Water....

Browndog 8/15/2017, 11:20 am

I may be jumping the gun here. Asking before I research more.
I have 'city' water. That means Flouride and Chlorine.
I filter my drinking water. But what about a garden? Gee... That stuff should kill microorganisms. Flouride bonds with magnesium. Making magnesium worthless. I don't want to do that in my garden.
I can't afford a whole house water filter.
Any suggestions on what to do?

I have two rain barrels. Can take care of the Chlorine by filling those. Letting the water sit for a day or two. Chlorine will evaporate. Would rather have a better solution.

Still.... the flouride?

If I drink any of my water before filtering. It tastes like a doctors office. That can't be good for plants.

CapeCoddess 8/15/2017, 12:03 pm

Browndog wrote:

Still.... the flouride?

If I drink any of my water before filtering. It tastes like a doctors office. That can't be good for plants.

Blech!

I freak out about using city water on my veggies. I don't have floride but I have chlorine. I found a hose filter that I use to water the veggies with when I don't have enough bucket water. I attach it to the nozzle end not the spigot end, and take it inside after each use. I don't think you have to do that tho. And I'm not sure if it filters flouride but you can research it and others:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024E6V30/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Let us know what you find please? I'm sure others have this issue.

Now...if they'd only come up with a water warmer I could attach to the hose... my city water is like ice water. Poor summer veggies shiver and dither when they see that hose coming.

CC

**sanderson** 8/15/2017, 3:25 pm

Well, I'm stumped. I thought anything that removed chlorine would remove fluoride but I'm wrong. Embarassed

EPA and State regulations do not address how to remove, and it looks like activated carbon filters (any big box store) aren't that effective and get exhausted quickly, needing replacement. Reverse osmosis (RO) takes 4 gallons to produce one clean gallon. That may be fine for drinking water but our gardens need more than a couple gallons. I found this article: http://www.pure-earth.com/fluoride-water-filters.htm

Stumped for a good solution.

Browndog 8/16/2017, 12:05 am

From what I've seen. It takes Coconut shell to remove Flouride. It also does well on many things. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.
I saw one filter that doesn't use coconut shell. It removes flouride.
My pitchers have coconut in their filters.

I just got to the point in the book talking about watering. I won't have any problem with my pitchers and watering the SFG way.

Browndog 8/16/2017, 12:12 am

Also for assurance sake. I might put a drop of Iodine in a half gallon of water for the garden. Amongst other things it does in the body. It's supposed to eliminate flouride. Really don't know how much it takes to do that. I probably should wait on the water overnight, opened. So any Chlorine, if my filters failed, will evaporate. The filters are supposed to be taking care of the flouride also.
I put six drops in the same size container for my drinking water.

To be honest. When I've seen manufacturers pinned down on flouride. They'll admit only a certain amount removed. Not all of it. So?... left guessing. This doesn't include reverse osmosis and that one filter I mentioned that isn't coconut.

Dummy me just saw the edit button. ... Doh!

**sanderson** 8/16/2017, 12:46 am

Browndog wrote:From what I've seen. It takes Coconut shell to remove Flouride. It also does well on many things. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.
I saw one filter that doesn't use coconut shell. It removes flouride.
My pitchers have coconut in their filters.

Do you have any documentation regarding coconut shell removing fluoride?

Browndog 8/16/2017, 1:23 am

I can't find that now? Perhaps I should take that statement back? Know I saw it. Both these below. I have saved them because of good sources endorsing them.

My Iodine may be the only thing fighting flouride for me right now. ???

That link you gave on that one company. Been told that is a good filter company. They don't agree on coconut for flouride either. They do use coconut. But not for flouride removal.
Another one that is supposed to be really good that I mentioned and doesn't use coconut for flouride is: (it says I can't post links for 7 days)... so .. it's Dolton USA. Supposed to be really good. It's an English company.

CapeCoddess 8/16/2017, 2:01 pm

Browndog wrote:
My pitchers have coconut in their filters.

Probably the documentation and website for the water filter with the coconut in it that you are using would have the fluoride info. what's the name of the filter company?

Browndog 8/16/2017, 2:26 pm

That's what I couldn't find. I remember it was a filter company that made the bigger stuff. Like whole house filters and faucet filters.
My little pitchers? They claim flouride. But I take a little pitcher company with a big grain of salt.
Either way. I'm trying.

MrBooker 8/17/2017, 5:17 am

I use this water hose filter. Does it REEEELY work.?? Maybe, maybe not but I just feel better using it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garden-Hose-Filter-Removes-Chlorine-Chloramines-VOCs-Pesticides-Herbicides-/112287174568?epid=1801521643&hash=item1a24d64fa8:g:z8cAAOSw-0xYkCvZ

The ad says: "What is catalytic carbon? This carbon is made from coconut shell that has undergone a steam activation process to create its activated carbon form with micro-pores".

The ad also says it's good for 10,000 gallons. I replace mine every two years.

plantoid 8/17/2017, 6:44 am

CapeCoddess wrote:
Browndog wrote:

Still.... the flouride?

If I drink any of my water before filtering. It tastes like a doctors office. That can't be good for plants.

Blech! I freak out about using city water on my veggies. I don't have floride but I have chlorine. I found a hose filter that I use to water the veggies with when I don't have enough bucket water. I attach it to the nozzle end not the spigot end, and take it inside after each use. I don't think you have to do that tho. And I'm not sure if it filters flouride but you can research it and others:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024E6V30/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Let us know what you find please? I'm sure others have this issue.

If you have a leak proof barrel & some decent hose fittings you can fill the barrel with the bung removed from a fitting put in the bottom & take the water out from a fitting at the highest point ( warm water rises to the top ...... to your advantage ? )
Once you have filled the barrel & put the bung back in & left it 24 hrs to pick up the ambient air temp if the 10 oC mains water is too cold .
Though before ruining a big 45 gallon plastic food grade industrial barrel I'd run a few experiments using a big bucket of water stood in the sun for a day sun to see how many degrees a sunny day will raise the water temperature just to be siure you not going to scald your plants .

BeetlesPerSqFt 8/17/2017, 8:45 am

I think this video is relevant to the topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgvlE8YM1xI

I found this when I was researching chlorine in tap water and what it's possible effects were in the garden. After watching the video (and reading various web pages) I decided not to worry about it further. Would I prefer to use more rain water? Sure, but until I'm not renting, a rainwater storage/collection system isn't practical for me.

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