RO water from water stores?

[gus6464]

Here in SoCal water stores are very common and it's where we refill our 5g jugs for our water cooler. My new tank looks to be evaporating ~2.5g a week and instead of filling with distilled water I thought about using this RO water as it's quite cheap at $2 per 5g. Also was thinking of just adding an ATO and putting kalk in the 5g jug.

 

Should all I need is for the store to test the TDS and make sure it's 0?

[Spiderguardnano]

go to aquatic wear house get a 5-10g jug and fill it up

[jedimasterben]

I used RO from a dispenser for almost two years until I got my own system. TDS output was around 14, but these units are meticulously tested and disinfected 365 days a year, and after personally seeing how many stages water went through I was comfortable using it, still would if I didn't have my own unit.

 

YMMV

[Mariaface]

Get a handheld TDS meter and measure it yourself, so you're sure. If it's zero, go for it. If it's higher than 1-2 (and it probably will be), I'd say go with distilled unless you can be sure whatever's still in the water won't be harmful. Or better yet, get your own RO/DI filter if you can. I'm in an apartment so I can't (or shouldn't) actually install it, but I got a faucet adapter and I hook it up to my sink for a bit to make 4-7g at a time, using the waste water for plant-watering. It's paid for itself in the past year.

[AZDesertRat]

It will not be 0 TDS if it is RO only which is only a 90 to 98% efficient device. It takes the final DI step to get to 0 TDS.

 

While RO only is better than tap water with a properly maintained RO membrane it is still not as good as RO/DI or distilled water which would be my two chioces, in that order. Distilled water will run you about 89 cents a gallon.

 

Water and ice type stores are intended for drinking water and TDS is what makes the water taste good. No matter how often the clean and disinfect the spigots and counters, its still not going to make it 0 TDS.

[gus6464]

Ahh ok. The water store I use has a pretty extensive filtration system but $2.50 a week for distilled water is not a big deal. I thought about getting an RO/DI unit but I get free filtered ocean water from Scripps so wouldn't be using it a lot if it was just for top off.

[Spiderguardnano]

what is distilled water TDS usually?

[Mariaface]

what is distilled water TDS usually?

0-1, 2 tops.

[jedimasterben]

Water and ice type stores are intended for drinking water and TDS is what makes the water taste good. No matter how often the clean and disinfect the spigots and counters, its still not going to make it 0 TDS.

I never said that it did, nor that any would, it's just not possible with today's tech. What I was saying was that if you know the source water going in and the source water going out along with the filtration methods and that the filtration is maintained to keep that same output, then it gives you something to go off of. My tank was at its best when I was using that dispensed water, and if it wasn't such a hassle to lug 5g jugs constantly, then I'd still be doing it.