Drinking water or distilled water?

I do not have a RO unit in my house so I buy gallon jugs of distilled water from walmart for my water changes and top offs. I was reading a thread in the general column and someone stated not to use distilled water. Should I be buying the drinking water instead? I would think the drinking water which they sell would be run through RO right? Which is better to use?

 

Buy their Drinking purified water. The distilled should be ok be to be on the safe side get the purified. This is still not as good as your own RODI. Walmart RO water is not deionized

 

I would do distilled as it is purer than drinking. Drinking will have added magnesium sulfate, calcium chloride and other minerals for "taste"

 

Really depends on way too many variables. I wouldn't get either or from Wal-Mart personally, special since both were so contaminated they were pulled off the shelf in some states (worse than tap). You would have to get a TDS meter to know for sure. Check your tap too. I am not sure how much different it would be for you, but here in Reno/Sparks we have EXCELLENT tap (around 70-80 TDS). Chances are it will be better in itself than what you are buying at the store.

 

The standards of quality for drinking water in most regions reflects the local municipal water laws. This means that "drinking water" or bottled water only has to be at the standards of your tap water. Since we know that tap water isn't pure enough to use in our aquariums, we can extrapolate the fact that any water purchased as "drinking" water would likely be as polluted.

Distilled water on the other hand is likely of a much more pure quality. Even better- go to your local hardware store- most of them sell RO water by the gallon, and for a fairly cheap price.

 

if you read the bottles at walmart they will tell you how they are filtered,there are three types Drinking Water,Distilled Water and Spring water ,All SAY they have been filtered .'
i had a really bad algae bloom when i used there drinking water.JOE

 

I definelty don't believe our tap water is of very good quality around here. Two months ago our water tested high levels of arsenic; it was beyond safe and we couldn't use it. Then they were trying to treat it with large doses of chlorine and overdosed on that....we live real close to one of the water holding tanks so the chlorine was extremely strong in odor. I don't trust the water around here.

I don't have many other options except for Walmart - its the cheapest water, the grocery stores are 30% higher in price. Getting a RO unit would start an arguement so that is out of the question.....god forbid me wanting clean water....hmmmm