Water help...

[NCPACKFAN]

In the interest of being to the point...

Does RO/DI water have a shelf life if I am making it myself?

i.e.- should i turn my unit on when I need it, or get a big holder to hold 30 gallons or so for around a month, i would guess. Will it last that long? I would rather get a brute or something to keep it in so I am not running hose from my bathroom to my utility room constantly...

Does Saltwater have a shelflife once I mix it and keep it aerated?

 

[OwenInAZ]

DI water should last a while, but you'll want to keep it covered to prevent dust and such getting in there. Also, make sure you don't store it in a room with a lot of volatile chemicals, because they will make their way into the water.

With saltwater, my understanding is that it depends on the mix. Some are supplemented with extra goodies, and those can degrade causing the water to go bad. Might want to post this in the chemistry forum, probably will get a more detailed answer

 

[NCPACKFAN]

Thanks for the info Owen...

 

[waterworld2]

I have typically mixed my water for the next change immediatley after I perform a change. Then I have water mixed and ready to go if I need it quickly. Will be intersted to see the reply to the shelf life question.
WW2

 

[unstopable]

i have heard that salt water last about a week and needs to be in constant flow, and ro water sitting to long can go bad in plastic containers

 

[aquariumclown]

I think RO/DI water is ok to sit for awhile. As previously mentioned, it should be covered. As for salt water, I always circulate it with a power head in the container as soon as I mix it in. I've let it sit for a week or more but with some salt mix like Instan Ocean, I start to get white calcium deposits stuck on the surface of the container. Because of that I always only mix what I need 1 day ahead.

 

[NCPACKFAN]

Thanks everyone for the input. I only mix my SW 1 day prior and I was more concerned about the RODI... Since I am using a RODI that I am not permanantly installing, i didn't want to hook it up everytime I needed 10 gallons. I would rather make 50-100 per go and just store it so I don;t have to keep getting it out.

 

[luther1200]

If its covered I would think it would be fine for a very long time. What could possible happen to make it "go bad"? If its in a sealed plastic container there is very little chance of it getting contaminated.

 

[drstupid]

your ro filter or other components in the system can get contaminated with bacteria, this is obvious if you take the filter out and inspect it.

 

[aquariumclown]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15246030#post15246030 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by luther1200
If its covered I would think it would be fine for a very long time. What could possible happen to make it "go bad"? If its in a sealed plastic container there is very little chance of it getting contaminated.

Actually, common sense tells me that over time the deionized water will become more ionized. Is this bad, I'm not sure, but the tds may go up during the time it's stored because of it. This is just a guess.