Joelugs13 Posted April 7, 2020 Report Share Posted April 7, 2020 I'm getting back into the hobby and I'm about to receive my first few plants in a few day. BUT my 3 year old son has opened the tap on the waterbutt that I've collected water for the plants and has emptied completely .No rain is in the forecast . Where can I buy distilled water ? Is it just bottled water? Also could I collect water from my shed ? Or is it best to stay clear as the roof is covered with shed felt, wood it harm the plants? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billynomates666 Posted April 8, 2020 Report Share Posted April 8, 2020 (edited) Bottled water isnt distilled water and does contain nutrients so wouldnt be a good alternative. Water sold for irons or car batteries are distilled or RO but some aquarium specialists (if you can fin done thats open) sell RO water which is perfect. If you have access to an AC unit the water from that can be used. In the short term if plants are dying, any water is better than none and pots can be flushed with rain/distilled water later if tap water has to be used. I collect water off my shed felted roofs, and my house roof, it raises the mineral content slightly (worse in light rain or infrequent showery conditions) but not enough to worry about, according to my TDS machine the 'pure' rainwater is 8-12 ppm and the roof water varies form 8 -15 with the dust and muck that accrues on it. If you feel rich enough you could buy a Reverse Osmosis machine. Cheers Steve Edited April 8, 2020 by billynomates666 additional info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted April 8, 2020 Report Share Posted April 8, 2020 Where do you live? If you're in a soft water area you can search your water quality on your water company website. It's usually listed as conductivity, which you can convert to total dissolved solids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelugs13 Posted April 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2020 In Preston Lancashire . I've not tested the water. Where do you get the test kits from and witch kit should I get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobH Posted April 8, 2020 Report Share Posted April 8, 2020 You can buy a TDS Meter (Total Dissolved Solids) from Amazon for less than £10. Do a search on TDS Meter for a selection. Always good to have for testing your water and rainwater should be anything from about 8 - 15 ppm if not contaminated. Water less than 50 ppm is usually fine for carnivorous plants. Kind regards, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted April 9, 2020 Report Share Posted April 9, 2020 Most areas of Preston are high in TDS I'm afraid. Their water doesn't come from the Lake District like most areas of NW England. I would stick to deionised water, which you can get from most supermarkets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirks Posted April 9, 2020 Report Share Posted April 9, 2020 I live 7 miles from preston and the tds of our tap water which I've just checked is 49ppm Alternatively dehumidifier water is low at 12 or you can buy distilled water online of which I have had to purchase in the past few years during the dry spells we have had but isn't cheap but again does the job and delivered quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul O'Keeffe Posted November 26, 2021 Report Share Posted November 26, 2021 This company is very cheap to buy water from https://www.spotlesswater.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqIKNBhAIEiwAu_ZLDjsrKyIqWuwpGTWxsp6Kju8khMz33tssi5LxORsipmK5kpATBusiJxoCKQEQAvD_BwE 67p for for 16L of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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