I just started a thread about this in the soil and compost forum regarding hose end sprayers for teas and beneficial delivery.

I'm planning on using my 2 rain barrels to water the veggie beds but will be using the hose to water the lawn once a week or so and don't want over spray to kill off BIM in my adjacent beds.

Here is a link that might be useful: my thread in the soil and compost forum

I do on seedlings, although I go back and forth on the idea that the chlorine might actually reduce the possibility of damping off happening. I wonder if there have been any scientific studies on chlorine and damping off?

On my regular tomatoes, no. I'll use rainwater first, but that is quickly gone once our rainy season is over, and then it's from the faucet. There was just an article in the Sacramento Bee about rain barrels, and it said the average household in our area uses about 80,000 gallons annually for landscaping. That's a lot of filtered water!

Carla in Sac

Carla,

I have an irrigation system with a dedicated line for my containers. I calculate the 30 EarthTainers will consume about 20 gallons per day, or about 2000 gallons for the growing season. So in theory, this particular filter should be effective for about 10 years.

My goal is to prevent Chlorine and other things that are added into tap water to make is safe to drink - - but harmful to good bacterias, mycros, and other things that are advantageous to tomato growth and taste.

Raybo

I did filter on my seedlings but haven't for the last 3 years and don't notice any difference. As to outside, rainwater, tapwater, even the softened water when I forget to throw the switch seems to work just fine. I have found veggies are pretty forgiving.

Ray, first check to see if you have chlorine or chloramine in your water.

That's just a carbon filter. Carbon will remove chlorine, but not chlorine/ammonia (chloramine).

Most water supplies have moved away from chlorine because chloramine is more stable and releases over time.

That thing doesn't look like it has a very good flow rate either, you can build one yourself better and cheaper if you only need to remove chlorine.

Corrie

Corrie,

This from our Water Company:

""Chlorinous
During the treatment process, chlorine is added to water as a disinfectant. Before the water leaves the treatment plant, ammonia is added to form chloramines to keep the water disinfected while it is distributed to homes and businesses. Chloramines may impart a chlorinous, or medicinal, taste or odor to your drinking water. Chloramines, rather than chlorine, are used to maintain a disinfectant residual because they are more stable, form fewer disinfection by-products, and tend to produce less offensive tastes and odors.""

Some more info on the filter I bought:

The "active ingredients" in this filter are not listed on the Watts website. Here is the description they give for the filter:

5 Year / 20,000 Gal Ice Maker Filter
Clean, Clear, Great Tasting Water. This NSF certified product is the perfect filter for residential and commercial ice makers.This filter will reduce chlorine taste and odors, as well as lime scale build-up. Filter contains a "bacteriostatic" media that inhibits bacteria growth. Longest lasting certified bacteriostatic filter on the market.

In addition, there is an instruction on the filter that reads: "Run water through for 15 minutes before first use to flush loose carbon particles". I take this to imply that the filter does indeed contain charcoal as a filtering agent, in addition to the fiberous filter materials.

I have emailed the Company requesting both the composition of this particular filter, as well as effectiveness of it filtering out chloramine.

Raybo

It's bituminous carbon, it won't touch chloramines.

The easiest way to tell, a filter that removes chloramines would be so expensive you would not even be considering it. :-)

I think you're splitting hairs on this one anyway.
Organics destroy chlorine/chloramines almost instantly.
And dirt is organics.

BTW all activated carbons are considered bacteriostatic. The bacteria that culture on the surface of the carbon inhibit the growth of other bacteria.

Corrie

Hi corrie,
? Will you explain how to build an inexpensive chlorine filter ?

Sure
First you need activated bituminous carbon. Which is easy, it's produced by Calgon and they sell it for everything.
Try Walmart pet department, they sell it as Walmart's aquarium carbon. If not, EBay as BlackDiamond.

Then just take a 2ft length of 4inch PVC, reduce both ends with screw on reducers to hose fittings.

While you are at Walmart, get a bag of polyester pillow/quilting stuffing. Or get filter fluff in the pet department.

Put a small wad in the end of the PVC, fill it with carbon, put another small wad on top, and put the fitting/reducer back on.

That's all
Corrie

Corrie,

Neat DIY design. Thanks.

But I am assuming it won't help with water systems that produce chloramine. Correct?

Raybo

nope, won't touch it.

If you are really serious about removing chloramines, first you have to break the chlorine/ammonia bond.

But again, look at your organics.
Corrie

Corrie,

I grow in EarthTainers which use a soiless potting mix growing medium. No "organics" involved other than Tomato-tone fertilizer.

What I am concerned about is the tap water containing chloramine killing off the good bacteria and mycorrhizae that I add to the potting mix.

Raybo

Reduce chlormine mix with soilless mix place in wicking basket.

http://www.buyactivatedcharcoal.com/product/GAC2050C-S

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Reduce clormine

George,

Thanks for posting the link to the activated charcoal. I hope Corrie comments on the effectiveness of this brand of charcoal re: chloramine removal.

Raybo

Corrie,

Here is another advert I just read re: eliminating chloramine:

Removing Chloramines from Water

Chloramine, which consists of a mixture of chlorine and ammonia, is added to the water of many cities as a substitute for free chlorine. It is often referred to in the plural, as "chloramines," because it can take on a number of forms according to the pH and mineral content of the water.

The whole reduction discussion for chloramines can become quite complex, but the main thing you need to know is that chloramine is removed from water with essentially the same strategies that are used to remove chlorine. This means that carbon filtration is the best removal method, and, contrary to urban legends, filter carbon does indeed remove chloramine. The problem is that it takes more carbon and more contact time to do the job. In practical terms this means that if your city disinfects your tap water with chloramines youÂll need to get a larger and better carbon filter than you would need if chlorine alone were used.

For drinking water you can consider high quality carbon units like Multi-Pure, or double and triple units that use lots of carbon. And, contrary to another widely promoted myth, reverse osmosis units do remove chloramine. In fact, they do it well, because any good RO unit contains a couple of carbon filters and the water gets an extra slow pass through the first one.

In choosing carbon for chloramine removal, a specially prepared carbon called "catalytic" carbon is far superior to regular carbon.

Catalytic carbon is a specifically processed grade of filter carbon that is designed especially for, among other things, exceptional chloramine removal.

Your thoughts??

Raybo

Ray, your soiless potting mix. Does it contain any thing like peat or sphagnum? Those are organics.

You will need a ridiculous amount of 'cracked' carbon and a ridiculous amount of 'dwell' for it to remove chloramines.
Catalytic activated bituminous carbon, produced by Calgon, is the best.

Where they trip you up on carbons, is comparing how carbon removes chlorine to chloramine. Chlorine is removed by adsorption, chloramines are removed by a catalytic reaction.
And they only say "reduce" not "remove" chloramines.
Because of the reaction, you will need to replace the carbon more often.

BTW, it's only salt water anyway.
Chlorox is sodium hypo-chloride, loose the hypo and your are left with sodium chloride. Chloramine is just bound with an ammonia which usually gives you monochloramine, which is also the hardest to remove.

Here's a stupid link I found, trying to sell their product, but at the bottom they list the different carbons and how effective they are.

Corrie

Here is a link that might be useful: Stupid Commercial Site - but makes the point

I have never filtered my outside hose water.

Tho last year - because the water smelled choriney - I started filling tubs and letting the chlorine evaporate out -

not sure how scientific that is
But people told me that worked so I've been doing it

cheers :)

Setting water out isn't supposed to work for chloramines, but I set water out for a day before making tea, and it did still froth and create earthy smelling tea, that I'm sure was brimming w/ microbes. I'll be using rain water for my teas this year though.