Ammonia levels in tap water

melev

melev

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Just an FYI, Cathy continues to have elevated ammonia readings in her tap water. I tested mine a few minutes ago. There is definitely some traces.

Water test started - yellow tint means 0.
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And after waiting 5 minutes for the test to complete.
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I'd say it reads about .5ppm currently.

Keep in mind, that is the freshwater test. If you do the same test with saltwater, you have to wait 4 minutes instead of 5, and use a different color chart to get a reading.
 
I did two more tests, one of tap water and one of RO/DI water. Both were 0.

I don't know why the first test came out elevated.
 
Well, this is what has me worried. I DID test my RO/DI, and the indicator was yellow - no ammonia. So I know the test should be working.

But here is what I got from the tap water, straight out of the faucet:

(edit) #1 is after about a minute, #2 is five minutes
 
Here's the Ro/DI from a brand new filter. There's a little green, but more because the box behind it in the picture rather than the actual tube:
 
Thanks for doing all the testing and letting everyone know that there is a possible problem with our water that could affect the health of our tanks.

There are traces of ammonia here in Carrollton as well with tap water when did some test last week. The water out of our RO/DI shows none and the TDS level is 0.0 meaning that the filter is doing it’s job. Also I noticed that the sediment filter has turned dark brown after only two months of use. It would normally take six months to get this much buildup which means that there is a lot of stuff in the water due to all the rain would be my guess. I would think that this is only going to get worse until things start drying out.
 
With all the flooding, it wouldn't surprise me that the city is adding additional ammonia to the water. I heard on the news last night that some areas may be directed to boil their water before using it for drinking & cooking.

David, we may be wise to change out our filters prematurely just to avoid issues.

Cathy, if you want me to test your tap water when you come over tomorrow, bring a long a sample. I just got this kit last week and opened it for the first time today.
 
You don’t think that there is some nasty stuff in our water check this out. The sediment filter on the right is new and the one on the left has been in the RO/DI filter for only two months. Before all the rain it would take six months for the sediment filter to get not as quite as dirty as shown in the picture... I just changed the filter today, four months ahead of my normal schedule due to all the rain.

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I tested Cathy's water sample today and it was over 1.0 - definitely something to be aware of.
 
@Marc wrote:
I tested Cathy's water sample today and it was over 1.0 - definitely something to be aware of. said:
Hurray! THANKS, Marc! At least I know I was doing the test correctly, and it wasn't that I was doing something wrong.

I have a water softener from Culligan that is about 5 years old. I'm going to call them Monday morning. I'm also going to research Morton's salt, which is what we add to the water softener.

In fact, if anyone knows what a "resin cleaning agent" is, I'd like to know, because that's in the salt - rock salt and this agent - listed in tiny print, of course!

I'm also going to call the City of Fort Worth water - last time this has happened (twice even) they come and let the fire hydrant run for a few hours, and the level goes down.

edit: I've found what - or how - resin cleaning can be, but you gotta have some kind of degree:
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5858119-description.html

Some of you guys might want to take a look - lots of chemical listings, and how it works, but nothing about ammonia on the page. I know, because I read it all :D
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And you thought that we have water problems check out this thread from FC.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1154192
 
Cathy,

I did some searches and I found that water that is treated with Chloramine will give a positive result for Ammonia.

I wonder if this may be the case for you. Are you close to the water treatment plant or a water tower that you would have a higher concentration of Chloramine compared to someone else in Fort Worth that is farther away from the source?

Not sure if you have checked out Fort Worth's web site

http://www.fortworthgov.org/water/info/default.aspx?id=4556&ekmensel=1306_submenu_2314_link_3
 
@Steven wrote:
Cathy said:
Nope! The closest to me is the water plant near the 20 freeway, about 15 minutes from here. But there IS a lot of construction, and occasionaly, the builders block off a water way so they can dig without causing a gusher by accident. This causes all sorts of buildup in the pipes - as you can see by my sig line, I've gotten quite familiar with what happens around here :wink:

But thanks for the link! That's funny, that they add that now. I wonder how many people actually see it?
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Even if our ammonia level is up in the tap water, wouldn't the ro/di filters take care of it? I'm going to check my water and see if it's still zero tds.
Is this bothering you because it's possible the ammonia is getting into our tanks even after running through the ro/di? I have tested my tank water for ammonia and it shows zero.

Kay
 
If there is a high enough level of ammonia, it will pass right through the membrane. That is why Cathy tests her RO/DI water and recommends we do the same.

With all this rain, I think she's right to be cautious and that is why I bought a brand new test kit so I could do the same.
 
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