Re: [APD] Lowering KH, Which Is Better: RO Unit or Strong Acid?

[Jerry Baker <jerry at bakerweb_biz>]

cS wrote:
>>it is not a simple way to do it
> 
> It "appears" very simple to me.  Figure out what your starting KH is.
> Decide what you would like your ending KH to be.  Then add the
> appropriate amount of acid.  This is no different from figuring out
> how much KNO3/CaCO3/CaCl2/etc. to use.  Am I correct to make to make
> this assumption?

The difficulty isn't knowing how much acid to add, it's knowing how much 
acid is in the solution you have.

> HANDLING STRONG ACID
> You can purchase the dry forms or liquid form in various
> concentrations from your local pool supply store. 

You cannot buy powdered forms of any acid that would be useful for 
lowering KH. Powdered acids also contain undesirable cations like 
sodium. If you want an acid with hydrogen as it's only cation, it has to 
be a liquid.

> pH CRASH
> Another potential problem that I again feel is blown out of
> proportions.  A potential pH crash is not a problem that is unique to
> acid users.  Recall that RO water contains no buffering capacity (0
> dKH).  The acid resulting from the addition of CO2 should induce a
> similar crash yes?

The problem isn't from having a KH of zero, it's from lowering KH while 
injecting large amounts of CO2 at the same time. Remember that using an 
acid to consume KH releases CO2.

-- 
Jerry Baker
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