which ro water to buy ?

[lobsterboy]

hello everyone and happy new year.

so with the new year comes a time for some change, that being maybe using ro water. so i want to do a test for abit to see if there are any changes to my system.

soooo, which ro water is the best to buy in store. is distilled water the same as ro, or what does the label say. thanks

[Kevotron]

Why not an RO unit ?
i use to purchase water from Sobeys and it was such a hassle bringing 3-4 bottles there, waiting for it to fill, then lugging it back to the car then back into the home...

[mike31154]

The difference between distilled and RO water is minimal. They're simply different processes to achieve the same goal, almost pure water. RO forces water through a membrane to strip impurities whereas distilled water is produced by boiling water to create steam, which is then condensed, leaving impurities behind. So it probably boils down to price, RO vs distilled.

I'd have to agree with Kevotron in that an RO unit might be a better option, especially if your signature is current and you're running a 125 gallon tank. That's a fair amount of water to be bringing back from the store. The upfront cost of purchasing an RO system will be amortized relatively quickly. For a few dollars more you can add DI and have even purer water. The downside is the amount of waste water produced and finding creative ways of using that, rather than just sending it down the drain.

Or you could build yourself a still, make your own distilled water and maybe a little 'shine on the side. Just don't allow any law enforcement friends you may have into your house!

Happy New year.

[Triggz]

I agree, with a 125 gallon tank it might be better to invest in an actual unit. If you do decide just to go with bottles, I would try to find an actual bottled water store. When I used to get bottled RO I ended up calling all the local water depots and going with the place with the lowest TDS reading. Closest thing I could get to RO/DI water.

[ColinD]

I've been using bottled water for my tank from the start as we already had a water service in place. started using Aqua Source water from Canmore and was very happy with it TDS was consistently 0, no phosphates or other contaminates. Cancelled our service with them at the end of the summer, and started using Sobey's (Arrowsmith) water as it was very conveinent to pick up when shopping. Tested it for TDS and it was at 4, not the best but it worked. tested the same water about a month ago and lo and behold TDS was at 120+, which I guess explains all the hair algea. Have since used Polaris (Superstore) TDS of 4 and water from The Water Store TDS of 4-6. so I guess it pays to shop around and test it.

Colin

[kien]

Have you guys seen his tank?!?! Hehe.

John, your tank does so well without RO! If it ain't broke don't fix it? :-)

[Myka]

Originally Posted by kien

John, your tank does so well without RO! If it ain't broke don't fix it? :-)

Agreed. Big changes like that in an established system can cause you more grief than anything. I'm pretty big on the RO wagon, but in your case I say let it be!!

If you persist, I do agree that you should just buy your own RO/DI system (don't forget a digital TDS meter!). Should cost you about $200. Waiting for the bottles to fill, and lugging jugs of water around gets old REAL fast especially with a tank your size.

[ColinD]

Originally Posted by kien

Have you guys seen his tank?!?! Hehe.

John, your tank does so well without RO! If it ain't broke don't fix it? :-)

I have, and knows he lives in an apartment and probably doesn't want to chance damaging plumbing when installing an RO/DI system. But I agree if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Colin

[Myka]

You don't have to mess with plumbing at all if you don't want to. Mine screws onto the kitchen faucet with a $5 adapter. I just set it on the counter.

[Kevotron]

Installing an RO unit is easy and simple and reversible (replacing piping) so is definitely do-able in an apartment