Dechlorinate city water?

Any other city slickers dechlorinate their water? I just picked up some inline filters that provide good flow and claim to reduce chlorine greatly. Since I'm in the summer arid west and I rely on irrigation I thought it might be worth a try to eliminate the chlorine and stop killing the top layer of soil micro organisms. Time will tell.

I do. This is my first grow, I'm doing outdoor. But I have a 20 gallon storage tote that I put a hole in the side and attached a valve and hose. I fill it with however much I need, leave it for a day or 2 to dechlorinate. I then mix all my nutes in there and drain it from the valve into my water can.

Pouring water back and forth between two containers a few times is also effective. Oxygenates, too!

I have been leaving water out in open containers to let chlorine evaporate over a 24-hour period. Honestly I can't tell if it makes a big difference, but I have two reasons for doing this:

1. I grow a few carnivorous plants just for laughs and they are (allegedly) sensitive to water that has been treated for human consumption. I'm too cheap to buy distilled water for them but I try to give them water that has aired out overnight to reduce chlorine content.

2. I truly believe -- without any scientific evidence to back it up -- that plants "like" rainwater more than tap water. My potted ornamental plants always look healthier after a rain. Maybe the rain flushes undesirable chemicals and minerals out of the potting soil. Or maybe the plants respond because rain is not chlorinated. No idea, but I figure it doesn't hurt to give the plants a break from the chlorine every once in a while. I still give them lots of chlorinated water right out of the spigot or hose, if the "dechlorinated" water is not available.

I base my "dechlorination" procedure on what I read in "how-to" books about keeping pet fish back in the '60s and '70s. Standard advice then was that tap water was safe to add to an aquarium if it had been aired out for 24 hours or if you got it scalding hot out of the faucet and then allowed it to cool down to room temperature in an open container so that the chlorine could "off-gas." I have not bothered to check to see if those methods are still considered to be good enough for removing chlorine from aquarium water.

I agree on the method to dechlorinate but...I add bleach to my EZ cloner with plants present and have had no ill effects

Also

Hydrogen peroxide for dechlorination

http://www.h2o2.com/industrial/applications.aspx?pid=107&name=Dechlorination

Yes to all of the above. I use the set it out in the pail method as well. I'm trying these filters in line so I can dechlorinate my drip system delivery while I'm sitting in a hammock on the Rogue River or escaping the heat at the coast, a hands off approach. I don't think it can hurt, I've never heard anyone say " those plants need a bit more chlorine".

Also, I noticed this stuff in the pet store the other day when I was buying food for ungrateful cats.

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/food-and-care/water-care-and-conditioning/tetra-aquasafe-plus-aquarium-dechlorinator-water-conditioner-17577.html?cgid=300117

It's advertised as "water conditioner" for aquariums and the label says it removes chlorine as well as heavy metals. Also something about "supporting" bacteria in filters, about which I know nothing but I'm guessing plants won't object to anything that is healthy for fish.

If all you're dealing with is chlorine and not chloramine then it's easy enough to remove.

The chlorine will evaporate naturally on it's own after 24 hours. I used to fill a few 5g buckets with water every day after watering, each bucket had an air stone in it to oxygenate the water and help speed along the process.

Chloramine is removable as well. Petco/Smart sells a chloramine removal product for fish tanks, just add that in the recommended amounts with an air pump oxygenating the water and the Chloramine will be removed.

ltecato said:

Also, I noticed this stuff in the pet store the other day when I was buying food for ungrateful cats.

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/food-and-care/water-care-and-conditioning/tetra-aquasafe-plus-aquarium-dechlorinator-water-conditioner-17577.html?cgid=300117

It's advertised as "water conditioner" for aquariums and the label says it removes chlorine as well as heavy metals. Also something about "supporting" bacteria in filters, about which I know nothing but I'm guessing plants won't object to anything that is healthy for fish.

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This is what I use for my aquariums, it's highly concentrated so it only takes 1 drop/Gal. and has no artificial "slime coat" ingredients
https://www.petsmart.com/fish/food-and-care/water-care-and-conditioning/api-tap-water-conditioner-super-strength-aquarium-dechlorinator-18142.html

Hi Guys,
I saved my RO filter from my last location...but didn't need it here. So I removed the RO component and run my tap through the remaining filters which include activated charcoal. No water wasting like with an RO filter and plants do well.
JD

Sir Napsalot said:

This is what I use for my aquariums, it's highly concentrated so it only takes 1 drop/Gal. and has no artificial "slime coat" ingredients
https://www.petsmart.com/fish/food-and-care/water-care-and-conditioning/api-tap-water-conditioner-super-strength-aquarium-dechlorinator-18142.html

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So the "natural biopolymers" in the other product are what creates or supports the "slime coat"? Sounds like something we don't need in our water supply. Unless we are fishes, I guess. Thanks for the heads-up. If I buy a "water conditioner" I'll get the one without the "biopolymers."

ltecato said:

So the "natural biopolymers" in the other product are what creates or supports the "slime coat"? Sounds like something we don't need in our water supply. Unless we are fishes, I guess. Thanks for the heads-up. If I buy a "water conditioner" I'll get the one without the "biopolymers."

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The simpler the better I say

Just for the sake of conversation, $6 will buy enough lab-grade sodium thiosulfate crystals to dechlorinate 50,000 gallons of water if one wanted to make their own solution

Go to a health food store or a Sprouts, or Whole Foods and buy pure Vitamin C powder. One gram of Ascorbic acid will neutralize 1 milligram per liter of chlorine per 100 gallons. You needs very little for a 5 gallon bucket and it’s a good stable, organic way to lower ph. It neutralizes chlorine almost instantly, so no letting water sit overnight and that type of shit.

And get this, that includes Chloramine. So to put it in perspective, one 1000 mg vitamin C tablet is enough to neutralize an average size bathtub of water. Doesn’t hurt water aqua life either, win win.

Make sure to use vitamin c powder.

city water will not hurt your plants one bit.

Ky Farmer is right as far my area goes,the first 3 in of soil filters it all out

Hey guys I'm gonna blow your minds here. Chlorine is a secondary growth element that your plants need.....

I spent about 5 years letting my water all sit for 24-36 and aggitating it to speed the process. Then I read about using chlorine to sterilize hydro systems. I can't remember the brand but there is an actual chlorine product they sell at hydro stores.

So I was still skeptical and figured I would start by giving just my clones city water that had not been de chlorinated..... No issues, so I tried switching my whole hydro system over, and low and behold no issues...

Then I decided to actually try the sterile system by adding a chlorine solution I mixed up. This was designed to ensure no bad shit grew in my system ever. Guess what it works great .

So point being unless you have some sort of ungodly high swimming pool strength chlorine in your water, you don't have to worry about it.

Thundercat said:

Hey guys I'm gonna blow your minds here. Chlorine is a secondary growth element that your plants need.....

I spent about 5 years letting my water all sit for 24-36 and aggitating it to speed the process. Then I read about using chlorine to sterilize hydro systems. I can't remember the brand but there is an actual chlorine product they sell at hydro stores.

So I was still skeptical and figured I would start by giving just my clones city water that had not been de chlorinated..... No issues, so I tried switching my whole hydro system over, and low and behold no issues...

Then I decided to actually try the sterile system by adding a chlorine solution I mixed up. This was designed to ensure no bad shit grew in my system ever. Guess what it works great .

So point being unless you have some sort of ungodly high swimming pool strength chlorine in your water, you don't have to worry about it.

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Boy, do I feel dumb. I just wasted $21 on two filters. I haven't been suckered this bad since I sent away for the All Star Cha Cha record set from KTEL. It was awful.

Backyard dirt said:

Boy, do I feel dumb. I just wasted $21 on two filters. I haven't been suckered this bad since I sent away for the All Star Cha Cha record set from KTEL. It was awful.

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That sounds like sarcasm. I'm not suggesting that dechlorinating will hurt anything. Just saying it really isn't nessesary.

Thundercat said:

That sounds like sarcasm. I'm not suggesting that dechlorinating will hurt anything. Just saying it really isn't nessesary.

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I thought I 'd give it a try, my instincts are to duplicate natural water and thus my experiment here. If chlorinated water was a significant detriment to plants we probably would have heard about it by now. The consensus so far is that chlorine only affects the upper inch or two or three, but this alone would be reason to remove chlorine while the roots are shallow in early growth. Thanks for sharing your experience.