honestly i have been doing DWC for years now and always produce the highest quality with impressive yeilds and i have never checked the ppm once maybe that is do to the nutrient line i run or what but never have once. for the PH i always like to keep it on the lower end like around 5.8 that way it can rise and not do damage. then if i notice it jumps quickly in the week or whenever i see a rise above 6.5 i will add low ph'd water say like 5.0 to my resovoir to keep it from jumping to high. i never add straight up or down into the water though always dilute with water i guess i should have said first that i use a resovoir that leads into a controller that feeds 8 buckets drip system i dont know the type of system u run