Sterile Reservoir - Bleach

TCH

TCH

Well-Known Member
When I search sterile reservoir, I get confused as all hell with all the options, measurements, chemicals, etc.... So, here I am.

I'm running coco being fed via blumats using RO water, ArmorSi, CalMag, and MaxiGrow and/or MaxiBloom. Usually have to add just a bit of pH up but I am still learning exactly where the ArmorSi puts me.

1. Can I run sterile reservoir with those nutes and that setup?
2. Can I use household bleach? This is what I have available and on hand.
20230707_182729.jpg20230707_182735.jpg

3. How much bleach per gallon is needed to keep the funk down and be safe for the plants?
 
Billy the Mountain

Billy the Mountain

Well-Known Member
TCH said:
When I search sterile reservoir, I get confused as all hell with all the options, measurements, chemicals, etc.... So, here I am.

I'm running coco being fed via blumats using RO water, ArmorSi, CalMag, and MaxiGrow and/or MaxiBloom. Usually have to add just a bit of pH up but I am still learning exactly where the ArmorSi puts me.

1. Can I run sterile reservoir with those nutes and that setup?
2. Can I use household bleach? This is what I have available and on hand.
View attachment 5306066View attachment 5306067

3. How much bleach per gallon is needed to keep the funk down and be safe for the plants?
Click to expand...
Yes

Yes, alternatively, Calcium Hypochlorite (Pool shock) can be used to avoid adding Sodium, but the amounts are small enough it doesn't matter.

3-5 ppm free Chlorine is usually good

Try:

Pool Chlorine Calculator

Free Chlorine Calculator, bleach in the pool calculator, how much Chlorine to add to pool, shocking a pool, ppm chlorine calculator.
poolchemicalcalculator.com

or

www.publichealthontario.ca

Chlorine Dilution Calculator | Public Health Ontario

Calculates how much bleach product to dilute with water to get your desired concentration (ppm) of chlorine solution.
www.publichealthontario.ca www.publichealthontario.ca
 
curious2garden

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
Billy the Mountain said:
Yes

Yes, alternatively, Calcium Hypochlorite (Pool shock) can be used to avoid adding Sodium, but the amounts are small enough it doesn't matter.

3-5 ppm free Chlorine is usually good

Try:

Pool Chlorine Calculator

Free Chlorine Calculator, bleach in the pool calculator, how much Chlorine to add to pool, shocking a pool, ppm chlorine calculator.
poolchemicalcalculator.com

or

www.publichealthontario.ca

Chlorine Dilution Calculator | Public Health Ontario

Calculates how much bleach product to dilute with water to get your desired concentration (ppm) of chlorine solution.
www.publichealthontario.ca www.publichealthontario.ca
Click to expand...
Although lately people have been using urine so I would be very careful about adding another source of sodium. It's worth a try, just watch them. You'll see a positive ion lockout is my guess if it is too much sodium.

Edited to make it english ;)
 
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curious2garden

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
TCH said:
When I search sterile reservoir, I get confused as all hell with all the options, measurements, chemicals, etc.... So, here I am.

I'm running coco being fed via blumats using RO water, ArmorSi, CalMag, and MaxiGrow and/or MaxiBloom. Usually have to add just a bit of pH up but I am still learning exactly where the ArmorSi puts me.

1. Can I run sterile reservoir with those nutes and that setup?
2. Can I use household bleach? This is what I have available and on hand.
View attachment 5306066View attachment 5306067

3. How much bleach per gallon is needed to keep the funk down and be safe for the plants?
Click to expand...
http://www.foodsafe.ca/dilution-calculator.html

Thanks @Wastei for posting the calculator. You have a stronger concentration so make sure you use that to get the volume you need.
 
W

waterproof808

Well-Known Member
Anyone try hypochlorous acid? I've been using the "Cleanse" I got with my athena sample and it keeps my rez very clear...the active ingredient is 0.028% hypochlorous acid. Want to learn how to make it myself because its $70 a gallon.
 
Southerner

Southerner

Well-Known Member
Billy the Mountain said:
It's snake oil
Hypochlorous acid is what is formed when chlorine dissolves in water.
Click to expand...
I dont follow, how this makes it snake oil? What are you suggesting as the alternative? There's zero doubt that hypochlorous acid is great at disinfecting and sanitizing. Its also way better than bleach because the relatively neutral pH makes it more effective at the job in lower concentrations than the high pH of bleach as well as being more appropriate for something like a nutrient rez.

It works great and will give you bright white roots and can help stave off root pathogens before they establish themselves. Athena Cleanse is diluted out of the box for easy measurement but its the same thing as pool shock at a different concentration for a higher price.
 
Billy the Mountain

Billy the Mountain

Well-Known Member
Southerner said:
I dont follow, how this makes it snake oil? What are you suggesting as the alternative? There's zero doubt that hypochlorous acid is great at disinfecting and sanitizing. Its also way better than bleach because the relatively neutral pH makes it more effective at the job in lower concentrations than the high pH of bleach as well as being more appropriate for something like a nutrient rez.

It works great and will give you bright white roots and can help stave off root pathogens before they establish themselves. Athena Cleanse is diluted out of the box for easy measurement but its the same thing as pool shock at a different concentration for a higher price.
Click to expand...
I have no doubt it works fine, but no better than bleach for orders of magnitude more cost.
Chlorine dissolves in water to create hypochlorous acid.
pH is inconsequential at the concentrations used.
 
Southerner

Southerner

Well-Known Member
Billy the Mountain said:
I have no doubt it works fine, but no better than bleach for orders of magnitude more cost.
Chlorine dissolves in water to create hypochlorous acid.
pH is inconsequential at the concentrations used.
Click to expand...
Billy the Mountain said:
I have no doubt it works fine, but no better than bleach for orders of magnitude more cost.
Chlorine dissolves in water to create hypochlorous acid.
pH is inconsequential at the concentrations used.
Click to expand...
Correct me if I’m wrong, I’m still a noob when it comes to chemistry in many ways. Isnt the one of very thing that makes the difference between bleach and hypochlorous acid ability to work is the pH of the chlorine how the ions are charged(or not at all). I’ve basically been going from articles such as:

“At 25°C and pH 7.5, half of the total chlorine is present as HOCl and the other half as OCl-. The dissociated hypochlorite ion (OCl-) predominates at higher pH values, above 7.5, while the undissociated hypochlorous acid (HOCl) predominates at lower pH values. At pH 5, nearly all the chlorine is present as HOCl, while a pH value of 10 drives nearly all the chlorine to be present as OCl- (see Figure 1). At low pH and high chlorine concentrations the hydrolysis is not complete and a significant fraction remains in the form of molecular chlorine Cl2. In a sodium hypochlorite solution which normally sits at a pH of 11–13, all available chlorine is in a form of hypochlorite ions (OCl-) which, as previously discussed, is far less efficacious than hypochlorous acid.”

and

”Because HOCl has no charge (notice the lack of + or – in “HOCl”) and has a relatively low molecular weight it is better able than other chlorine-based disinfectants (i.e., hypochlorite ions) to penetrate the cell walls. Conversely, take the chemical compound for hypochlorite ions (OCl-). Notice the little negative (-) symbol in the formula? This indicates a negatively-charged ion. In nature, microbes have a negatively charged wall (e.g., cell wall of bacteria). Remember playing with magnetics as a kid? What happened when you put the same poles (North and North or South and South) together? Right, they repelled. Well, the same thing happens here with hypochlorite and negatively charged germs. Because hypochlorous has a neutral charge, it is NOT repelled and passes through a cell wall to disrupt DNA more easily.”

if you dilute bleach and lower the ph of the solution, won’t it just dissipate as chlorine gas?
 
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Nizza

Nizza

Well-Known Member
CaliRootz88 said:
You would dilute Clorox in your aerocloner?
Click to expand...
Yeah 1 cap full in my 27 gal aero cloner was making success rate almost 100% with no res changes for 2 weeks

Nowadays I use a little 1 gallon bubble cloner with around 70% success.. I use tap water which has chloramine in it, change it once after the first day and then once after the first week. Clorox bleach is great for sterile, the next step up from that is pool shock, which I didn't want to handle. After the roots pop I would go into soil so, I wasn't using alot.
 
curious2garden

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
Nizza said:
Yeah 1 cap full in my 27 gal aero cloner was making success rate almost 100% with no res changes for 2 weeks

Nowadays I use a little 1 gallon bubble cloner with around 70% success.. I use tap water which has chloramine in it, change it once after the first day and then once after the first week. Clorox bleach is great for sterile, the next step up from that is pool shock, which I didn't want to handle. After the roots pop I would go into soil so, I wasn't using alot.
Click to expand...
I use pool shock because I have it on hand for my pool. Otherwise I'd just use household bleach too.
 
CaliRootz88

CaliRootz88

Well-Known Member
Nizza said:
Yeah 1 cap full in my 27 gal aero cloner was making success rate almost 100% with no res changes for 2 weeks

Nowadays I use a little 1 gallon bubble cloner with around 70% success.. I use tap water which has chloramine in it, change it once after the first day and then once after the first week. Clorox bleach is great for sterile, the next step up from that is pool shock, which I didn't want to handle. After the roots pop I would go into soil so, I wasn't using alot.
Click to expand...
I’m going to try this. My aerocloner has declined in rooting success lately and I just started playing with root riot plugs again but would rather use the aerocloner if I can achieve a higher success as I did the first few times.
 
curious2garden

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
CaliRootz88 said:
I’m going to try this. My aerocloner has declined in rooting success lately and I just started playing with root riot plugs again but would rather use the aerocloner if I can achieve a higher success as I did the first few times.
Click to expand...
I can second how helpful it is. I always use it in my Turbokloner. Especially in hotter weather where there's less rooting success. Try it I think you'll be pleased, make sure you note the strength and use the chlorine dilution calculator for amount needed. Oh and my household bleach changed strength so check when you get new bottles. My pool bleach runs between 63 to 75% and it's a solid which makes it easier to store
 
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