Path: utzoo!hoptoad!ptsfa!ames!hc!lll-winken!gryphon!richard
From: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton)
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: softening water
Summary: isn't a teriffic idea
Keywords: calcium, peat, hard, soft, aluminum
Message-ID: <2271@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Date: 24 Jan 88 23:19:18 GMT
References: <4961@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton)
Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 23

In article <4961@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> bcd@eryops.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bryan Dunlap) writes:
>I finally started testing my water for things besides pH, and found
>that the general hardness (as opposed to carbonate hardness) is quite
>high.  The books I've looked in recommend either boiling water before
>adding it, or filtering through peat to reduce hardness.  Peat seems
>like it would reduce my pH, which I don't want to do because the pH is
>just ducky.  It seems like if I boil water in my usual aluminum pot,
>I'll contaminate the water.  Does anybody have any nice easy ways to
>soften water, or do I have to nuke it in my microwave a liter at a
>time?  

Raising water to boiling does nothing to remove dissolved minerals.
Where do you think they were going ?

Either use an ion exchange resis specifically designed for this
purpose, or start with water that has less hardness, like rain
or distilled water, and add 'regular' water untill the hardness
is at a reasonable level.


-- 
      "...and before too long I might, see those flashing red lights" 
                          richard@gryphon.CTS.COM 
   {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, philabs!cadovax, codas!ddsw1} gryphon!richard