Chloramine in my water 2.6 ppm, NOW WHAT?

[Tact]

I am looking for advice form people who have similar ppm of chloramine in there area: 2.6 ppm.

I was doing some research and my local water provider uses the dreaded chloramine. I did some googling and apparently using sodium thiosulfate to neutralize chloramine (from pet stores/pool chemical providers) results in ammonia being left over in the water, solving 1/2 of the chloramine issue.

So is the ammonia a non-issue for MJ plants, also the use of sodium thiosulfate raises the ppm of several types of metals that will accumulate and eventually be lethal to MJ due the ion binding process? Apparently for fish ammonia is a big issue, and additional steps are needed for aquarium-enthusiast in order to properly treat the water prior to filling their tanks (multi-step filtration process).

That really blows that chloramine is in the water, because this could make watering my MJ plants a potential pain in the ***. I would need to buy a bubbler/air stone and use it for TWO HOURS after applying the sodium thiosulfate to move the chlorine up and out of water in a bucket, then add the nutes, then water. That makes for a three hour process just to get my MJ watered everyday!

Apparently chloramine is measured in my local drinking water at a range from 2.0-3.1 with an average of 2.6 ppm. Arsenic is measured at .9 ppm which is scary, not to mention lead and pesticides cited as run-off and erosion of water pipes. Either way I am a bit miffed if these levels are OK to use for my MJ, or if these are significant ppm levels of chloramine and I need to look into stocking up on sodium thiosulfate, and/or a reverse osmosis machine. Groan. I highly value simplicity, and the idea of lugging gallons of distilled water (which could just as well have chloramine in it for all I know) to my house.

 

[leafminer]

EPA reviewed historical data in its evaluation of monochloramine.
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Monochloramine has been in use as a drinking water disinfectant since the 1930’s.5
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Decades of use in the US, Canada, and Great Britain shows that monochloramine is an effective secondary drinking water disinfectant.
•
Denver, Philadelphia, and other large cities have used monochloramine as part of their water treatment process for years.

hxxp://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/disinfection/chloramine/pdfs/all29_q.pdf

•
Boiling water does not remove monochloramine from drinking water.
•
Allowing water to sit at room temperature does not remove monochloramine from drinking water.
•
Reverse osmosis filters do not remove monochloramine from drinking water.
=====================
Effects of chloramines concentration in nutrient solution and exposure time on plant growth in hydroponically cultured lettuce
Site shows that damage ocurred at 180 ppm which is 80 times more than you have in your water supply.
=====================
Irrigation

Chloraminated water is safe for landscape irrigation. The small amount of chloramines in the water should not affect any type of plant, including turfgrass, ornamentals, vegetables, and trees.
hxxp://www.p2pays.org/ref/20/19737.htm

 

[Tact]

Good to know that the damage is @ 180 ppm. In your humble opinion would the pet store approach in trying to neutralize chloramine with the additive solution be unnecessary? Just treat water to within standard soil pH range 6.3-6.5?

 

[Tact]

chloramine is bad for plants, I bought a bottle of water conditioner for $6 and Ive had the bottle for a year and its only half gone... If you can afford $3 a year why not use it? It only takes 1 drop per gallon... I use tap water for hydro, its 160 ppm out of the tap... that really isnt that bad for tap water... There are people out there that have 300-400 ppm water... You can get a 3 stage filter also that will cut the ppms in half you may not need a full blown RO system..

Money is not the issue, I am on the eve of my first grow so I am just trying to put my ducks in a row. Figuring out my local water is one of those steps, I will pick up some of that tap water cleaner. Is your chloramine 160 ppm, that seems high compared to the 2.6 ppm I stated my local water has. Are you adding up 10 gallons or something (2.6ppm x 10gallons = 26 ppm cumulative), still seems like a huge difference?

 

[u.g.u]

I have been thinking latley that my problems I have been having is related to my water supply having added chloramines. My average ppm was 1.8 according to the water report. I saw someones post saying the 180ppm was needed to see any ill effects I found a maximum yield article that talked about the effects it had on lettuce. I supplied a quote from the article. But I just have no Idea how to get 0.18mg cl/g into a readable ppm. unless the earlier poster had already done the math but 180 ppm seems an absurd amount that no water authority would allow considering the federal limit is 4 ppm. Any thoughts?

"One study reported that the critical chloramines amount at which lettuce plant growth was significantly inhibited was 0.18 mg Cl/g root fresh weight, however, the levels at which some other species would be damaged is as yet undetermined"

 

[leafminer]

0.18mg cl/g water? Is that the figure quoted? That would be 180 ppm. Same as the figure I quoted. I don't think any effects would be visible at 2.6 ppm. I'd be more worried about the heavy metals.

 

[ozzydiodude]

I use Tetra Pond AquaSafe water conditioner. It removes chlorine & chloramines plus detoxifies heavy metals
hxxp://www.tetrapond.com

 

[Droopy Dog]

Good to know that the damage is @ 180 ppm. In your humble opinion would the pet store approach in trying to neutralize chloramine with the additive solution be unnecessary? Just treat water to within standard soil pH range 6.3-6.5?

Where I used to live in SoFla I was within 2 miles of a water treatment plant with cloramine over 3ppm. I did have to treat my aquarium water. Did NOT treat any water for plants and never had any problems. Besides smoke, I had in excess of 2,000 orchids, rare ferns, and other exotics much more sensitive than any MJ.:hubba:

Tap water was a non issue for me and I never heard anything from other growers of exotics who used city water and trust me, you would hear right quick when some of these plants sold for upwards of $100 for seedlings.

The most complaints came from well water users because of the high iron content.

I moved. Cloramine is >2.3 here. Still a non issue for me.

I grow in a soil less peat moss based mix of my own. Perhaps it would be a big deal in hydro, but I just adjust pH (if necessary) and go my merry way.

Up here, pH is way more of an issue than the cloramine.

DD

 

[Tact]

This was an old post!

Ironically, today I ordered an R.O system, super cheap with a few fish enthusiast forums lauding them as effective, only $57 bucks, free shipping!

hXXp://www.purewaterclub.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=43

Change XX to TT.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

I'm not a scientist so I defer to the advice of others on topics I have little or no comprehension of but to me if it ain't broke why fix it? Tap water is cheap. Dirt cheap. Average U.S. price is $1.50 per 1000 gal! If a $6 bottle of sodium thiosulfate takes care of the organic issues of choramine and as long as I don't have any other issues... tap water is such a great way to go imho. About a half year ago I asked an organic guru whose livelihood is contingent on customers being able to successfully use his organic nutrients and beneficial bacteria/funghi, Bill Nelson of Blue Moon Organics. Here is his reply to asking how to best remove chloromine from my local tap water:

The best way to determine the type of chlorine being used in your tap water is to call your water department. You can ask them if they treat your water with chlorine or chlorimide (also called chloramine) which does not evaporate and must be chemically removed. Tell them you have several large fish tanks you are about to fill up and want to know which one is in your water. They get asked this question often, and know how to answer it. We find if you start talking gardening with them, it often confuses them and they are unsure of how to anwser. If your water ends up having been treated with chlorine, bubbling it for a few hours, will make it more than adequate for use with our products and in your garden. If it is treated with chlorimide (also called chloramine), then you can call either a local Pet Store or Swimming Pool Supply Store (usually cheaper than a pet store) and ask about products to remove the chlorimide. The chemical used to do this is called sodium thiosulfate. You can buy it in dry or liquid form. Once you apply the sodium thiosulfate into your water, using the directions provided on the product label, it will remove the chlorimides within minutes. Then bubbling your treated water for 2 hours removes most the sodium thiosulfate, since it's chemical bonds weaken quickly after reacting with the chlorimides. The trace amounts of sodium thiosulfate that remain after treatment, are not harmful to plants, people or fish. Plants, people and fish treat this chemical as an ammonia element and expel it quite easily. In the soil, bacteria will actually feed on it. That action in turn, helps free other insoluble elements bound in your soil. I hope this information answers your questions. If we can help you with any others. Just send us a message. We will do our best to answer promptly. Thank You. Signed - Bill Nelson, Owner of Blue Mtn Organics

 

[docfishwrinkle]

thx dos.

 

[dirtyolsouth]

thx dos.

Glad to pass on solid info Doc... Happy New Year! I just want to say that all their nutes and their Super Plant Tonic are very high quality organic goods too... And CHEAP! I love the Super Plant Tonic... here's the ingredients: Artesian Spring Water, Worm Castings, Mycorrhizal Fungi, Coral Calcium, Unsulphured (Blackstrap) Molasses, Endo and Ecto Bacteria, and Humic Acid derived from Oak Leaf & Peat Compost.

hXXp://stores.ebay.com/Blue-Mountain-Organics

 

[gourmet]

Great thread and timely. I just came home with a bottle of API tap water conditioner for chlorine and chloramine, and then came to the site and read this post. Thanks all.

 

[legalize_freedom]

DOS are you using those products along with the super soil mix?

 

[ross]

I recently started using a compost tea and hadn't really been concerned with chlorine or chloramine a big component of the tea is the beneficial bacteria so this prompted me to inquire with my water company about their treatment and found out they use chloramine. So now I can't just bubble it. Are aquarium drops the best idea? Contrary to one of the posts on this thread I read somewhere else that the aquarium drops leave behind a harmful ammonia by-product so now I am confused.

 

[ozzydiodude]

The aquarium drop chemically converts the chloramine to a form of ammonia by products that the microbes can convert to a plant usable nutrien in a organic soil grow.

 

[ross]

Thanks a lot ozzy. Sounds like I definitely need some drops.

 

[ross]

Actually in doing some research I saw a post by wetdog on rollitup that adding organic material to the water causes the chloramines to react and neutralize. Does this include organic nutrients?

 

[ozzydiodude]

organic nutrients are organic material

 

[ross]

Sorry I didn't word my question the best I guess. Would it be better to just use like worm castings guano and organic molasses than a more expensive concentrated nutrient? I was just thinking with nutes it would be easier to burn the plants and more expensive and wasteful than just throwing some worm castings in there or something.