DIY: pH Down - EASY!

This is great i am always looking for cheaper better solutions. My question is now what do i do with the bulk of the sulfuric acid after i make some of 3.3% solution. I could make 20 gallons and still have most of the box of acid left.Since it is a box i don't feel safe storing and opened box,without moving that into another container. would a Glass container work? are there safe methods of transferring the acid to another container or can it just be poured no problem making sure there no water or anything in the new container?

Is there a method like this for PH up?
 
jbbuds85 said:
This is great i am always looking for cheaper better solutions. My question is now what do i do with the bulk of the sulfuric acid after i make some of 3.3% solution. I could make 20 gallons and still have most of the box of acid left.Since it is a box i don't feel safe storing and opened box,without moving that into another container. would a Glass container work? are there safe methods of transferring the acid to another container or can it just be poured no problem making sure there no water or anything in the new container?

Is there a method like this for PH up?
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would also like to know this
in your "how to" you say 2lt bottle
could i use glass
 
FUUUUCK THIS

PH DOWN IS NOT SIMPLY AN ACID. I once thought the same. Not all acids are created equal.

GH PH Down . They also include the CORRECT acid so that when it breaks down you will add nutrients to the system. Also they include a buffer so that its easier to maintain the correct ph. There's even more! Its not simply any old acid and I will never again use spa ph down, diy ph down, or any other diy ph adjuster.

for the price its a bargain and will save time in the long run.
 
Enigma said:
You will need ~180 mL of sulfuric acid to achieve at 1:10 ratio in a 2 L container.

20 mL of this 3.3% sulfuric acid solution should drop the pH of one gallon of distilled water 2 points (pH of 7 to a pH of 5). If you are using tap water your results will differ.


Honestly, what the hell is your problem? I give you a tried and true method, used before we were born, with a pro tutorial and I get slammed with this shit?

This right here makes me think twice before helping you little punkz.

:joint:

E
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First and foremost I see you trying to help others with replacing their ph down with a larger scale cheaper price ratio and I will +rep you for it but I just wanted to drop in and say there is a HUGE difference between sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid and their different phases and are used for different phases of growing. For your vegging plants, sulfuric acid would work out as a replacement if all my calculations are correct. Phosphoric acid is best used for flowering due to the different metals found in the phosphoric. If it is true what I read about the ph down in the yellow bottles it is a mix of both sulfuric and phosphoric acids. A good replacement also for vegging plants is citrus like lemon juice and a good replacement for flower is white vinegar. Hope this helps someone.
 
Where can i buy high concentration Phosphoric acid? do i have to order form online?
 
Tbh I'm not sure because I just use the typical GH Ph Down. I had a friend who swore by the phosphoric acid and his plants were some of the biggest I'd seen. When I saw the plants for the first time I didn't see them. He walked me into a field where there was a bunch of trees and I could smell it but I couldn't see it until he said look up and the trees were the plants. I was pretty shocked at the size but I hear it is pretty typical to see them 20+ feet tall.
 
I am having some strange results with this. At first about 2ml of the 3.3 % solution dropped my ph of one gallon from 7.4 to around 6. about two weeks later I have to use 6 ml to get my ph from 7.4 to 6. I have confirmed this measurement with digital device and liquid solution. Is the 3.3% solution breaking down that fast?Will it reach an equilibrium?
 
jbbuds85 said:
I am having some strange results with this. At first about 2ml of the 3.3 % solution dropped my ph of one gallon from 7.4 to around 6. about two weeks later I have to use 6 ml to get my ph from 7.4 to 6. I have confirmed this measurement with digital device and liquid solution. Is the 3.3% solution breaking down that fast?Will it reach an equilibrium?
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I hate to say it and no offense to the poster but this doesn't work. Think about 1 thing. You will be smoking this, would you smoke battery acid?
 
That is an interesting point but, is it just sulfuric acid used battery acid is different because it has lead in it and should not be used. I have been reading up about acids for Ph down. sulfuric acid will break down into sulfides that the plant will eat. I read that sulfur is a natural fungicide and should not be used for organic plants because it will kill beneficial organisms. Phosphoric acid is better for flowering because plants need lots of phosphorus during flowering. After some reading i think it is best to mix up the types of acid you use or make a mix of a few different kinds that is what GH does they use citric, phosphoric and and mono phosphate. phosphoric,sulfuric, nitric, citric are all goo to use. The other are not as easy acquired as sulfuric but can be order from online. So to prevent any one element from building up, mix it up bit. I will not be using sulfuric acid because i am growing organic with earth juice products.
 
read all the posts now it's my turn, i have tried most of the things mentioned already. a few things to consider before DIY ph adjusters, are you going to make hash with it,,most ph controls are of food grade quality. If not, Baterry acid works fine for vegging. To answer the question about concentrated phosphoric acid , mix naval jelly with water cheap flowering ph down.. vinegar works but doesn't last very long. good luck
 
I know this is 7 months old but seriously, there is a lot of misinformation.

Lead - FALSE: There is no lead in battery acid, there is lead in batteries. No one is saying to drain batteries and use the acid from it.

Very Dangerous - FALSE: Haven't any of you ever had battery acid on you? Ive had car batteries explode on me, and I get my homemade battery acid ph down on my skin all
the time. Its not like its going to eat you alive, it just itches. If you get it in your eyes, it might not feel good. But household bleach in your eyes
sucks too. Are you all afraid of bleach? When I get it on my hands when concentrated, I just rinse it off with water. Unconcentrated, I just rinse it
off with water. Ask any mechanic, you wont see them wearing safety glasses while changing batteries or filling them with acid unless their boss
makes them simply because it isn't that big of a deal. You don't dress up in a space suit to pour chlorine or shock into your swimming pool do you?

Phosphoric is safer
than Sulfuric - FALSE What makes it safer? They use Phosphoric acid in tile cleaners, rust removers, and things of that nature. Phosphoric acid is made from Sulfuric acid. They
put rocks high in phosphate into sulfuric acid.
 
cowboylogic said:
Why not just use vinager? Safe with no mixing.
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it doesnt last long enough only a day for me then its up again,
hitman40 said:
I found a product for 15.00 a gallon at home depot called sikadur concrete cleaner & etch. MSDS sheet says 25-35 weight per volume phosphoric acid. The lable actually says phosphoric acid and nitric acid and water. Anyone ever try this a few drops and it lowers my 20 gallon res from 7.5 too 5.8.
Hitman40
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this is meant to be good as it is whats included in some or most ph down solutions from what ive read nitric acid is very good for very hard water areas and is sold by one of the big nutes company's for this reason

Joker209 said:
I hate to say it and no offense to the poster but this doesn't work. Think about 1 thing. You will be smoking this, would you smoke battery acid?
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what do you think is in shop bought ph down ? cake?
shop bought ph down is a mix of acids and is very caustic "because its acid!" just like all the other acids that are mentioned here
hydo farmers have been making there own ph down for years from battery acid, nitric acid and phosphoric acid or a mix of these , all for food grade plants a mix of all three acids hit the plants requirements thought the grow cycle ,
battery acid is not sth that you need a chem suit for, im a mechanic and have been handling it for years it will rot you clothes like bleach and sting if splashed in your eyes but nothing that a eye wash wont fix, it may make your skin itch just wash off with cold water ! handle with sense is all you need to do,
great thread
just because this is my first post doesnt mean im a newbie to this, i just felt it needed saying,
there is a plus for all three acids, if you use the concrete cleaner look out for the strengths of phos acid it change's in cheaper ones from around 48% to 80% read the label stronger is better value i find, if your going to mix acids do so in the water not with each other directly it what ive always done with no problems and the shop ph down is just much the same ,they sometime have a buffer some times not
this is IMO and rep to thread maker good DIY POST :clap:
 
Wow..to be gone this long and to see the swing that RIU has accomplished.

I'm glad to be back :)



A couple of things I want to note for the community:

Sulfuric acid is perfectly safe to use with plants, how do you think the large scale commercial growers do it? The cheapest, easiest, and most effective way. Just say'n, they're pro.

NEVER USE ANYTHING THAT HAS BEEN CONTAMINATED
Any sane person with common sense would think that used battery acid is a bad idea.

Vinegar is a HORRIBLE substitute. Please, have more respect for yourself.

Sulfuric acid will kill just about anything in your reservoir. So, organic nutrients are out (opt for nitric acid).


:leaf:
 
LOL, Sulfuric acid doesn't kill things in the res. Sulfuric acid is used on soil to lower PH in commercial food crops. Sulfur doesn't kill anything organic. (Though the entire "Organic" world itself is a big made up pile of BS) Sulfuric acid(Battery Acid) isn't contaminated until it is in a battery with lead. So if you buy a bottle of 'battery acid' it is just 33% sulfuric acid - nothing more, nothing less.
 
Enigma said:
Buy some sulfuric acid and put something organic in there, like your finger.
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There, I put my fingers in it. OMG IM MELTING NOOOOOOOOOO. Sulfuric acid @ 33% is about like getting bleach on your hands. Even toothpicks come with dire warnings and cause cancer in the state of California. We live in a nanny state, battery acid ain't gonna hurt you unless you try to wash your eyes in it. And then, it just needs to b rinsed out.
 
benbrit said:
used this formula and it works. no problem. helped me lower ph easy. thanks!
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Knowledge is power. Think of how many simple things in all walks of life there are that people don't understand or are afraid of in their ignorance. If you went and bought sulfuric acid, you have enough to grow forever for 5 bucks. Doesn't that make you feel just a little smug when there are a lot of people spending 20 bucks a gallon for weaker ph down?
 
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