooters! they are my life right now. and typically my ppms 650-750 right now in flower and 1.2 or so EC

 

[Homie Da Clown]

rapid rooters! they are my life right now. and typically my ppms 650-750 right now in flower and 1.2 or so EC

Wtf? Rapid rooters? The only rapid rooters that im aware of are, what you clone in? Maybe I misunderstand. I mean, or you using coco, RW, pebbles?

And here is the thing with you not needing calmag. You are running 650 ppm and at that range your nutrients provide all your macros, in ess, you get enough Ca, so no need to supp. But in true dwc or rdwc that provides DO levels above 1.0 lpr and up to 1.5 lpr you wont be able to run 650 to 750 ppm. If you can only run 350 ppm, then your base NPK doesnt stay in range when it comes to secondary macros such as Ca, Mg, S... So then we have to supp with calimag, epsons, silica, etc... So the higher the base, the less supp you need...

 

[SmokeyMcChokey]

I ran ro/di for years. It does make it all easier. Distilled is about the same as ro/di to me. I now run well water at 100 ish ppm and it works fine too. Makes phing a little harder but you'll get used to either way you go

 

[Nafydad420]

oh my fault, im running on hydroton, also these are popped from seed <3

 

[SmokeyMcChokey]

mix half well with distilled and you are good to go. I personally have seen to many issues with just distilled.
roots work on positive and negative ions, adding de ionized water to that creates problems.

Nah. I ran di water for many moon. You add nutrients which in turn ionize the water

 

[Homie Da Clown]

oh my fault, im running on hydroton, also these are popped from seed <3

Ok I got you. I was thinking maybe somebody tried using rapid rootes like chunky Rockwool chunks.. Lol hell you never know what some ppl will try.. So do you got just 1 5 gal dwc bucket? And is this your first grow with it?

 

[Nafydad420]

i got two buckets, and yea its my first grow! here is day 4 of flower.

 

[SmokeyMcChokey]

Wtf? Rapid rooters? The only rapid rooters that im aware of are, what you clone in? Maybe I misunderstand. I mean, or you using coco, RW, pebbles?

And here is the thing with you not needing calmag. You are running 650 ppm and at that range your nutrients provide all your macros, in ess, you get enough Ca, so no need to supp. But in true dwc or rdwc that provides DO levels above 1.0 lpr and up to 1.5 lpr you wont be able to run 650 to 750 ppm. If you can only run 350 ppm, then your base NPK doesnt stay in range when it comes to secondary macros such as Ca, Mg, S... So then we have to supp with calimag, epsons, silica, etc... So the higher the base, the less supp you need...

You never need to supplement silica...

 

[Homie Da Clown]

Nah. I ran di water for many moon. You add nutrients which in turn ionize the water

Ive used distilled, it works, but damn who want to buy 20- 1 gal jugs or do you get it in bulk somehow? Krogers has self watering machine for $4 you can get 10 gal. I did that for 6 months till i said, hell with that and just bought an ro filter for 100, and it been doing its thing for a couple yr now..