Tap water is a viable option for hydroponics. It's cheap and simple to use, but there are some things you should know before using it. Tap water can contain minerals that may be beneficial for plants, or it could also contain chemicals that are harmful to plants. The best way to find out what your tap water contains is by testing the pH level with an inexpensive kit.

What Is Water Chlorination?

Chlorine is used to kill bacteria in tap water, and it's added as a disinfectant. Chlorine can be beneficial for plants because it kills harmful algae, but chlorine also has the ability to dissolve organic compounds like phosphates from fertilizers or even mineral deposits.

The other option for hydroponics is distilled water:

distilled water is an option that many people believe will be the safest to use, but it's also expensive. You'll need distilled water for hydroponics if you don't want any minerals in your system because those minerals can create problems with pH fluctuations. Distillation removes all of the dissolved solids and leaves behind pure H20.

Reverse osmosis is an option that many people believe will be the safest to use, but it's also very expensive. Reverse Osmosis (RO) water works by pushing all of the minerals, salts and other junk out while they're under pressure. RO water for hydroponics can provide a lot of advantages because you can control what goes into the water for your plants. You can also use RO to produce hyper-pure water that's free of almost everything, including bacteria and minerals.

Filtered tap water is an option if you want the benefits of chlorine without it being dissolved in the water; but this comes at a cost because you'll need extra gear. Filters like reverse osmosis filters or carbon-based water filter systems will remove the chlorine from your tap water, but you'll need to use more energy.

How Long to Leave Tap Water in the Sun?

While this is a good way to disinfect the water, it takes time. UV light does wonders for killing bacteria in water, but you need enough exposure (time) to achieve that goal. The best thing about using sunlight as your source of disinfection is that there's no cost involved or extra gear needed; just be sure not to leave your water in the sun too long because UV radiation can break down your tap water and turn it into a deadly pollutant.

Chloramine: Another Potential Threat to

Chloramine is a disinfectant that's most often used by public water systems because it doesn't break down as fast as chlorine does. This means you have to wait longer after adding chloramines to the water before planting your plants, but there are other factors too. Chlorine breaks down in about 24 hours while chloramines

What Is Chloramine?

Chloramines are a combination of chlorine and ammonia, with the nitrogen atom from ammonia replacing one of the oxygen atoms in each molecule. The downside to chloramine is that it lasts longer than regular chlorine does, so you'll have to wait up to two days after adding it before planting your plants.

One Final Consideration: Tap Water PPM

Tap water for hydroponics is a viable option, but you need to know about the PPM (parts per million). If it's either too high or too low, then your plants will suffer.

How Hard Water Affects Plants

If you're using tap water, then the PPM is important. Hard water has minerals like calcium and magnesium which can be beneficial to plants but high levels of them could also have adverse effects on your plants. The best way to find out what kind of pH level your tap water has in it is by testing the PH with a simple kit; they range from around $20 up to as much as $200 for professional grade equipment (but there are some options that will do just fine). You'll need to know this information before choosing how hard or soft you want your water if you plan on growing hydroponics at home.

A little about chlorinated vs un-chlorinated: Chlorine kills algae without producing toxic substances that can harm plants. It also provides a lot of benefits because chlorine has an oxidizing effect which is good for both the plant and the soil.

This water will be safe to use; but there are other considerations too that you'll need to look out for like PPM levels, hardness, pH and chloramines -- all explained in detail below.

The great thing about tap water as your source of hydroponics is that it's free! If you have this option available then I recommend making sure everything else checks out first before switching over because there may be advantages or disadvantages when using just tap water with no additives at all (depending on what type of system you're trying to set up).

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