problems buying water

[ajwaters]

For my water changes and top offs I use RO water from machines.. I had to go to a few different machine's to find some decent water of course all of them said they go through a bunch of filtrations including RO & UV ect...
But when I tested them alot of them had nitrites and ammonia one was worse then the water comin out of my tap..

so i was just curious if anyone else has problems like that. or are the people around here just crooked :roll:

[matrixnyc]

That sounds weird, that there is ammonia and nitrates in the RO water.

You may need to use Clinoptilolite to remove the ammonia, the nitrates, i am not sure of.

Do you know the source of the water they run through the RO machine from where you buy it?


Here is a list of things that RO filtration should remove:
What contaminants do water filtration systems remove?

Asbestos
Atrazine
Benzene
Cryptosporidium
Giardia
Ethylene Dibromide
Herbicides
Lead
Mercury
Pesticides
Phenol
Radon
Trichloroethylene
Trihalomethanes Aesthetic Contaminants
Odor (fishy, earthy, woody)
Chemical Odor
Chlorine Taste/Smell
Oily Water
Sulphur Smell

Here is some other info on RO filtration:

How does reverse osmosis work?

More than just a simple carbon filter, the reverse osmosis system puts water through a sophisticated three stage refining and clarifying process.

Stage 1 - Municipal water is filtered through a five-micron barrier that captures dirt, rust and sediment, particles smaller than the eye can see.

Stage 2 - The filtered water is then refined under pressure through a reverse osmosis membrane that eliminates up to 98% of the remaining dissolved solids, salts and impurities.

Stage 3 - Finally, an activated carbon filter clarifies by absorbing chlorine and other unpleasant odors that can affect the taste of your drinking water. What remains is clear, refreshing water perfect for everyday use.

[ajwaters]

I didn't think that ro water should have that kind of stuff in it either. I'm not sure about the machine all i know is that the worst one had Reverse Osmosis it big letters right on it. The machine at wal-mart (culligan) and Alberstsons are alright. But two others outside of stores are bad. To me its false advertising.. Im just glad I tested all the water before putting in my tank or I would have been burnin up!

[HoopsGuru]

Don't know if you are willing to put in the time, but this really should be brought up either to the company or the Better Business Bureau. And with this info, I am off to test the local Weis market's "RO" water!

[Tim C]

I was buying R0 water from a respectable, high quality grocery store. However, at the time I was buying the water, the company had decided that selling RO water wasn't profitable. They posted a sign saying that in one month they would discontinue the service.

I suspected that the system hadn't been flushed and that the cartridges needed to be changed. And I believed that if they weren't selling enough water, then the water was just sitting in a tank that may have needed cleaning. The water was warm, and RO water should be refridgerated if it's going to sit for a while less bacteria and other things should grow in the tank.

I bought myself an RO/DI unit, but because of the hardness of our water, and the fact that I let the unit drain water on the basement floor a few times, eventually my RO/DI water wasn't of very good quality. I plan to buy new cartridges. In the mean time, I plan to use distilled water.

Just because it's RO water doesn't mean it's good. It has to be good RO water.

Tim C

[Bob Ashcraft]

Poor quality RO water is a result of using prefilters and membranes which have been exhausted and require replacement. If the unit is maintained regularly, the water will always be within limits.

BTW, RO water does not need to be refrigerated. It does need to be stored in a closed container though.

[AquaFX]

I am posting the following FYI.

This is a link to DOW's site. Now Dow (I feel) is the best membrane out there, so you can not count on all membrane removing the same things at the same reduction rates. :?

The other thing is the prefilters. They are very important. The carbon must be kept up. Carbon removes the chlorine, if it becomes saturated, chlorine can leak through and damage the membrane. Other VOC's are removed in the carbon.

Anyway here it is :arrow:

http://www.dow.com/webapps/lit/litorder.asp?objid=09002f138003bb04&filepath=/noreg

Marianne