climbing PH question

[Grower13]

I keep four 5 gallon buckets of water for my growing(soil)...... well I was reading about everybodies climbing PH on a hydro thread....... it got me to thinking about my PH going up while sitting in the buckets waiting to be used..... so I've been checking it........ I have 1 water bucket mixed with flowering nutes...... I have 1 water bucket with veg nutes mixed....... and 2 buckets with water and medium cal/mag added about half the time....... I use tap water........ I let it sit and air out for a day or two before adjusting my PH...... my water is about 7.5 out of the tap....... I use GH liquid PH down to lower my PH...... it takes about half or less to adjust my water as the instructions suggest it takes...... well much to my surprise the PH in my sitting doing nothing buckets climbs...... I'll adjust the water to 6.3 to 6.5 and water in couple days I'd get ready to water I check my PH and and it is at 6.8 or 7.0....... well hit me in the head with a brick........ I would have never thought it........ is this normal? I'm going to keep lids on them and see if my PH stuff is evaporating off my water left uncovered......... SO...... again Is this Normal?

 

[PuffinNugs]

i believe that temperture plays a factor when testing. also things evaporating over time i see affecting it

 

[pcduck]

I nute the water first then let sit for a day then adjust my pH. Let that sit for and day then check pH again and adjust if necessary. Your tap water has buffers in it to maintain the pH you must overcome these buffers in order to stabilize your pH.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I do like pcduck.

Also, are you bubbling the solutions or just letting them sit?

 

[Grower13]

I do like pcduck.

Also, are you bubbling the solutions or just letting them sit?

I just let them sit....... I'm going to start keeping them covered after the water airs out for a couple days........ I have always waited a day or two before doing anything to the water....... but upon checking the PH of the water even after being 6 days from the tap and re PH adjusted two days ago my uncovered plain water has a rising PH....... I would have never thought it........ I figured it might change a little...... BTW I've only been doing this for a little over a week...... I've not yet started watching my nuted water..... I keep it covered(pets)....... well this is just another one of those things you learn by doing...... do you think the same would happen with RO water?

 

[pcduck]

Depends on many factors, as what is your starting ppms and what your ppm were after the r/o filter. R/O water removes most everything, this includes the buffers in the initial water supply. And the result of not having the buffers in the water the r/o is easier to stabilize when nutes and/or pH adjusters are added. As many nutes have built in stabilizers/buffers so they adjust themselves. Long story short is if you have a extremely high/low pH it will stay about the same or a bit higher/lower depending on your starting pH, but it will be easier to adjust and stabilize the R/O water once nutes/pH adjusters are added.ime/o