Chemistry & RO/DI filtration

[smontmagny59]

Well all I've got to say is chemistry and balance in the tank are overwhelming topics. The posts I have read here are extremely helpful in understanding it and the biggest thing i took away from my reading is to start with the purest water possible. In my research about ro/di filters I discovered that doing my whole house in a filter including ro/di/uv is more cost effective than doing just the tank, so it seems.
My question is what am I missing in my info. I think I am probably overkilling or overthinking the whole problem.
Are there any suggestions for a 37gallon tank that would work effectively for me.
Any insights or suggestions would be appreciated.

[AZDesertRat]

The cost of a whole house RO is prohibitive in most cases and in really not necessary. Your toilet, shower and landscape don't care if its RO or not and you certainly don't want Deionized water in your plumbing as it is extremely agressive and will eat your pipes and fixtures.

I do recommend softened water though for the whole house. It will save on soap for one and greatly extend the life of your plumbing fixtures and appliances by cutting down on scaling and build ups.

A good 90 GPD reef quality RO/DI system starts at around $130 complete. You can add a drinking water kit which includes a small pressure tank and faucet for another $60 or so and with that you can also hook it to things like the water in the refrigerator door, an icemaker etc. I have RO available at my garage laundry sink, at the kitchen sink, in the refrigerator drinking water system and to my icemaker.
I also have RO/DI in an ATO storage container in the garage which is pumped to my sump and display about 35 feet away and I can fill jugs and buckets from it in the garage also for large water changes.

A water softener if you don't have one already and a good reef RO/DI with add on drinking water kit is really all you need, the house doesn't care if its RO or not and its probably best if it isn't. You maye be confusing a "whole house" filter with a RO/DI and they are not the same. A whole house filter is a large sediment and sometimes taste and odor carbon filter, not a RO membrane and deionizing resin filter.

[MizTanks]

I have a tap adapter for my 100gpd ro/di unit, hooked up to my kitchen sink. I use it strictly for my 26g tank and disconnect it when I'm done. I change out 5g of water every 2 weeks. My filters last a very long time :)

[binford4000]

The cost of a whole house RO is prohibitive in most cases and in really not necessary. Your toilet, shower and landscape don't care if its RO or not and you certainly don't want Deionized water in your plumbing as it is extremely agressive and will eat your pipes and fixtures.

I do recommend softened water though for the whole house. It will save on soap for one and greatly extend the life of your plumbing fixtures and appliances by cutting down on scaling and build ups.

A good 90 GPD reef quality RO/DI system starts at around $130 complete. You can add a drinking water kit which includes a small pressure tank and faucet for another $60 or so and with that you can also hook it to things like the water in the refrigerator door, an icemaker etc. I have RO available at my garage laundry sink, at the kitchen sink, in the refrigerator drinking water system and to my icemaker.
I also have RO/DI in an ATO storage container in the garage which is pumped to my sump and display about 35 feet away and I can fill jugs and buckets from it in the garage also for large water changes.

A water softener if you don't have one already and a good reef RO/DI with add on drinking water kit is really all you need, the house doesn't care if its RO or not and its probably best if it isn't. You maye be confusing a "whole house" filter with a RO/DI and they are not the same. A whole house filter is a large sediment and sometimes taste and odor carbon filter, not a RO membrane and deionizing resin filter.

+1 Not only will the DI hurt your plumbing and fixtures the DI will also effect the enamel on your teeth ! Another option is distiller water but honestly not as good. Ms tanks probably has the most useful solution. Running soft water to your RO/DI only makes sense if your on well especially . Good luck

[AZDesertRat]

ALL RO membrane manufacturers recommend softened water for a RO or RO/DI system. Its sort of like pretreatment and will help protect the membrane and make it last much longer, reducing your cost of operation and ownership.

I have never heard the enamel on your teeth? There are many many old, unfounded arguments against RO and RO/DI but none has ever been proven inconclusively. You couldn't possibly ingest enough RO/DI to do yourself harm, you would waterlog you body cells and drown internally way before that.

[MizTanks]

I too have read about the stripping or absorbing power of DI water.


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[AZDesertRat]

The World Health Organization has been trying to prove this for decades but every study has been inconclusive.
Even if you ingest DI water the saliva and secretions in your mouth change its properties immediately. If you drank tens of gallons in a single day or setting, eating one potato chip replaces everything stripped from that water.

Its a scare tactic. I would much rather drink water that I know to be pure than that which is suspected of harboring contaminants like in third world countries or even in the US after someone damages the water distribution system or the treatment plant..

Drink whatever water you choose, many many people drink DI and millions drink RO, and eat a sensible diet and you have no worries. DI is not going to damage anything or hurt you in any way. I hate seeing this myth perpetuated.

[binford4000]

. I agree drink and eat what you want. If I was on city water I would have no concerns of the potability of drinking water. Wells tho tested at installation are another story in my book. It's good to hear the DI and enamel thing is a myth now,I have heard this for so long that I assumed it was true I don't use R/O for my home but do send the waste water from R/O for my tank back to my water softener instead of sending it down the drain. To get back on subject tho the counter top method Jamie discussed is an easy cure to the question asked

[AZDesertRat]

I started my water career as a tool pusher on a water well drilling rig back in the early 1970's then worked as a pump contractor for 5 years following that.

Domestic wells can be a real problem if not designed, drilled and equipped properly and if the owner does not keep up with water quality testing. I have seen many a contaminated well and some are downright scary.

If you are on a domestic well, have a complete basic well scan performed every year or two even though it is not required by health departments or agencies. it is for your own protection and is relatively inexpensive. I operate a couple of small well systems as a side business and I contract with a testing lab for regular sampla analysis. I take the samples and deliver them to the lab and get the results back very quickly. A complete scan is less than $200 in most cases and some individual tests are as low as $15 and could save a life literally.

Here is one lab I often work with:
http://www.legend-group.com/services/homeowners/privatewells

[smontmagny59]

Thanks to everybody for all the input, you have given me a lot to think about. Leaning toward filtration at my sink where all drinking and cooking come from. Having my water analyzed to help make filtration decision an informed one.