Hello,


I read that you can lower water hardness with Oxalic acid. Here is what
i did.
Tested my tap water: 19 GH or 338,2 ppm calciumcarbonate with a pH of
+7,6
after 20g oxalic acid in 5 liters (1,3 gal) and a day of rest it came
down to a GH of 3( 53,4 ppm) and a pH lower than 6 and a nice deposit
of calicumoxalide on the bottom which I removed.
I am now testing the same with 10g on 5 liter to mesure the results but
I don't have the results yet.

Now my question is

How do I know what is a good amount of oxalic acid for a given amount
of water?
Is all the oxalic acid used up in the process?
Is there anything essential changed in the composition of the water
(apart from ph and hardness)?
Should I use sulphuric acid or any other product?

Thanks for any reply

Alexander wrote:
Hello,


I read that you can lower water hardness with Oxalic acid. Here is what
i did.
Tested my tap water: 19 GH or 338,2 ppm calciumcarbonate with a pH of
+7,6
after 20g oxalic acid in 5 liters (1,3 gal) and a day of rest it came
down to a GH of 3( 53,4 ppm) and a pH lower than 6 and a nice deposit
of calicumoxalide on the bottom which I removed.
I am now testing the same with 10g on 5 liter to mesure the results but
I don't have the results yet.

Now my question is

How do I know what is a good amount of oxalic acid for a given amount
of water?
Is all the oxalic acid used up in the process?
Is there anything essential changed in the composition of the water
(apart from ph and hardness)?
Should I use sulphuric acid or any other product?



You should use an ion exchange water softener. Forget the acid.

J. Del Col

jadel wrote:

Alexander wrote:

Hello,


I read that you can lower water hardness with Oxalic acid. Here is what
i did.
Tested my tap water: 19 GH or 338,2 ppm calciumcarbonate with a pH of
+7,6
after 20g oxalic acid in 5 liters (1,3 gal) and a day of rest it came
down to a GH of 3( 53,4 ppm) and a pH lower than 6 and a nice deposit
of calicumoxalide on the bottom which I removed.
I am now testing the same with 10g on 5 liter to mesure the results but
I don't have the results yet.

Now my question is

How do I know what is a good amount of oxalic acid for a given amount
of water?
Is all the oxalic acid used up in the process?
Is there anything essential changed in the composition of the water
(apart from ph and hardness)?
Should I use sulphuric acid or any other product?




You should use an ion exchange water softener. Forget the acid.

J. Del Col


Or failing that, the only way to know how much acid to use is to titrate
it out. If your water doesn't change, and your acid doesn't change,
then in theory you should be able to add exactly the same amount each
time. So experiment to find out what that amount is.

The oxalic acid isn't 'used up' so to speak. It is still there. What
actually happens do it requires more chemistry than I care to impart (if
I remembered it...). But it won't be 'acid' after reacting with a base.

Your water itself won't change appreciably. Unless you have to add a
whole lot of acid... Whether or not you use sulphuric acid depends on
several things, including your comfort with harsh acids. Sulphuric will
eat your clothes and your hands if you aren't careful. I like citric
acid, myself, which is relatively benign. You can even squeeze a lemon
into your water if you want...

You can probably get the pH lowering effect you are looking for by
adding a little fertilizer. You were going to fertilize anyway, right?
Using a dilute fertilizer all the time is not a bad idea, and it
might solve your pH problem without requiring more acid.

Rob
--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

Hy,

My main concern was calcium accumulation on leaves and substrate. Good
to point out the pH lowering effect of fertilizer. I am mainly looking
for a easy and not to expensive way to get orchid-loving water for a
smal (20 orchids) collection.
Think i'll experiment a little more before investing in a :"You should
use an ion exchange water softener. Forget the acid."

On 21 Jun 2005 15:03:34 -0700 in .com Alexander wrote:
Hy,

My main concern was calcium accumulation on leaves and substrate. Good
to point out the pH lowering effect of fertilizer. I am mainly looking
for a easy and not to expensive way to get orchid-loving water for a
smal (20 orchids) collection.
Think i'll experiment a little more before investing in a :"You should
use an ion exchange water softener. Forget the acid."

You could always use distilled water and for every $ spent on distilled
water, put the same amount in a fund for a still or a reverse osmosis system.

Remember that most fertilizers make distilled water quite acidic.


--
Chris Dukes
Suspicion breeds confidence -- Brazil

Alexander wrote:
Hy,

My main concern was calcium accumulation on leaves and substrate. Good
to point out the pH lowering effect of fertilizer. I am mainly looking
for a easy and not to expensive way to get orchid-loving water for a
smal (20 orchids) collection.
Think i'll experiment a little more before investing in a :"You should
use an ion exchange water softener. Forget the acid."

In the long run, ion exchange or reverse osmosis will be cheaper and
less risky to the plants, and to you. Concentrated acids are nasty
stuff.

J. Del Col

In article . com,
"Alexander" wrote:

Hello,


I read that you can lower water hardness with Oxalic acid. Here is what
i did.
Tested my tap water: 19 GH or 338,2 ppm calciumcarbonate with a pH of
+7,6
after 20g oxalic acid in 5 liters (1,3 gal) and a day of rest it came
down to a GH of 3( 53,4 ppm) and a pH lower than 6 and a nice deposit
of calicumoxalide on the bottom which I removed.
I am now testing the same with 10g on 5 liter to mesure the results but
I don't have the results yet.

Now my question is

How do I know what is a good amount of oxalic acid for a given amount
of water?
Is all the oxalic acid used up in the process?
Is there anything essential changed in the composition of the water
(apart from ph and hardness)?
Should I use sulphuric acid or any other product?

Thanks for any reply

What about powdered sulfur from the garden shop? Vinegar?

StrikitRich wrote:

Thanks for any reply


What about powdered sulfur from the garden shop? Vinegar?

Vinegar would be better, I think. Easier to manage.

--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit

"Alexander" wrote:

Think i'll experiment a little more before investing in a :"You should
use an ion exchange water softener. Forget the acid."

Go to a good pet store that has salt water aquarium products, there is
an ion exchange unit "tap water purifier" sold to reefers which for
like $50 will filter something like 200 gallons.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/rev-twp.htm