best reverse osmosis for tank & drinking?

[chady]

Hi,
I'm looking to get a RO/DI for the tank and would like recommendations:

- 30 gallon tank now, but looking to upgrade soon to 120g or more
- would like to use it for the house drinking water supply as well
- reliability & performance more important than cost

Basically, I'd like something that 'just works' and puts out enough GPD to be useful.
Didn't find anything recent in the forums/equipment gallery so I posted this. If there's an existing post, please point me in to it, instead.

Thanks!

-Chad

 

[mojoreef]

Chad I would say the best place for info and deals would be our sponsor "Air, water and ice" they specialize in it and have some great products.

Mojo

 

[jrgilles]

Tank water and drinking water aren't the same. You don't want to drink DI water. Since it has no ions in it, it will start dripping ions from your body. Can be very unhealthy. Not sure about drinking RO, maybe that is fine. I'd check with someone first. I know for a fact that DI water is very unhealthy to drink.

 

[capdippe]

Look at Bulk Reef Supply.com, they have good videos that answerd a lot of my questions. I bought their 75GPD Deluxe system, but havent set it up yet, so I don't know how it'll perform.

 

[07FocusST]

We use RO's on Navy ships. We just add Bromine and other stuff. Not to sure about DI water.

 

[Scooterman]

Tank water and drinking water aren't the same. You don't want to drink DI water. Since it has no ions in it, it will start dripping ions from your body. Can be very unhealthy. Not sure about drinking RO, maybe that is fine. I'd check with someone first. I know for a fact that DI water is very unhealthy to drink.

Can you show me where you get this information at?

 

[Frankie]

+1. other then it lacking some minerals I see no harm whatsoever in drinking RO/DI water.

 

[Chichas01]

yeah i asked a doctor about drinking DI water. he said it's harmless.

 

[jrgilles]

I'll try to dig up some resources. I work in laboratories with DI water taps and I've been told by the MD's in the lab that it is very bad for your body as it strips trace elements. (your body and your waste, ie. urine, have a balance of ions in them. By having no ions in your water, it pulls more into the waste than would usually happen with normal drinking water.) Let me see if I can dig up some info online.

Here is a document put out by the WHO on the issues of drinking low mineral water (where DI is no mineral water):
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutdemineralized.pdf

Here are some various other quotes from the internet:

DI water in small amounts (<500 mL) usually has no effect on most people. It is, however, well known by the medical community that consuming large amounts of DI water (>2 liters) in a short time frame (8 hours) can disrupt the electrolyte balance sufficiently to show up in standard blood work. A common symptom is a headache which quickly dissipates as soon as the imbalance is corrected. Note, that certain (sensitive) individuals may experience headaches (and other symptoms) consuming as little as one 8 oz. glass of DI water.

____________________________
Deionized water is an usually pure form of water. Water actually is a very aggressive solvent. In our normal contact with water, it already has a lot of things dissolved in it, and is pretty tame. Deionized water is so aggressive that it will begin to attack metal, plastic, or even stainless steel. It will dissolve carbon dioxide in the air. If someone was to drink deionized water, it would have the opposite effect of a vitamin, drawing out the minerals and vitamins in your body. It is common knowledge that drinking deionized water is harmful, but I am not sure if there are any documented studies.

_____________________________
Hello,

I use DI water for cleaning windows every day. I can tell you that if you decide to drink water this aggressive, you will end up ill.

If you take aggressive water, and rub it into your hands. You will notice that it strips all the natural oils from your skin, and dries out the surface. I know as every day when I come home from work my hands are really dry.

If you drink this water, you might feel ok. But you are effectively drinking water that can break down membranes and oils that the body needs.

PLEASE DON'T DRINK DI water.

__________________________________________

As 07FocusST said, they use RO on ships, but supplement bromine back in to reionize it (although this doesn't have an effect on all the other ions that aren't present)

Anyway, if you read through the WHO paper on drinking water, it lays it out for you, including long term health effects of people drinking low mineral water for long periods of time.

 

[jrgilles]

Here is the last part of the conclusion of the WHO paper. The whole thing is a pretty good read if you are interested

Cited: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutdemineralized.pdf

Sufficient evidence is now available to confirm the health risk from drinking
water deficient in calcium or magnesium. Many studies show that higher water
magnesium is related to decreased risks for CVD and especially for sudden
death from CVD. This relationship has been independently described in
epidemiological studies with different study designs, performed in different
areas (with different populations), and at different times. The consistent
epidemiological observations are supported by the data from autopsy, clinical,
and animal studies. Biological plausibility for a protective effect of magnesium
is substantial, but the specificity is less evident due to the multifactorial
aetiology of CVD. In addition to an increased risk of sudden death, it has been
suggested that intake of water low in magnesium may be associated with a
higher risk of motor neuronal disease, pregnancy disorders (so-called
preeclampsia, and sudden death in infants) and some types of cancer. Recent
studies suggest that the intake of soft water, i.e. water low in calcium, is
associated with higher risk of fracture in children, certain neurodegenerative
18
diseases, pre-term birth and low weight at birth and some types of cancer.
Furthermore, the possible role of water calcium in the development of CVD
cannot be excluded.
International and national authorities responsible for drinking water quality
should consider guidelines for desalination water treatment, specifying the
minimum content of the relevant elements such as calcium and magnesium and
TDS. If additional research is required to establish guidelines, these authorities
should promote targeted research in this field to elaborate the health benefits. If
guidelines are established for substances that should be in deminerialized water,
authorities should ensure that the guidelines also apply to uses of certain home
treatment devices and bottled waters.

 

[DonW]

If all you drank was DI water it would be a hazard. Your gut would basically dialyze. An occasional glass of rodi water or using it for your coffee or your coolaid is not going to hurt anything.
For DI water to cause damage your body would have to be so deprived in so many other ways that you are not long for this world anyways.

Don

 

[Rothany]

check out purewaterclub.com