FarmerTy Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 All you Hanna meter users, has anybody else tested their RO/DI water for PO4 levels? Was just asking out of curiosity since I measured mine today and it was at 0.06 ppm. I know my filters are due so I'll end up switching them out soon but just asking out of curiosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 I know what I'm doing tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+olaggie01 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi Ty, I think when I was trying to determine my PO4 sources, my RO/DI was around .09ppm, which caused me to change my filters/membrane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I tested two sources with Elos hi res and got unreadable phopshate levels in Westlake tap water (west of 360) and between .18 and .25 in tap from N. Austin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 North austin and south austin (with the river being a rough dividing line) are served by two separate water treatment plants. I'll test my RO from storage and from tap whenever I can get to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Would be curious to see phosphate levels from a water utility that's getting it's water from a well. Any body get theirs from the San Gabriel or Grainger lake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Depends on the amount of agriculture in the watersheds of those lakes, in addition to how much was received during the fertilizing season. I'd guess that the lake sources, even with treatment, would have a higher dissolved PO4 reading than a well based water utility (assuming it wasn't in an agricultural area and was properly installed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Depends on the amount of agriculture in the watersheds of those lakes, in addition to how much was received during the fertilizing season. I'd guess that the lake sources, even with treatment, would have a higher dissolved PO4 reading than a well based water utility (assuming it wasn't in an agricultural area and was properly installed). I am curious what others are getting but considering the two samples I tested were both from Lake Austin just from two different water utilities (Aqua Texas, Rivercrest water system and Austin Utilities) treatment can obviously mediate phosphates in the source. I also know many communities are served by wells like Moreland and Shady Hollow water systems and was wondering if anybody else is testing their water supply? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 You guys totally hijacked my thread! I'm still waiting for Juiceman's PO4 reading. Don't tease me Rory! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sorry! If it helps the phosphate readings out of the RO/DI unit in Westlake is undetectable as well as out of my RO unit in N. Austin. (I usually don't worry about phosphates but you piqued my curiosity so it's your fault! ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Nah, I was just teasing. Doesn't really matter to me. Question on undetectable, what were you using to test the phosphate and what is the resolution of the test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I use the Elos hi res, lowest detectable color is .024 ppm then 0 ppm (there have been a couple of times when I could detect a slight difference in color of a sample between 0 and .024 references). The Westlake tap water sample was indecernable from the 0 ppm reference color. The tap water sample from N. Austin looked to be aproxamately halfway between the .18ppm and .25ppm reference color and the RO sample was indercernable from the 0 ppm reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I would like to see if there's changes as the year goes on. When I was doing the discus thing, I would get recurring algae outbreaks that would directly correlate with silica levels. Wasn't testing PO4 at the time, but wouldn't be surprised if it changes throughout the year as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Thanks Timfish, I was just curious. May just test the tap water and see what it is here. Should be similar to your results you got in the range of 0.18-0.25 ppm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Do any of the LFS in the area test for phosphates? I've never done a phosphate test on my tank or my RODI. My filters are very old but I'm still getting 0 tds but i realize I could still have phosphates with 0 tds simply by resolution inaccuracies of the tds meter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Pretty sure they all do. I'm not sure though if phosphate is a good leading indicator vs TDS to use for filter replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Well my RODI is 0 TDS, but .01 ppm phosphate according to the hanna meter. I guess that's not horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I should add that my membranes, and DI are about 4 months old, but my Micron and Carbon could probably be changed, the Micron is looking pretty dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 For what it's worth I tested a new private well today in Liberty Hill and the phosphates were maybe a trace out of the well's storage tank using Elos Hi Res test kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Did my part as well: RODI (from the storage container, not fresh from the tap) - 0.00 Tap - 0.43 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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