Tap Water Chemistry Values - Now Questions

You didn't read the thread correctly. Yes, RO water is fine for drinking. RO/DI water isn't. From what I understand it will actually dehydrate you.

 

Correct. That's why most RO/DI filters have a DI bypass. You can fill a pressure canister with RO water for drinking and then switch back and make RO/DI water for your tank.

 

Drinking RO/DI is not harmful at all, this has been kicked around for years but no one has ever completed a study that made sense. You cannot survive on water alone so even one potato chip negates any effects the water may have. Possibly if you were on a straight water diet for months or years it might have an effect but thats not possible.
I will debate this subject with anyone. Its bunk.

We don't drink DI because its expensive to produce and it tastes very bland or blah thats the only reason.

 

Thanks! Next steps\question related to RO\DI

Thank you everyone for your feedback, exactly what I wanted to see. As always additonal information is shared and it is everyones responsibility to read\research and make their own judgements and not rely on just one persons opinion, that is why we get a second opinion regarding medical stuff and that is good advise for life.

I did some looking around for RO\DI systems and I am wondering what have purchased, how many gpd, what tank sizes, how much it costs to replace membranes\filters per year and if you store your water how long is it good for if it is not put in a sealed pressurized tank?

As always thanks!

Joe

 

A very good person to talk to when it comes to RO/DI is right in your backyard. Contact Russ at www.buckeyefieldsupply.com , he is very knowledgable and has a great reputation. He can set you up with an excellent reef quality system.

 

i went with this setup (with DI bypass, TDS meter, and pressure gauge):

75/150 GPD 4 Stage RO DI Pro Water Filter with TDS, Auto Shutoff [RODI75GPDPRO] - $194.95 : TB Aquatics - Top Quality Aquarium Products, Aquarium & Drinking Water Filtration, Amazing Service!

has the autoshut off already so i could hookup some ATO's. i have a eshopps float valve style unit from tbaquatics in my sump, one normal float valve in a 5gal bucket i use for spare RO, one normal float in a 25gal container used for mixing salt water, and another going to a sealed food grade canister that is used for supplying drinking water to my home. I stopped buying bottled water altogether. i get my flouride from other things provided by my dentist, for those that were about to harp again on the use of RO water and how it lacks certain minerals our body needs.

i love the unit, its not failed, its not been a headache to maintain, and the cartridges in my case need a 7-8month replacement. I dont have a high incoming TDS to begin with.

now my uncle who is on well water has about 300-350/PPM of TDS inbound and requires a replacement of cartridges every 4-5months.

 

All I know is when I got my RO/DI unit I was drinking the water from it and I found I could drink it and drink it and I never could quench my thirst. I was waking up in the middle of the night CRAZY thirsty and it went on for about a week. I didn't really think much of it. I was talking to someone at my LFS and I said how good the water was coming out of it. He said I shouldn't drink the DI water because it will dehydrate you much like coffee. I then realized why I had been so thirsty. I stopped drinking it and was back to normal.

 

You're right it doesn't seem to satisfy your thirst. We receive such a miniscule amout of our nutrients from water though so the minerals are not a health issue.

For those with nice spring water or mineral laden waters like in the southwest its even hard getting used to RO only since it does not have much taste. I have the RO only side hooked to my icemaker, refrigerator drinking water, kitchen sink drinking faucet and an RO faucet at the laundy sink though and love the clear ice cubes it makes. RO/DI would be overkill for these uses but it is done by some.

 

I don't want to hijack this thread but I have a few questions.

How long does the filters last for a RO unit? And I also noticed that their rated like 25 gpd, 50 gpd, so does that mean if left attached to your faucet it would take 24 hours to produce 25 gallons?

Thanks

 

The prefilter and carbon should be changed every 6 months. Its possible to stretch that timeframe but it requires a pressure gauge and chlorine test kit along with a time commitment, its easiest to stick with the 6 month intervals. Depending on how diligent you are about the above replacements and disinfecting your system every 6 to 12 months, the RO membrane should last 3 to as long as 10 years if you use quality replacements in the proper micron ranges. The DI resin is entirely dependent on how well your RO membranne is functioning, the CO2 level in your wate rand how much RO/DI you make. Its common for a DI refill to last between 300 and 1000 gallons. Replacements are inexpensive and keeping up with them makes a system last a long time and perform like new.
Yes it takes a full 24 hours at optimum conditions to get the full rated volume out of a RO or RO/DI system. Don't even consider anything less than 75 GPD. The Dow Filmtec 75 GPD RO membrane is by far the most popular choice. Optimum conditions are at least 50 psi at the tap and a water temperature of 77 degrees F. Most of us don't have 77 degree water but additional pressure makes up for colder water and off sets the reduction in output since both temp and pressure affect output.

Take a look at the top of the page at www.buckeyefieldsupply.com , Russ has a nice calculator that you can plug temperatures and pressure in to and it spits out very accurate GPD's for you to see what effects they have on production.