Can I drink my RO water??

[dawnskaybug]

I have a xxx 3 stage RO unit I use to top off...
Can I Drink this water??
Water here sux and most water is bottled or UV sanitized into 5 gallon jugs

I was told RO depletes all minerals and is bad for you and can DEhydrate you??

This is an arguement between me and a friend

I saw dont
he says why not

Looking for scientific proof since we are by the book at work ...
he fills his babies bottle with the RO water
I stay away from it

Thanks

 

[tk1360]

heard on the grapevine

heard on the grapevine

I would think it would be fine to drink. RO water is used quite extensively in the food industry, most notably with whey powder production, wineries, milk refinement and even maple syrup.

From what I can figure out from lectures, casually asking one of my profs and the local water store, Reverse Osmosis water is the best water you can drink. The main downside other than maintaining the unit itself is the associated waste of water (4 gallons of tap water produce about one gallon of RO water).

In drinking RO water you are eliminating the nasty things found coming out of the taps like chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, recycled hormones, bacteria, rust from old pipes, etc.

Any scientific studies I was shown require me to log into the school mainframe to access and to be honest are quite lengthy. In any general searches I did not any major concerns relating dehydration or negative effects. I doubt the FDA would allow it.

Also with reference to you military background I am sure you could probably find some information through them with regards to the Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU) that nearly every modern army uses to provide clean potable water to forces in the field.

Well this probably is not the exact scientific answer you were looking for I hope it may cast some light or get someone else to answer your question better by telling me how wrong I am.
:rollface: :rollface:

 

[dawnskaybug]

Thank you for the reply
I wa stold by XXX Not to drink it
I was skeptical but I TRUSTED them
thats what it comes down to
they said all I am drinking is H2O with no minerals vitamins NADA
so it is actually bad for you since it is almost pure H2O
Kinda like Beer is a liquid but it wont hydrate you ...
I know wrong type for comparison...

 

[michaeldaly]

If it's just RO I would drink it, but not exclusively. If it's RO - DI I would not drink it.

Since all the minerals have been taken out of the water it can absorb minerals from your body, so It will really dehydrate you but it will deplete the minerals in your body.

I have been told that it is fine to drink the water from your RO waste line as it has already been filtered through a number of pre-filters usually a carbon and sediment block, so it will already be much cleaner that normal tap water.

 

[tk1360]

well I think the question of drinking exclusively RO water could leech minerals but as normal human beings I am sure the other foods like fruits and vegetables would replace or at least provided people with enough to get by on. I know of at least 3 stores in the Greater Toronto Area and countless refill stations in grocery stores that sell RO/DI water for public consumption. While that may be the stupid sheep nature of humans and purely trend following I would hope that we are not al being led so astray.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Absolutely. Any talk about RO water leeching minerals from your body is total bunk. There are no documented studies to back this up. Even drinking DI exclusively you would have to drink untold gallons every day to possibly cause harm. The amount of minerals you get from water is so minute it doesn't even count. RO is much safer than tap water and I'm an EPA certified treatment plant operator so I should be touting the advantages of tap water.

 

[PrivateJoker64]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9398921#post9398921 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michaeldaly
If it's just RO I would drink it, but not exclusively. If it's RO - DI I would not drink it.

Since all the minerals have been taken out of the water it can absorb minerals from your body, so It will really dehydrate you but it will deplete the minerals in your body.

This is not so, unless if you plan to drink ten gallons per day or so, like in frat hazing. It's perfectly safe to drink, better for you than most any tap water. Some bottled water is RO-DI water. In fact, I have a storage tank attached to my unit made specifically for drinking water.

 

[tk1360]

ahh the memories... frat hazing. We once attempted to bust the myth of getting drunk by drinking gallons of water our conclusion was that we did not possess strong enough bladders to imbibe any significant amount.

On the aside I think AZDesertRat may be the voice of authority on the subject and is even recommending the competition. lol

 

[RedEyeElf]

nah, just die like that chick on the radio

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9403632#post9403632 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Absolutely. Any talk about RO water leeching minerals from your body is total bunk. There are no documented studies to back this up. Even drinking DI exclusively you would have to drink untold gallons every day to possibly cause harm. The amount of minerals you get from water is so minute it doesn't even count. RO is much safer than tap water and I'm an EPA certified treatment plant operator so I should be touting the advantages of tap water.

In addition to the above comments, next time you are at the supermarket, take a look at the labels on the bottled water and 1 gallon jugs. Specifically "drinking" and "Spring" water. It'll say reverse-osmosis and/or de-ionized water right on the bottle.

Drinking RO water is very healthy compared to tap water. You'll find those that really care will have something tied into their cold water line in the kitchen to have cleaner drinking water.

If you've never tasted DI water, give it a try. Personally I don't like it at all. However, if you wanted to, you could add a taste filter after the DI to make it taste better. Just adding a carbon cartridge after the DI seems to make all the difference.

 

[T Man]

Guam? Hafa Dai !!!! I've been there for the Liberation days back when I was a Marine. Between Guam and Siapan you have some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world! Enjoy it as much as you can now because you will miss it when it's gone. As for the ro/di, drink it up! it's harmless- I've been drinking it for decades! Ask the AZDesertRat for any scientific proof, he is the MAN when it comes to water issues. TinMan

 

[daytonians]

I can't believe that this ridiculous notion won't die. Water is water, it can't hurt you from being too pure. Impurities can be bad, but not pure h2o.

Also, there are people all over the world that rely on captured rain water for their fresh water supply. There are no minerals in rain water, or is glacier run off either for that mater. Water has to be collected after contacting soil before it contains minerals.

 

[daytonians]

Oh, and if you are afraid of RO/DI water, then you should probably stay away from air that been through a purifier. Don't want to kill yourself with pure air!

Sorry, just had to put that in. Not trying to start a flame war or hurt any body's feelings.

 

[michaeldaly]

All I can say is that I have been told by a number of filtration company's that for human consumption just using a carbon block type filter is best even though it would be in their interest to try and sell me the more expensive RO unit.

The reverse osmosis bottled water I have seen also says minerals have been added back into the water.

A quick search on the internet also comes up with quite a few results against drinking RO water.

Mabey it wont harm but all this bing said I would rather not drink too much of it.

http://houseofstrauss.co.uk/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=493

 

[daytonians]

The water companies add minerals for flavor. That is all.

A carbon filter is all your probably need, as city water is safe for human consumption to start with. That doesn't mean that RO is dangerous. Just un-needed. There is a big difference there.

As for finding many posts on the web saying that RO is bad: you can also find many posts that say Elvis is alive, that crop circles are caused by aliens, and that Hitler's clone is living in South America. That doesn't make them true.

Also, if you are hospitalized for dehydration, they will hook you up to an IV of sterile RO/DI water. Hospitals would not use it if it was dangerous. Experienced this myself a few times, been there and done that.

 

[daytonians]

Here is a section from an article on WebMD.com

it was from research done in Canada.

quote:
"Is Reverse Osmosis - Treated Water Safe to Drink?

Reverse osmosis treatment systems remove minerals like calcium and magnesium from drinking water. In Canada, water is a minor source of such minerals when compared to foods. If you consume a reasonably balanced diet, you do not need to take a mineral supplement when drinking water treated with a reverse osmosis system."

 

[29special]

i drink it in my shop lol

 

[the other tang]

sure you can, as stated above ro is used in foods. It is also used in the store bought bottle I am currently drinking . There is a myth that it will hurt you from some crazy cell something or another theory, it deals with the ionization dif between the water and your cells. The theory is true, however that point is after youd died from "forgot the correct term" over hydration like the girl in Cali with the radio station contest a couple months ago. In a nut shell, ro and ro/di are safe. I drink ro/di at home.

 

[palawan]

Usually most reefers with RO systems add a DI cartridge stage for their aquirium topoff water. Others, like myself drink only the RO portion of the water. They say that DI water is not good to drink but RO water is the best filtered water you can drink, especially if it is taken from your own point of use. Which means you know it your filters are working right if you have maintained your system and know what the TDS output is.

 

[daytonians]

DI is fine to drink also. Britta brand water filter are DI filters. You know the Britta pitcher with the filter in the top part. That's DI.