Re: Water and watering (fwd)

Rick Walker (walker@cutter.hpl.hp.com)
Wed, 28 Jun 1995 12:14:11 -0700

Dear UK subscribers:

PLEASE, PLEASE do not use autoreply for your
responses to the CP mailing list! Do to an HP mailer bug, your messages
will only get sent to bother Carolyn Phelan (CP) in HP Bristol, England.

Please send your messages explicitly to CP@opus.hpl.hp.com.

Thanks!,

--
Rick Walker

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Return-Path: cp@everest.hpl.hp.com Received: from cphelan.hpl.hp.com by cutter.hpl.hp.com with SMTP (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA08314; Wed, 28 Jun 1995 00:09:35 -0700 Return-Path: <cp@everest.hpl.hp.com> Received: by everest.hpl.hp.com (1.37.109.16/15.6+ISC) id AA003263362; Wed, 28 Jun 1995 08:09:22 +0100 Message-Id: <199506280709.AA003263362@everest.hpl.hp.com> To: walker@cutter.hpl.hp.com Mailer: Elm [revision: 70.85]

One of yours I believe!

Carolyn

> > > Richard Marsden writes: > > <ion-exchange resins> ... > > There are two varieties. One will swap cations for H+, the other > > will swap anions for OH-. > ... > > Using both resins, should remove both anions & cations, with the H & > > OH combining to produce H2O. > > > > The beads we used were orange. I don't know where you get them > > from. I doubt they'll remove many organics. > > > I should think calcium and chlorine are probably the most > damaging components of regular tapwater... I guess the carbon > helps with some chemicals the resin can't deal with. > > > > If I remember correctly, they could be "recharged" by running strong > > acid or alkali (respectively) through the beads. > > > Do you (or anyone,) know if it's safe to clean with both acid > and alkali if both types are mixed? I wouldn't want to damage > the acid tolerant ones with alkali or vice versa. I think I'll > probably give it a go, but I'll test it on some spare capensis > etc. first to see if it does the job. Presumably I need to > rinse it out pretty well to clean out any caustic residue... > > > and Wim Osterholt writes: > > > That sounds quite right. 25 years ago I was in a laboratory that > > used stuff like that. One cylinder H+ swappers and the other one > > OH- swappers. Was regenerated by rinsing with HCl and NaOH. > > Colours dark brown and light brown. > > > Presumably H2SO4 will work as well as HCl - I can't get HCl > easily, but I'm hoping battery acid will do. Caustic soda is > cheaply available for cleaning drains etc. > > > > I could probably rig something like this up. The problem with > > electronic pH meters, is the cost of the probes (which I think are > > also quite delicate). > > > I got one from Texas (superstore, not the state :) for 6 quid - > not remarkably accurate, but adequate. Or there's always the > chemical testers. > > > > Remember that you all (probably) already have a H2O generator at > > home. Take a matchbox or some such to prevent your fridge door to > > fully close. Defrost it every day and collect the melting condensed > > ice from it into a suitable device. > > > Umm, I think that could work out even more expensive than > cartridges when the electricity bill arrives :) > > > I'll post my results to the list when I've had a play with this > stuff (if only a warning about crispy capensises (capenses?) > > > Happy growing, > > > Peter > > > >

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