Filter for garden hose

[mangomaniac2]

That is what all my hose bibs look like too.

[nana7b]

My city uses chloramine instead of chlorine. Not sure if KDF filters that. May want to check how your city treats water.

[mangomaniac2]

My city uses chloramine instead of chlorine. Not sure if KDF filters that. May want to check how your city treats water.

From what I have read it does remove chloramine, but less effective than removing chlorine. Some places recommend KDF as prefilter to carbon filter but that would be expensive proposition if lots of plants. However, I am sure your plants would LOVE the combination of using both.

[KarenRei]

Concerning the "they put chlorine in the water for a purpose": Yes, but that purpose is first to kill anything that's in the water when they introduce it to the system, and then to prevent things from growing as water sits in the system before it reaches your house. Unless water's sitting for very long periods of time in the pipes in your house, it's unlikely you have anything to worry about.

That said, the concept that "chlorine is as bad for people as it is for plants" is also wrong. Plants are much more chlorine sensitive than humans. Humans ingest large amounts of chlorine ion every day not simply from water, but most famously in the form of salt (sodium chloride, Na+ Cl- (aq)). About 100 grams of the average human body is chlorine. And if you think chlorine is bad in your bathwater then you better not even go *near* the ocean where it's many orders of magnitude more concentrated.

That said, filtering your water isn't in most regards a bad thing. One, the most common water health issue is inadequate disinfection, so if you have a filter that can filter out infectious organisms as well, you're helping yourself out there. Harmful contaminants in water are limited by regulations, but with a filter you're adding a layer of protection for yourself against accidental violations of water quality guidelines, and of course, even the limits can be improved upon; it's never bad to reduce your intake of, say, lead, even if the levels are already low. The only negative problem that comes to mind is if your filtration system filters out fluorine (which if it filters out chlorine it almost certainly will do). This will give you a statistically significantly higher risk of dental caries unless you consume enough from other fluoride sources, such as fluoridated salt or toothpaste. Regular exposure to fluorine ions (such as from fluoridated water, or water from streams and wells naturally rich in fluorine) converts the hydroxyapatite that makes up teeth into the harder and more acid resistant fluoroapatite.

[mangomaniac2]

Concerning the "they put chlorine in the water for a purpose": Yes, but that purpose is first to kill anything that's in the water when they introduce it to the system, and then to prevent things from growing as water sits in the system before it reaches your house. Unless water's sitting for very long periods of time in the pipes in your house, it's unlikely you have anything to worry about.

That said, the concept that "chlorine is as bad for people as it is for plants" is also wrong. Plants are much more chlorine sensitive than humans. Humans ingest large amounts of chlorine ion every day not simply from water, but most famously in the form of salt (sodium chloride, Na+ Cl- (aq)). About 100 grams of the average human body is chlorine. And if you think chlorine is bad in your bathwater then you better not even go *near* the ocean where it's many orders of magnitude more concentrated.

That said, filtering your water isn't in most regards a bad thing. One, the most common water health issue is inadequate disinfection, so if you have a filter that can filter out infectious organisms as well, you're helping yourself out there. Harmful contaminants in water are limited by regulations, but with a filter you're adding a layer of protection for yourself against accidental violations of water quality guidelines, and of course, even the limits can be improved upon; it's never bad to reduce your intake of, say, lead, even if the levels are already low. The only negative problem that comes to mind is if your filtration system filters out fluorine (which if it filters out chlorine it almost certainly will do). This will give you a statistically significantly higher risk of dental caries unless you consume enough from other fluoride sources, such as fluoridated salt or toothpaste. Regular exposure to fluorine ions (such as from fluoridated water, or water from streams and wells naturally rich in fluorine) converts the hydroxyapatite that makes up teeth into the harder and more acid resistant fluoroapatite.

Thanks for the info!
Here in Arizona the levels of chlorine are so high that if you fill a bucket or garbage container with water and then smell, it smells like a swimming pool. With the inline filter, no pool smell. This is another way to test if the filter is wore out BTW. So chlorine or chloramine I don't know which is in the water, but it works.

[stormin]

Concerning the "they put chlorine in the water for a purpose": Yes, but that purpose is first to kill anything that's in the water when they introduce it to the system, and then to prevent things from growing as water sits in the system before it reaches your house. Unless water's sitting for very long periods of time in the pipes in your house, it's unlikely you have anything to worry about.

That said, the concept that "chlorine is as bad for people as it is for plants" is also wrong. Plants are much more chlorine sensitive than humans. Humans ingest large amounts of chlorine ion every day not simply from water, but most famously in the form of salt (sodium chloride, Na+ Cl- (aq)). About 100 grams of the average human body is chlorine. And if you think chlorine is bad in your bathwater then you better not even go *near* the ocean where it's many orders of magnitude more concentrated.

That said, filtering your water isn't in most regards a bad thing. One, the most common water health issue is inadequate disinfection, so if you have a filter that can filter out infectious organisms as well, you're helping yourself out there. Harmful contaminants in water are limited by regulations, but with a filter you're adding a layer of protection for yourself against accidental violations of water quality guidelines, and of course, even the limits can be improved upon; it's never bad to reduce your intake of, say, lead, even if the levels are already low. The only negative problem that comes to mind is if your filtration system filters out fluorine (which if it filters out chlorine it almost certainly will do). This will give you a statistically significantly higher risk of dental caries unless you consume enough from other fluoride sources, such as fluoridated salt or toothpaste. Regular exposure to fluorine ions (such as from fluoridated water, or water from streams and wells naturally rich in fluorine) converts the hydroxyapatite that makes up teeth into the harder and more acid resistant fluoroapatite.

Thanks for the info!
Here in Arizona the levels of chlorine are so high that if you fill a bucket or garbage container with water and then smell, it smells like a swimming pool. With the inline filter, no pool smell. This is another way to test if the filter is wore out BTW. So chlorine or chloramine I don't know which is in the water, but it works.

You can either call the company that deals with your water supply to see which they use, either chlorine or chloramine, or in my case, I went to their website and it was listed that they use chlorine in my area.

[fruitlovers]

Concerning the "they put chlorine in the water for a purpose": Yes, but that purpose is first to kill anything that's in the water when they introduce it to the system, and then to prevent things from growing as water sits in the system before it reaches your house. Unless water's sitting for very long periods of time in the pipes in your house, it's unlikely you have anything to worry about.

That said, the concept that "chlorine is as bad for people as it is for plants" is also wrong. Plants are much more chlorine sensitive than humans. Humans ingest large amounts of chlorine ion every day not simply from water, but most famously in the form of salt (sodium chloride, Na+ Cl- (aq)). About 100 grams of the average human body is chlorine. And if you think chlorine is bad in your bathwater then you better not even go *near* the ocean where it's many orders of magnitude more concentrated.

That said, filtering your water isn't in most regards a bad thing. One, the most common water health issue is inadequate disinfection, so if you have a filter that can filter out infectious organisms as well, you're helping yourself out there. Harmful contaminants in water are limited by regulations, but with a filter you're adding a layer of protection for yourself against accidental violations of water quality guidelines, and of course, even the limits can be improved upon; it's never bad to reduce your intake of, say, lead, even if the levels are already low. The only negative problem that comes to mind is if your filtration system filters out fluorine (which if it filters out chlorine it almost certainly will do). This will give you a statistically significantly higher risk of dental caries unless you consume enough from other fluoride sources, such as fluoridated salt or toothpaste. Regular exposure to fluorine ions (such as from fluoridated water, or water from streams and wells naturally rich in fluorine) converts the hydroxyapatite that makes up teeth into the harder and more acid resistant fluoroapatite.

It's quite obvious to most that chlorine is not the same thing as chloride. If you take a walk along the seashore you will see many plants growing in the water's edge, and also many plants floating on ocean surface (sodium chloride). Now perform an experiment and put some of those plants in a chlorinated pool and see how long they survive? Or better yet, put some chlorine in a salt water aquarium and see how long it takes before all the fish and plants in that tank croak? As for human chlorine consumption you can try sprinkling some chlorine on your potatoes instead of salt and see how you feel afterwards? 

[KarenRei]

It's quite obvious to most that chlorine is not the same thing as chloride.

Chlorine gas is Cl2. Dissolved chlorine two Cl-. Chloride is Cl-. Dissolved chlorine *is* chloride. Cl-. No difference. Period. And fyi, it's the same Cl- abundant in hydrochloric acid. The stuff in your stomach that all food goes through.

If you take a walk along the seashore you will see many plants growing in the water's edge

Yes, they're known as salt-tolerant plants. Tolerating high amounts of chlorine, but only when counterbalanced with a cation like sodium or potassium

Now perform an experiment and put some of those plants in a chlorinated pool and see how long they survive?

The chlorine isn't the difference between the environments. The presence or absence of a counterbalancing cation is the difference. Without a counterbalancing cation chlorine is very reactive. Just the same as the chlorine in your stomach that your parietal cells produce (but a orders of magnitude higher concentrations). Your body uses this to help sterilize that which you eat and break apart compounds in your food. I'll repeat: your body uses free chlorine ions in the stomach to do the same thing that it's added to water to do.

Once chlorine reacts with matter it's no longer free chlorine. It's a chlorinated compound, usually aqueous with a cation like sodium or potassium, aka, salt. Why aren't your bowel movements highly acidic? Simple, because the intestine neutralizes free chlorine ions with sodium bicarbonate from the pancreas, forming sodium chloride (salt). I'll reiterate: the intestines neutralize any free chlorine from the stomach into salt.  It's a fundamental part of how the digestive system works.

Let me put it in one short sentence: Municipal water is sterilized with the human body's own sterilization technique.

[fruitlovers]

It's quite obvious to most that chlorine is not the same thing as chloride.

Chlorine gas is Cl2. Dissolved chlorine two Cl-. Chloride is Cl-. Dissolved chlorine *is* chloride. Cl-. No difference. Period. And fyi, it's the same Cl- abundant in hydrochloric acid. The stuff in your stomach that all food goes through.

If you take a walk along the seashore you will see many plants growing in the water's edge

Yes, they're known as salt-tolerant plants. Tolerating high amounts of chlorine, but only when counterbalanced with a cation like sodium or potassium

Now perform an experiment and put some of those plants in a chlorinated pool and see how long they survive?

The chlorine isn't the difference between the environments. The presence or absence of a counterbalancing cation is the difference. Without a counterbalancing cation chlorine is very reactive. Just the same as the chlorine in your stomach that your parietal cells produce (but a orders of magnitude higher concentrations). Your body uses this to help sterilize that which you eat and break apart compounds in your food. I'll repeat: your body uses free chlorine ions in the stomach to do the same thing that it's added to water to do.

Once chlorine reacts with matter it's no longer free chlorine. It's a chlorinated compound, usually aqueous with a cation like sodium or potassium, aka, salt. Why aren't your bowel movements highly acidic? Simple, because the intestine neutralizes free chlorine ions with sodium bicarbonate from the pancreas, forming sodium chlorine (salt). I'll reiterate: the intestines neutralize any free chlorine from the stomach into salt.  It's a fundamental part of how the digestive system works.

Let me put it in one short sentence: Municipal water is sterilized with the human body's own sterilization technique.

FYI all plants developed initially in ocean water. It's not as you imply that a few plants are salt water resistant. OK since municipal water uses same chlorine technique as human bowel for disinfecting then you won't mind downing a glass of swimming pool chemical chlorine?  You have sodium and potassium cations in your body. So should do you no harm, right? 

[KarenRei]

FYI all plants developed initially in ocean water.

False, unless you're talking all the way back to the precambrian. There is not a single  land plant today which has some sort of "ancestral" salt resistance, they're all evolved in (evolutionarily) modern times from other land plants which lack salt resistance, as they move into a niche exposed to high salt concentrations.

It's not as you imply that a few plants are salt water resistant.

Yes, it's exactly as I imply, the overwhelming majority of plants are not salt-water resistant.

OK since municipal water uses same chlorine technique as human bowel for disinfecting then you won't mind downing a glass of swimming pool chemical chlorine?  You have sodium and potassium cations in your body. So should do you no harm, right? 

So you'd be perfectly fine with downing a glass of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid)? Wait, no? Gee, why not? Oh yeah, because it'd eat up your throat on its way to the stomach.  The mouth and throat are not evolved to handle high concentrations of corrosive chemicals. But they tolerate lower levels just fine (people eat plenty of acidic and basic things).

[fruitlovers]

FYI all plants developed initially in ocean water.

False, unless you're talking all the way back to the precambrian. There is not a single  land plant today which has some sort of "ancestral" salt resistance, they're all evolved in (evolutionarily) modern times from other land plants which lack salt resistance, as they move into a niche exposed to high salt concentrations.

It's not as you imply that a few plants are salt water resistant.

Yes, it's exactly as I imply, the overwhelming majority of plants are not salt-water resistant.

OK since municipal water uses same chlorine technique as human bowel for disinfecting then you won't mind downing a glass of swimming pool chemical chlorine?  You have sodium and potassium cations in your body. So should do you no harm, right? 

So you'd be perfectly fine with downing a glass of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid)? Wait, no? Gee, why not? Oh yeah, because it'd eat up your throat on its way to the stomach.  The mouth and throat are not evolved to handle high concentrations of corrosive chemicals. But they tolerate lower levels just fine (people eat plenty of acidic and basic things).

Initially means what? Yes in the beginning.    Initial plants began in salt water, not as land plants. Yes there are land plants with salt resistance. I don't know how ancestral that is but it's still definitely there in some plants, especially ones living close to shore, for example coconuts. Obviously most land plants don't have salt resistance because they have no need for that trait any longer.
BTW, if you insert pool chlorine directly into your stomach, bypassing throat and mouth you're still going to be in a lot of trouble!

[mangoba]

6 years later, what is everyone using for filters these days please? Most of the ones mentioned above are discontinued and I see an amazon branded filters that sell for cheaper than the others.

[spaugh]

ive got an outdoor RO system (garden hose connection) if anyone is interested in buying it.  it will give you very pure water.  i was using it on some salt sensitive plants in my GH for a while and the mist system but am no longer using it.  Send me a pm if you are interested in it.

[Julie]

Daintree, can you post a picture of your filter setup? Is it one of those two stage filters that I see in the home improvement store websites?

How can you tell if it's time to change the filter, such as the Gard'n Gro's 40k gallon filter? Does the pressure start dwindling down?

I've looked into whole house filtration, but boy they're pretty pricey. I don't drink tap water, I have a 5 gallon water dispenser. I also have a showerhead/filter combo from Home Depot, the replacement filters aren't too bad, only $10.

If whole house filter is too difficult you can just add filters to where you are drinking tap water. You say you don't drink tap water, but i bet you are adding tap water into some of your foods? And you can add filter to where you are bathing. Most people don't realize that chlorine is absorbed through the skin. (Bathing in a public pool with tons of chlorine is the absolute worst!) It's not at all healthy, neither for your plants nor for yourself.

Sorry to get off topic but do you have any suggestions for the swimming pool to keep to clean without using chlorine? I have a young child who loves swimming in it (I would rather have more land lol)

[Seanny]

Alternative to chlorine is an ozone generator.

[roblack]

Daintree, can you post a picture of your filter setup? Is it one of those two stage filters that I see in the home improvement store websites?

How can you tell if it's time to change the filter, such as the Gard'n Gro's 40k gallon filter? Does the pressure start dwindling down?

I've looked into whole house filtration, but boy they're pretty pricey. I don't drink tap water, I have a 5 gallon water dispenser. I also have a showerhead/filter combo from Home Depot, the replacement filters aren't too bad, only $10.

If whole house filter is too difficult you can just add filters to where you are drinking tap water. You say you don't drink tap water, but i bet you are adding tap water into some of your foods? And you can add filter to where you are bathing. Most people don't realize that chlorine is absorbed through the skin. (Bathing in a public pool with tons of chlorine is the absolute worst!) It's not at all healthy, neither for your plants nor for yourself.

Sorry to get off topic but do you have any suggestions for the swimming pool to keep to clean without using chlorine? I have a young child who loves swimming in it (I would rather have more land lol)

Still has chlorine, but a saltwater pool is a nice step away from standard chlorine pools.


Re hose filters, since I don't drink out of the hose anymore and our plants seem to be doing fine with well and city water combined, wouldn't want to baby them and get them used to "cleaner" water. They are tough, wanna keep em that way.

[EddieF]

Big box store, whole house filter housing & filter, brass adapters for gardenhose thread, under $100.
I've done it for washing car but restricted flow so removed it.  Get housing with bracket so u can mount it to house.
Many filter elements to chose from.
Easy.

[mangoba]

Big box store, whole house filter housing & filter, brass adapters for gardenhose thread, under $100.
I've done it for washing car but restricted flow so removed it.  Get housing with bracket so u can mount it to house.
Many filter elements to chose from.
Easy.

Any specific filter that you recommend please?

[Muni]

I would add a good non-toxic/drinking water safe hose to the filter. I suggest https://www.eleyhosereels.com/