PerfectPH gives away free device

[Youngster420]

No, I gave up because I couldnt justify the cost - especially after I realized they can cover up a bad situation.

That was back when I was using AN PH perfect, Mega Crop, etc - nutes with rganic components. I was having repeated rez infections and the first sign was always a sudden rise in PH. If my PH didnt go up, I woudnt know until it got to the nasty smell stage and then its too late.

I'm not familiar with dtw setup but were you testing the runoff ph? IMO the DTW system requires dual testing points. You have to monitor res and also solution before it is drained to waste. You should see a slightly lower tds number and a change either up or down in the ph. At this point you would be able to see the huge change in ph that you are looking for

 

[Larry3215]

Testing runoff the way you suggest isnt practical in my case. I run AA aero, which causes two major issues. HPA, if done properly, would also have these issues.

Early in a grow as much as 98% of the nutes I spray into my root chamber never touch a root. Even late in a grow I have very little runoff of water that has ever touched a root. The system is very efficient as far as water hitting a root and NOT running off. Almost all the water that hits a root is absorbed when my system is set up properly, so there is little to no root interaction with the runoff that would change TDS or PH. On top of that, probably 25%-50% of the nute water that does collect evaporates before it collects in my drain basin - which skews TDS way up and PH numbers fluctuate drastically towards the hi side as well.

As a result, its only practical for me to monitor the rez. I dont even try to test the runoff any more.

 

[SuperiorBuds]

I've been using one of these in my flower room reservoir for over a year and a half now. I've documented every part of my grow live on Twitch including pH data (samples taken every 5 minutes from the Bluelab Guardian Connect). So far the only time I've been out of the 5.8 - 6.2 range is if I had too low of a nutrient concentration or if I had an issue in the system. It's been incredibly stable and I haven't used a drop of pH up or down since I dropped it into the reservoir.

I like PH swings in my setup. I ph down to 5.5 or so from my tap starting point of 6.8-7.1. Then it goes back up over the next 48 hours to about 6.1, and I PH down again. That repeats with the PH rise slowing down each time until there is no rise for the last 2 days my rez lasts. Im DTW.

The Torus will drift across the range for you. When I was running the 24/7 recirculating E&F it wandered between 5.8 and 6.2 on its own over the course of a day. It was "perfect". With the coco setup I am feeding 3 times a day late in flower and it tends to only drift back to 6.0 before the next watering, when it will rise back to 6.2 from runoff. (They need that ionic interaction with the roots for the pH change.)

My concern is that using one of these might hide a developing problem by keeping the PH TOO stable. A sudden increase in PH can be the first sign of root rot or a rez infection and one of these might keep you from seeing that until its too late.

If you remember when we were talking about this a long time ago this was my concern as well. What I've found is that if there is a problem that is causing a pH rise it will outpace the ability of the Torus to compensate. This won't FIX pH problems, it will only maintain a healthy system.

I swear every time I see someone complaining about it not working it's because they were dropping it into a system with an issue, thinking this was a magic bullet to solve their problem.

 

[Larry3215]

This won't FIX pH problems, it will only maintain a healthy system.

I swear every time I see someone complaining about it not working it's because they were dropping it into a system with an issue, thinking this was a magic bullet to solve their problem.

If everyone approached it with that in mind, it would be great. I suspect that many who want to use one are indeed looking for that magic bullet to fix their system problems.

 

[Keesje]

This company could do a better job in marketing and showing results.
If applied correct it seems it works well.

 

[Bullet2112]

My problem is the cost of those bottles you have to buy over and over.....and they are priced as if they contain gold. I don't get it at all....

 

[SuperiorBuds]

This company could do a better job in marketing and showing results.
If applied correct it seems it works well.

Agreed. I'm not a fan of their website either. Too many people think this is "new technology" or that they are selling snake oil. People don't realize that waste-water treatment plants have been using these resins to maintain pH for decades. The science behind this is totally sound, but they don't do a good job of telling that story at all.

My problem is the cost of those bottles you have to buy over and over.....and they are priced as if they contain gold. I don't get it at all....

"Over and over"? I've bought the recharge solution once and still have over 3/4 of it left. So it's $90 for a bottle that will get me 6 recharges, each recharge is lasting me a year. For $90 I got 6 years worth of solution. Over the course of 6 years how much pH up/down will you buy...over and over?

Seems pretty comparable to me long term.

 

[Larry3215]

Over the course of 6 years how much pH up/down will you buy...over and over?

I bought a single $7 container of battery acid 4 years ago, and its maybe 1/2 used, so I spend $7 for about 8 years of PH down. I also bought a $15 two pound bottle of potassium hydroxide flakes that I mix up for PH UP. I used about 1/20th of the bottle to make one gallon of PH UP, and Ive still got 3/4 of that gallon left after 3 years. That 2 pound bottle of potassium hydroxide will last me 240 years at this rate.

Id have to agree that the recharge is rather $$$ in comparison

 

[Bullet2112]

Agreed. I'm not a fan of their website either. Too many people think this is "new technology" or that they are selling snake oil. People don't realize that waste-water treatment plants have been using these resins to maintain pH for decades. The science behind this is totally sound, but they don't do a good job of telling that story at all.



"Over and over"? I've bought the recharge solution once and still have over 3/4 of it left. So it's $90 for a bottle that will get me 6 recharges, each recharge is lasting me a year. For $90 I got 6 years worth of solution. Over the course of 6 years how much pH up/down will you buy...over and over?

Seems pretty comparable to me long term.

I'm guessing how long that bottle last depends on the system its going in.....90$ for 6 years is doable....if only there was a way to be sure to get that kinda mileage!

As far as cost for ph up and down goes......price is $0.00. Proper kept systems doesn't need it.....nor any ph gadgets. I was mainly curious until I saw the pricing....

Wonder what a DIY version would cost??

 

[SuperiorBuds]

I'm guessing how long that bottle last depends on the system its going in.....90$ for 6 years is doable....if only there was a way to be sure to get that kinda mileage!

Totally. Mine lasts this long because I doubled the size I needed for my system.

Proper kept systems doesn't need it.....nor any ph gadgets.

I run a recirculating system, pH drift is part of life once the plants get big enough. Now that I run perpetual I always have at least one or two big girls feeding heavy from the reservoir.

Wonder what a DIY version would cost??

Larry and I looked into it a few years ago. You can purchase Amberlite Resin that will do exactly this, however I was never able to find a source that would sell me a small enough quantity. It has industrial uses so it's sold in industrial quantities.

 

[Larry3215]

Proper kept systems doesn't need it.....nor any ph gadgets

You must have some amazing water

Wonder what a DIY version would cost??

I found an industrial supplier that was willing to sell samples for 'testing' purposes. I forget, but I think I paid like $40 for 20 grams? I cant remember for sure and cant find the link any more. The problem was the powder they sent me was so fine - like baby powder. It was way too fine to stay inside my 250 mesh filter sleeve, and I didnt have any fabric with a close enough mesh to really keep it contained and still allow the water to flow. I ended up putting it in a bag I made from some rip-stop nylon fabric that had been sanded lightly so it was more permeable. I just dropped the bag in the rez and zip tied it close to the outlet side of my circulating pump. It worked - sort of - but the powder still leaked out. That freaked me out, so I tossed the mess and gave up.

Trying to find out which powder to order was a guessing game. None of the suppliers were any help. They refused to give any advice unless it was going to be used in an known industrial application. DIY hydro growing illegal plants didnt count for some silly reason.

 

[Keesje]

I also looked for raisins that would work the same as the stuff in the PerfectPH.
Amberlite™ CG-50 - type 1, ion-exchange resin.
You can buy some on Alibaba as well.
Finding the right size is not easy at all.

The stuff to recharge the PerfectPH is just a diluted acid. Nothing special.

I wrote down somewhere what it is, but can't find it now.