Thanks for the correction. US EPA regulates a drinking water standard of pH 6.5-8.5. US EPA drinking regulations: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm List of National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations Contaminant Secondary Standard Aluminum 0.05 to 0.2 mg/L Chloride 250 mg/L Color 15 (color units) Copper 1.0 mg/L Corrosivity noncorrosive Fluoride 2.0 mg/L Foaming Agents 0.5 mg/L Iron 0.3 mg/L Manganese 0.05 mg/L Odor 3 threshold odor number pH 6.5-8.5 Silver 0.10 mg/L Sulfate 250 mg/L Total Dissolved Solids 500 mg/L Zinc 5 mg/L Mark Robertson On Oct 26, 2012, at 5:34 PM, Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net> wrote: > Mark wrote >> Water treatment plants are required, at least in America, to >> discharge >> water above pH 7.4. Low pH and high dissolved oxygen increase >> corrosion of lead solder in old pipes which is a public health >> concern. > > The one that feeds my new home (with water from the Clackamas River) > doesn't. I know because I just filled and tested the hot tub, and I > had to add quite a bit of chemical to raise the pH enough. The low pH > of my well water (delicious pure water) at my old place affected the > copper pipes some and a plumber installed a device to correct it. > > I have a rainwater storage tank (1100 gallons) that captures runoff > from the bulb house, and then I siphon the water out with a hose to > irrigate the bulbs. I also mix the fertilizer with it. It is slow, > and I should probably have an electric line run out there so I can > install a pump in the hose line. Yes, I am too lazy to set up an > extension cord every time I want to water the beds. I use tap water > on my seedlings and other container plants, not to mention the > irrigated parts of the garden, and I don't see any damage on plants > or mineral deposit on the pots. > > Does rainwater really have more "air" (gases, which ones?) than tap > water? I've heard that snow does, and that if you pile snow on your > seed pots and let it melt there, it will enhance germination. I don't > know if it's true, but I do it anyway when snow is available. > > Jane McGary > Portland, Oregon, USA > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/