Water changes w/ R.O. water

[zanemgray]

If I do only 5 percent water changes w/ striaght R.O. water will I have a P.H. swing Or will it just very gradually drop each time this is done. I have tap in the now . I'm trying to drop my nitrates but that will be impossible w/ my tap water becase it maintains a nitrate level around 50-60. So I could never get bellow that level using my tap water..

 

[Slim2634]

shouldnt be too much of a problem i use r/o water on my 20 gallon and its fine but i have very hardy fish in their.

 

[milkman407]

Whats r/o?

 

[Slim2634]

reverse osmosis

 

[Caincando1]

50/60 in your tap water. Have you checked with the county or whom ever is in charge of the water quality to verify this? That's really high and can pose a health risk to humans, especially pregnant women and babies.

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

The National Primary Drinking Water Standards for nitrates set by EPA are 10 mg/L as nitrogen, i.e. 44 mg/L as nitrate. This regulation excludes private wells. If your tap water is higher than that, I recommend doing research on potential regional exceptions

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/creg.html

and if there are none, you should contact your water supplier. Levels above EPA standards are unacceptable.


Regarding your question: Since pH is on a logarithmic scale, a 5% water change with r/o has no effect at all on that parameter, However, you should keep an eye on your hardness, which can be seriously affected by repeated water changes with r/o water.

HarleyK

 

[HarleyK]

50/60 in your tap water. Have you checked with the county

You beat me to it while I was searching the EPA site

 

[zanemgray]

Howdy,

The National Primary Drinking Water Standards for nitrates set by EPA are 10 mg/L as nitrogen, i.e. 44 mg/L as nitrate. This regulation excludes private wells. If your tap water is higher than that, I recommend doing research on potential regional exceptions

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/creg.html

and if there are none, you should contact your water supplier. Levels above EPA standards are unacceptable.


Regarding your question: Since pH is on a logarithmic scale, a 5% water change with r/o has no effect at all on that parameter, However, you should keep an eye on your hardness, which can be seriously affected by repeated water changes with r/o water.

HarleyK

Yes I have a private well , this is why its so hi , So little water changes wont affect my P.H. but the only thing I need to watch out for is hardness..??

 

[Hakon]

I have changed with only RO water for about a month now and I get a gradually drop.

 

[Caincando1]

Has the well been tested by the county? My well water shows 30 on two different AP test kits and Jungle lab test strips. I had it tested by the county and an independent testing lab and it's only 6.