Is it ok to top off with distiller water?

[AkOndray]

So here in Alaska you can get pure Alaskan spring water very cheaply. I do believe it is nearly the same as distilled freshwater.. Would it be ok for me to use this freshwater to top off my pico?

[StevieT]

Spring water is not equal to distilled

 

what is the TDS of this water?

[AkOndray]

I guess I'm just as much of a noob at water as I am at everything else then

 

It isn't printed on the container, is there a way I can test myself? If it helps, the container reads:

"Prepared by activated carbon filtration and ozone."

 

I assumed they were the same because you can find them mixed together with the other distilled waters at local stores. Guess that's what I get..

[doctaq]

that doesnt sound very pure, you could test it with a TDS meter but chances are, its not much better than tap, which is what a lot of bottled waters are.

 

distilled water, ideally is even better than RODI since the apparent acceptable limit is about 10 ppm tds whereas distilled supposedly should be 0 tds

[StevieT]

RO/DI is 0 TDS just like distilled

 

 

The water you are looking at I would not risk in a pico and it is not similar to distilled. Get RO/DI or distilled.

[AkOndray]

Thanks for the help guys!

[steviejitsu]

yup, spring water is just that, water from a spring(mountains, etc) distilled is a process with like evaporation i believe.

[polok121]

yup, spring water is just that, water from a spring(mountains, etc) distilled is a process with like evaporation i believe.

I just go to walmart and by the distilled water there. the one with the purple cap

[Lawnman]

Distilled water is zero TDS?

[cptbjorn]

Ideally yes it will read as 0 PPM. Maybe not though depending on how they make and handle it.

[AkOndray]

What would adding spring, or to go to an extreme tap water, to a system actually do? I've heard it promotes bad algea growth, but is that all?

[coolwaters]

bad things can happen. depending on what kind of heavy metals are in the tap water. worst outcome is high copper which will fry all coral.

 

second is algae grows so out of control kill everything in a few days.

 

check your spring water if it reads below 7 ppm in TDS then your good. i use water that is 0 or 1.

[dixiedog]

Distilled water good.

 

Spring water bad.

[neanderthalman]

Buy your own RO/DI filter. You won't regret it.

[coolwaters]

using distilled water gets pretty expensive. their like $1.25 a gallon. i second getting your own RO system. i would but my parents are stuck using the new refrigerator's filter water...which only lowers the TDS to 20 from 30. yeah our water is pre-filtered. other citys are in the 200s....

[Gunbeaux]

Check your distilled water some use copper pipes.

[fcruz420]

If you boil your tap water and let it cool, it should then be distilled water. Im still a noob, but if your salt levels are fine then you should be able to top off with distilled/RO

[farkwar]

If you boil your tap water and let it cool, it should then be distilled water. Im still a noob, but if your salt levels are fine then you should be able to top off with distilled/RO

 

FAIL!

 

If you boil your tap water.

Collect all of the steam.

Then let it condense back into water.

You should then have distilled water.

[MikeTR]

Check your distilled water some use copper pipes.

Since when do heavy metals evaporate?

 

eh. i guess bottling the distilled water is a different topic.

[davenia7]

My tapwater is 1-6ppm (I think it depends when the water system changed their filters. I use tap... However, it is desalinated RO/DI from the tap and is considered one of the BEST QUALITY waters in nation... so, for most people, you should prolly get a unit or go to the store and pay for RO/DI water. Just bc I do it, doesn't mean it should be done.

[nemmy]

Since when do heavy metals evaporate?

 

eh. i guess bottling the distilled water is a different topic.

 

The copper for distilling is usually in the tubes to condense the steam back into water.

So thats where it would get picked up if there was going to be any in the water.

[AZDesertRat]

Copper has not been used in distillation units in years. Most are exotic metals like high end stainless, titanium or glass or epoxy lined so metals don't come into contact with the water.

[nemmy]

Copper has not been used in distillation units in years. Most are exotic metals like high end stainless, titanium or glass or epoxy lined so metals don't come into contact with the water.

 

 

Good to know! I was using distilled for a good while until i got a bigger tank. Never had any problems.

[masterbuilder]

Copper has not been used in distillation units in years. Most are exotic metals like high end stainless, titanium or glass or epoxy lined so metals don't come into contact with the water.

 

 

+1

 

I dont have a RO/DI unit and have only used bottled Wal-Mart distilled water for over 5 years. No problems yet.

 

Mark

 

p.s. I pay 69 cents a gallon. I did the math for a 3 year period using mid range RO/DI unit. Calculated in replacement DI, Carbon Blocks and Membranes based on manufactures’recommendations. For MY use it didn’t make any $$ diff on which way I went. Your mileage may vary.

[opy01]

I for one have used "spring water" (Ozarka) and for a while it seemed fine... then out of nowhere I got GHA like crazy and it took well over a month of weekly clenaings and pulling GHA every other day to get it 75% gone. I am using RO/DI now and its slowly going away. Either buy RO/DI or buy a RO/DI unit. You will be better off, trust me.