Wal-Mart distilled water pH?

IIReignManII

Well-Known Member
Have any of you personally tested the Great Value brand distilled water with the purple caps? I've been reading that its actually super acidic, up to the 4.0 range?
 

Kushash

Well-Known Member
I've tested the store bought gallon jugs many times with the drops and it is always near 5.5.
If kept pure in a laboratory setting the PH should be 7.
If in cheap plastic gallon containers it will have come in contact with carbon dioxide and will have a lower PH like rain water.
 

SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe

Well-Known Member
I've been using the wally world brand water.
The ppm' have been at 94 and the ph has been 6.3 for their distilled. their spring has been 6.5 with 134 ppm'. Though I've started to move away from just distilled. I switch between distilled and spring water. I've had no problems. Though in my opinion, if you're using living soil the water ph does not really matter as much because the soil will buffer it too an extent. I'm not saying to go above a 7 or below 6 for ph. I've noticed though that no matter the water, distilled or spring as long as the ph has been between 6 or 7 I've had no problems what so ever. I could be wrong as this is only my observation. If I am wrong in any way, I am sorry, as stated this is my observation!
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
pH is derived from what's in the water, not the water itself. Thus, two consequences naturally follow;
1. Pure, distilled water HAS NO pH. This is why it's so bad to store your pH meter in it.

2. The concentration of dissolved solids in water makes a decisive difference in how the solution will react with your plants. If your pH is 4.0 but your EC is .1, nothing untoward is likely to happen because there just isn't enough strength. This also means that tiny amounts of amendments such as pH up/down or nutrients will result in big swings, again because there isn't much in the water to affect.

This is why it's pointless to test water for anything but baseline EC before adding your nutrient package.

Fun fact: the chemist who discovered pH worked for a beer brewery, so hoist a toast to him the next time you're enjoying a cold one!
 
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