Is PVC Safe for Hydroponics? Water Test Results!
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- čas přidán 30. 03. 2021
- I recently tested the water in my hydroponic rail system to look for possible contaminants from PVC or other materials I used to build the system. These are the results!
See this article on our website for more info on PVC including some helpful research I found:
www.simplegreenshydroponics.c...
FREE guide on building a rail system:
www.simplegreenshydroponics.com
Well done. I work on PVC industry and I can asure you that at least here in Brazil 100% of PVC extruders uses Calcium/Zinc stabilizers instead of Lead for decades... This is a rigid pipe, so you won't find any phtalate but if it was flexible like a PVC hose, or even a Blood-bag, for decades phtalates are being replaced for DOTP or even Epoxidized Soybean Oil. Which means, phtalate free plasticizers.
Finally, someone cared enough to test pvc.
Awesome! I get lots of questions about this. Would you like to come on a livestream with me, talk about this and tell others about your channel?
I have been watching your videos for a bit now and as a skeptic of PVC and other synthetic chemicals used in manufacturing I feel pretty comfortable building one myself now! Great work - I really like that you did lab tests showing exactly what is in your systems water supply because without that I would still be skeptical.
There’s a huge problem with this video. The lab tests only detect when levels pass a much larger threshold than can be reached in two weeks in new material. The longer you have the pvc, the larger the leech. Additionally, this does not take into account the degree to which the plans absorb chemicals OUT OF THE WATER and therefore contribute to lower levels of contaminants in tests. There’s also the issue that small amounts build up in your body over time. Even if you are getting a very small degree, repeated exposure through consumption will eventually buildup in your body because our bodies are amazing at storing micro plastics and the damage from their consumption.
@@tomerzilbershtein849 any sources for the claims?
If people want to do this, they should do it, though I don’t recommend it. There are safer materials including potable water pvc (which must usually be kept out of direct sunlight). The claims I made were not of health effects, but of the processes underlying them. I’m too lazy, hence do your research and I completely respect your decision to pursue this despite my disagreement, to find the support for claims that plastics can build up in the body, that testing tests what’s in the sample (hence would miss longer term leeching), etc.
Also that plants can filter out plastics from the water, and thereby decrease the water plastic concentration.
Good job. Looks like you use this indoors. From what I've researched heat is the key variable. So I'd be interested in the results of an outdoor pvc system that is subjected to sunlight. Great experiment for you to do seeing how you already have some baseline data to compare with.
Thanks for doing the tests and putting the info out there!
PVC is a concern at high temperatures like when it is exposed to direct sunlight. At high temperatures the PVC becomes brittle, indicating that a chemical reaction or outgassing is taking place that changes the composition of the material. Your hydroponocs system is perfectly safe because it is indoors. Thank you for sharing the information.
What do you recommend for outdoor?
@@yolpaaaa HDPE .I use HDPE buckets for my hydroponics bucket system for peppers.
That is my concern for hot temperature outside.
I am thinking of using PVC post from Home Depot or Lowes for my dragon fruit plants in pots for outside growing not inside.
I have heard about uPVC but now sure Home Depot carry them.
Any advise? Maybe I just stick with redwood for safe food grade.
Wow this is the most thorough and well designed water test report I've seen! Awesome video.
thank you, looking forward to any more test results you have, (microplastics, outdoor use, future re-tests or other common hydroponic equipment)
Really appreciate your work.
Will be building my first setup soon. Following your design!
I've watched a couple of your videos. Thanks for posting them. I have found the information in your videos useful.
Thanks for posting. You have provided a real service to the hydroponic community.
Really interesting video. I have been wanting to do something like this for a long time but have had second thoughts about the choice of plastics. I understand that these results are for your specific setup but it is still very insightful. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the time and money you spent to do find this out and sharing your results. 👍
Great job! Very thorough and helpful. Keep up the good work.
thanks for this bro dropped a like and this comment you spent good money on this and didnt have to share it but im sure this would answer alot for alot of people thanks growmie
Thanks for producing this video.
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing your results.
Thanks for doing this!
Great video, I had wondered about using plastics other than mope myself and its good to hear they seem ok.
So helpful! Thanks for doing this!
Thank you for sharing this! Excellent info!
Rarely I post if never,
This is really good to know since I'm starting a system and this would be a main concern.
It would be a great idea to (minus) your nutrients, and your tap water from the lab analysis (doing a lab test for each) , this way you would know what came from the water, what came from the nutrients, and the system itself. Just a idea.
Thank you.
Great video, thank you for sharing the results. This is very interesting.
Great video! Thanks so much!
its really depends on where you purchased the pvc pipe from. In some countries, lead is allowed to used in pvc as stabilizer.
Also bpa or phthalates are not used in rigid pvc pipe. Flexible pvc like vinyl may contain phthalates.
Thank You Very Much. Awesome setup!
Your videos are instrumental thank you so much, everyone needs to learn how to grow their own food smart and easy systems will make that accessable for anyone.
Nice work 😊
Thanks for your info...
Super helpful, thank you 🙏
Thank you! ♥
As someone who has vaped, smoked, drank plenty of alcohol, eaten shitloads of processed food and has lived in polluted Asian cities. Regardless of any findings in PVC, it's probably negligible compared to all of these combined.
Excellent!
Also important to note, alot of the BPAs, vinyl cholide, and other elements that are a concern with PVC, cannot be taken up through the plant roots and the stored in the usable, fruits or leafs of the plants.
plants don't absorb bpa, but they can convert bpa into bpa glycosides and stored in the root system and stems.
I knew a man who did water testing for Suffolk County NY. One of his regular tasks was to measure the arsenic level in Perrier bottled Water. Arsenic is much more common in aquifers than you might realize.
Thanks for the input! I've read similar and after doing some more research, my local groundwater has an arsenic level near what my test results showed.
Great information, thanks for doing this. One question, is the round PVC plumbing pipe made from the same exact materials as the vinyl down spouts used in hydroponic systems?
Thanks
Sorry if I missed it, but I'd be curious to see how a this compares to your hydroponic nutrient water fresh, and also your tap water used.
Thanks so much for doing this cause there's just been a recent study released by a doctor talking about how plastic waste and plastic particles in our stuff that gets into our bodies is leading to smaller genitalia in new born baby's and they think it'll leave most couples infertile by 2045
Very nice vid.
I am thinking of using PVC post from Home Depot or Lowes for my dragon fruit plants in pots for outside growing not inside - hopefully it is pretty safe. This info really helps.
Thanks
Someone else mentioned that the sunlight affects the plastic differently than it would inside...you mentioned that you were going to use them outside...
The other thing is that, although these plastics are white, the sunlight can get through the opaque plastics causing algae problems...sunlight is quite a bit different from indoor lighting...
Things to consider...
I am using 6 inch field pipe (some people bought a farm and didn't want the pipe so they sold the 10 foot lengths for 5 dollars each...I thought it was a good deal so I bought all they had)...it's white on the outside and stabilized to resist sunlight and UVs...the inside is black to block the sunlight to prevent algae...
Home Depot has a similar product called Corrugated Drain Pipe, it's made from High Density Polyethylene...it is white on the outside to protect it from sunlight and UVs and black on the inside to prevent algae...it comes on 3 inch and 4 inch diameter, 10 foot lengths...
Just thought you might want to consider this as well as the plastic posts...I think it would be better for sunlight and water...the posts, although they are UV protected, are not made to keep the sunlight from getting through...and they are not made to have water in them and will be susceptible to algae...
I just stumbled onto some videos that discuss the safety of plastic; how to tell if it's safe to use for food-grade purposes...
czcams.com/video/lSPvxsbQ_hE/video.html
The video talks about the number on the container and what they mean and how it tells what the plastic is made from and if it's a possible contaminate...
please try this again in 5 or 10 years, or test one where someone is using a system for that long.
Awesome video. Do you think there was no leaching with your setup, since it’s running indoors? What if you had the setup outdoors, or in a greenhouse, do you think your results would have been different?
Aren't all our drinking water taps PVC?
Do you think, based on your research, that the pvc downspouts would also be safe. They’re used quite a bit in homebuilt systems.
Love you square post setup. Did you use a silicone that was food safe?
It's silicone that is used for fish tanks and it meets the NSF 51 standard for food equipment.
I would be curious to see if there are microplastic and estrogenic compounds like DBA or similar compounds in the water. I don't know that any standard water panel checks for that.
Microplastics would most likely be inevitable, pvc is not infinitely durable, it will wear down and flake off plastic bits. Kinda like how all fish you eat have some plastic in them from pollution either directly or from something they ate before being caught
Microplastics? We got you covered. :-) mytapscore.com/products/microplastics-water-test
Hello! Thank you for much info on the subject. Are your pipes/posts PVC or PVC-U? Afaik, PVC-U doesn't contain plasticizers and is safe, while common PVC isn't.
They have some flexible qualities so I'm guessing there's may be some additives (I think PVC-U is brittle), but I'm not sure.
Everyone I know is worried about BPA, what did you find? Is that a phthalate?
Wat about the plastic itself ?
Arent there even differnt types of PVC? I dont think that rain gutters and f.e. air gutters are made from the same "PVC" firsts are hard and others soft. So it could be softener inside air gutter that could dessolve. On the other side it would be interessting what kind of material big gardenign companys use... Maybe we are scared of something we eat every day already... interessting topic!
Like your set up did your tests look for BPAs or BPS? By any chance.
No it did not. My understanding is that BPA and BPS are used for clear and/or flexible polycarbonate plastic applications (water bottles, etc). From the research I did, DEHP was raised much more as a concern for the PVC I use so I wanted to make sure to look for that one.
how often do you change your water reservoir ?
Top off once a week, drain and fill every 2 weeks usually.
Was this an indoor system or outdoor system. I’ve heard that when plastics are outdoors the heat draws out the chemicals.
Indoor
Do you use a special type of pvc though?
PVC fence posts, which are probably slightly different PVC (UV stabilized, etc) than PVC water pipes.
I am giving TWO likes!
The results are in ppm parts per million not billion.
Hey man...great video! Where do you get your square pvc pipes from please... can you please post the source? Thanks
They're fence post jackets from Home Depot. The build details can be found on their website: www.simplegreenshydroponics.com/posts/rail-system/part-1-rails
Ironically PVC pipes run through our homea to deliver our water.
most of the PVC in the home is for drain and venting.
There’s a huge problem with this video. The lab tests only detect when levels pass a much larger threshold than can be reached in two weeks in new material. The longer you have the pvc, the larger the leech. Additionally, this does not take into account the degree to which the plans absorb chemicals OUT OF THE WATER and therefore contribute to lower levels of contaminants in tests. There’s also the issue that small amounts build up in your body over time. Even if you are getting a very small degree, repeated exposure through consumption will eventually buildup in your body because our bodies are amazing at storing micro plastics and the damage from their consumption.
Those are understandable concerns, but I think the test method mitigated many of them.
-I allowed the water to circulate in an existing system which was nearly a year old (probably average for a hydroponic system) for two weeks before taking the sample to allow any leachates to accumulate.
-The test thresholds are for drinking water, which are set assuming the person is directly consuming this water in large amounts every day.
-I have not found any support for the idea that plants take up a higher concentration of pthalates than what is present in the water (which is what would have to occur for the plants to be reducing the pthalate content of the water). In fact it appears to be the opposite from the studies and articles I've read through.
More info here: simplegreenshydroponics.com/posts/2021/is-pvc-safe-for-hydroponics