Thread: Water PPM ?
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Old 05-18-2012, 08:44 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
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As for me, I can't say I do check EC/PPM/TDS before adding the nutrients, or even after for that mater. I don't even own a EC/PPM/TDS meter.

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So before i order'd anything, just for the hell of it i checked the PPM of my tap water here in the new house and it's 150PPM. Is that really to high to start off with?
PPM is just a number. What does that 150 PPM consist of?

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And also i've read some ppl are taking whatever PPM the water is and adding that to the nute PPM. Sooo say i started out with a 150, they are taking the 150 and adding it to say 1100 give you a total PPM of 1250. That's not right is it?
What does that original 150 PPM consist of?

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I've alway's just added my nutes to the existing water till i got to my needed PPM. If it was 1100, i added nutes till the meter say's 1100.
What does that original 150 PPM consist of? PPM is just a number. If your water supply read 1100 PPM before adding the nutrients, then your water supply would already contain the right nutrients the plants need right? That would be like saying as long as your gallon container of paint has a full gallon in it, it will always be the right color no mater what color paint you poured into it to fill it.

No, that's just saying you have 1100 PPM of something in the water supply, not that it's the right mineral salts, as well as in the right proportions. Just that there is 1100 PPM of some unknown elements in it. If the meter reads 150 PPM before adding the nutrients, that's just saying there's 150 PPM of some unknown elements in it. So if you add 950 PPM of a balanced nutrient solution, to 150 PPM of unknown elements you will get 1100 PPM on the meter. But you still only have 950 PPM of a balanced nutrient, the rest of the mineral content is still unknown. The higher the PPM of your water supply, the higher the unknown mineral elements your dealing with. That's all your pre-nutrient PPM test is telling you.

There's no right or wrong way. It just maters what that original 150 PPM (or any amount) consist of, weather it will be an issue in your final nutrient solution or not.
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