Drinking RO water

[Butch01]

RO is fine.
DI water is so osmotic that it's actually caustic.

Not even in the neighborhood of remotely true. Pure H2O is not caustic in any way, shape, form, or fashion. Pure water is not "osmotic" - it is hypo-osmotic (hypotonic) if you're comparing it to the water found in any living creature. Its osmotic properties have nothing whatsoever to do with its pH. Believe me, I do this for a living.

Pure water (H2O only) not exposed to any gas (such as air), has a pH of 7.0, which is completely neutral. When exposed to air, such as your RODI water might be, if anything, it might become ****very**** slightly acidic due to the CO2 from the air that it would absorb (CO2 is acidic). CO2 + H2O yields carbonic acid. Oxygen does not increase the hydrogen ion concentration in water, and so it doesn't change the pH.


http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/7467/is-pure-water-very-corrosive

 

[TangingOut]

That's crapy RO water. More then fine for drinking. That's what makes me wonder about distilled water for drinking and people that use it for their fish tanks. I wonder if it's not as clean as they think. Also how does that pair up vs a good RO/DI filter? I know lab grade distilled water is cleaner.

That's 99% rejection rate here in AZ where tap TDS is typically 500+ and better than what I get(10-11) post RO. Of course I run it through a DI stage for my aquarium needs. I don't know how much lower you would want to get for drinking water. Would you be able to taste the difference between 1 and 7 TDS?

 

[Butch01]

No, you wouldn't be able to taste 7 TDS much less 1. You'd probably need to be up in the 200+ range to get much taste in water. I guess it would depend on what the solids were. If it was sulfurous compounds you'd probably taste it a lot more than some others.

 

[Bent]

Not even in the neighborhood of remotely true. Pure H2O is not caustic in any way, shape, form, or fashion. Pure water is not "osmotic" - it is hypo-osmotic (hypotonic) if you're comparing it to the water found in any living creature. Its osmotic properties have nothing whatsoever to do with its pH. Believe me, I do this for a living.

Pure water (H2O only) not exposed to any gas (such as air), has a pH of 7.0, which is completely neutral. When exposed to air, such as your RODI water might be, if anything, it might become ****very**** slightly acidic due to the CO2 from the air that it would absorb (CO2 is acidic). CO2 + H2O yields carbonic acid. Oxygen does not increase the hydrogen ion concentration in water, and so it doesn't change the pH.


http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/7467/is-pure-water-very-corrosive

You do know that I do human pathophysiology for a living too right?

There's a reason you can't put DI water through metal pipes, or store in metal containers, though caustic was not the best choice of words.

If you still don't believe me, I can produce the medical journal article (published in JAMA I think, I'd have to look) that directly linked the ingestion of deionized water to GI mucosa damage.

Currently, based on research given, drinking deionized water is not advised by the medical community. Furthermore the WHO does not recommend drinking either distilled water or deionized water, and have published information extensively to that effect for the exact reasons I previously stated.

 

[Butch01]

...that directly linked the ingestion of deionized water to GI mucosa damage.

Currently, based on research given, drinking deionized water is not advised by the medical community. Furthermore the WHO does not recommend drinking either distilled water or deionized water, and have published information extensively to that effect for the exact reasons I previously stated.

Exactly. It's hypotonic, which causes cell lysis. It has nothing to do with its pH though. I'm medical professional as well. I give IV fluid all day every day.

 

[neiltus]

Making ice cubes via the tray with RO water is awesomeness. They are perfectly clear and do not melt in your adult beverage nearly as fast. Don't chew them-very hard.

Would not drink DI water.

 

[SFish]

Not even in the neighborhood of remotely true. Pure H2O is not caustic in any way, shape, form, or fashion. Pure water is not "osmotic" - it is hypo-osmotic (hypotonic) if you're comparing it to the water found in any living creature. Its osmotic properties have nothing whatsoever to do with its pH. Believe me, I do this for a living.

Pure water (H2O only) not exposed to any gas (such as air), has a pH of 7.0, which is completely neutral. When exposed to air, such as your RODI water might be, if anything, it might become ****very**** slightly acidic due to the CO2 from the air that it would absorb (CO2 is acidic). CO2 + H2O yields carbonic acid. Oxygen does not increase the hydrogen ion concentration in water, and so it doesn't change the pH.


http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/7467/is-pure-water-very-corrosive

The PH ends up slightly higher then 7 so it's basic not acidic.

 

[Sonyardo]

I'm in the process of setting up my RO to feed a dedicated faucet at the sink and the refrigerator. The line will be Tee'd before the DI. I'm considering loosing the DI all together.

 

[Bent]

Exactly. It's hypotonic, which causes cell lysis. It has nothing to do with its pH though. I'm medical professional as well. I give IV fluid all day every day.

Caustic was a poor choice of wording.

 

[mcgyvr]

No, you wouldn't be able to taste 7 TDS much less 1. You'd probably need to be up in the 200+ range to get much taste in water. I guess it would depend on what the solids were. If it was sulfurous compounds you'd probably taste it a lot more than some others.

I can easily taste the difference between 0 TDS water and typical bottle water (with minerals added) that has a TDS of 14.

 

[mcgyvr]

With RO drinking water you have a tank so you get better water pressure. By running two membranes you lower the pressure of the water running through your system so it takes longer to fill the tank. Thus you end up with more waste water. My guess is a booster pump would over come this problem. That's what they claim any way.

Well yes.. One does need sufficient water pressure to run dual membranes efficiently and even single RO membranes..
I don't have a "booster pump" because I have simply increased the water pressure at my house to support the dual membranes via the pressure regulator..
Few know thats possible.. There is a regulator under every house that allows you to do so.. Typically your city will provide water at 70 PSI or more.. Many home builders/plumbers when installing the regulator will set it to 35-50 PSI.. One turn of a screw and voila..

But I don't see that as not worth it.. It just means you need sufficient pressure to run dual membranes.. I'll happily take my 2:1 ratio over the typical 4:1

 

[mgreenough]

I keep a small bottle of rodi water to add to some single malts. It brings the flavour out of the whiskey without adding any to it.

 

[SFish]

The PH ends up slightly higher then 7 so it's basic not acidic.

Thinking of it backwards it's acidic

 

[Bent]

I keep a small bottle of rodi water to add to some single malts. It brings the flavour out of the whiskey without adding any to it.

That's a great idea!

I use mine in my beer brewing.

 

[MidTnMike41]

I also T mine off. The RO goes to the fridge and the DI goes to the tank.

 

[Raul-7]

Whole house water purification systems are RO systems. The city of Cape Coral FL uses RO water and the wast goes into a separate system and is used for outdoor watering. I used to live there and had two meters if I remember.

Most rely on ion exchangers not RO units; they merely replace Ca++ and Mg++ for Na+ or K+ based on the resin used. The TDS will remain about the same.

 

[nereefpat]

Most rely on ion exchangers not RO units; they merely replace Ca++ and Mg++ for Na+ or K+ based on the resin used. The TDS will remain about the same.

You're describing a water softener. Many people use whole house RO systems as well.

 

[CStrickland]

Few know thats possible.. There is a regulator under every house that allows you to do so.. Typically your city will provide water at 70 PSI or more.. Many home builders/plumbers when installing the regulator will set it to 35-50 PSI.. One turn of a screw and voila..

Go easy on that valve though. We spent a couple hundred replacing faucets and tub spouts before we figured out that somebody had bumped the handle to all the way on (ours is a ball valve). Not sure what psi that was, but it was enough to blow apart the plastic pieces inside our fittings over a month or two. That was so annoying, though the shower pressure was fantastic.

PS our rodis aren't made for drinking water. You need to follow the directions to sanitize them if you're going that way.

 

[CStrickland]

Thinking of it backwards it's acidic

Higher ph than 7 is basic, lower is acidic. It was correct the way Butch wrote it.

 

[Ou8me2]

This is really a no win thread which will be argued both ways. I just don't understand people. If you are worried about how much waste water, then why not get a RO/DI that has a better ratio? I know they cost more but it just baffles me that someone will spend 800 on a controller and cheap out on a RO/DI unit.

I know Spectra pure has this disclaimer on their site

Warning: Spectrapure does not recommend drinking water produced from deionization (DI) as DI resins are typically not made of food grade approved material.

That's good enough to convince me and the taste is rather horrible anyways. I'm sure the plants or lawn don't mind, or even using it for a load of laundry, washing the car. :lol: