RO Water vs. Filtered water

[hermosabeach]

It's that time of the year where we look for Christmas items..... Anywho

I am looking at Reverse Osmosis and other water filer choices. Relatively hard water in Socal... lots of Chlorine taste....


What do you have? Any Suggestions? We have been using a basic charcoal filter that helps.... but it does not make the water delicious....

Ideas?

 

[Magnumitis]

RO strips the water of most of its qualities including hardness and alkalinity while lowering pH significantly. You'll have to add those back for it to be palatable.

 

[Magnumitis]

I should have added: we use tap water from the local utility for cooking, coffee, tea, ice, toothbrushing (notice i didnt say teeth) warshing mud off stuff, pool water and shitting in. We also consume a fair share of bottled water and the refillable 5 gallon jugs from grocery store filtration units. In my opinion, variety is key. I work for the local water utility.

 

[ArmyJerry]

2 chlorine tablets, sewer water, call it a day

 

[Dewey7271]

If it’s just some drinking water, Berkey

https://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/berkey-water-filters.html

 

[W54/XM-388]

RO strips the water of most of its qualities including hardness and alkalinity while lowering pH significantly. You'll have to add those back for it to be palatable.

You can get a decent mid range self install, under sink RO system for the $200 to $500 range depending on the model.
These ones are the standard residential ones that are designed for tap water.
It makes a huge difference and you don't need bottled water after that. The taste is perfectly fine, pretty much like nothing and you'll find after a week or two you'll be used to it.

I've had them for years at home & work.

They do consume a bit of water, but overall you won't notice much of a difference in your water bill.

They don't however remove salt as that's a whole different model & you really don't need that for your house.

It will save you a lot of money in the end, as you don't have to worry about bottled water or water delivery or going getting water from the store etc.

 

[pmclaine]

Did you guys know urine is sterile?

 

[W54/XM-388]

Did you guys know urine is sterile?

If you want to be a follower of that stupid reality show host... go ahead.

You can process urine through a RO filter that is specifically setup for salt water and other such items, but you'd be way better off just finding some other dirty water to filter that doesn't have as much crap in it that most urine does.

As to the reality show types, I'm of the firm believer that people who drink their own urine in bad situations somehow manage to survive despite that, rather that because of it.

 

[Magnumitis]

2 chlorine tablets, sewer water, call it a day

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz

Disinfection by products

You can get a decent mid range self install, under sink RO system for the $200 to $500 range depending on the model.
These ones are the standard residential ones that are designed for tap water.
It makes a huge difference and you don't need bottled water after that. The taste is perfectly fine, pretty much like nothing and you'll find after a week or two you'll be used to it.

I've had them for years at home & work.

They do consume a bit of water, but overall you won't notice much of a difference in your water bill.

They don't however remove salt as that's a whole different model & you really don't need that for your house.

It will save you a lot of money in the end, as you don't have to worry about bottled water or water delivery or going getting water from the store etc.

Have you tested the before and after properties of the water?

 

[W54/XM-388]

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz
Disinfection by products
Have you tested the before and after properties of the water?

Nope I haven't, because on those ones I'm taking your standard supposedly "safe & clean" water that the city provides as the source (and sends hopefully correct yearly reports on). Mostly getting rid of stuff like the sediment, chlorine taste, oily residue from alge growth etc.

It would be nice to have it tested sometime for fun. If you can post a lab that can do it without costing too much, I'd like to get some tested for fun.

However have a glass side by side from the tap vs. going through it, there is a very big difference in taste.
Also you notice the difference in your kettles and teacups etc., no more deposits on the inside of them from use.

I do have a few of the better salt rated marine ones, but those I don't use normally because their water output vs, water in / work, is a whole lot different.

If I had to do unknown water, then I'd be using them in addition to sediment filter stages and chemical / UV sterilization / boiling.

I use the cheap ones from Costco and Amazon, but if you have a suggestion on something a lot better, let me know & I'll see about getting it.

 

[Magnumitis]

Nope I haven't, because on those ones I'm taking your standard supposedly "safe & clean" water that the city provides as the source (and sends hopefully correct yearly reports on). Mostly getting rid of stuff like the sediment, chlorine taste, oily residue from alge growth etc.

It would be nice to have it tested sometime for fun. If you can post a lab that can do it without costing too much, I'd like to get some tested for fun.

However have a glass side by side from the tap vs. going through it, there is a very big difference in taste.
Also you notice the difference in your kettles and teacups etc., no more deposits on the inside of them from use.

I do have a few of the better salt rated marine ones, but those I don't use normally because their water output vs, water in / work, is a whole lot different.

If I had to do unknown water, then I'd be using them in addition to sediment filter stages and chemical / UV sterilization / boiling.

I use the cheap ones from Costco and Amazon, but if you have a suggestion on something a lot better, let me know & I'll see about getting it.

I look into it. With exception of a minor detail or two, you seem well read on the subject.

 

[mdmp5]

If you want to be a follower of that stupid reality show host... go ahead.

You can process urine through a RO filter that is specifically setup for salt water and other such items, but you'd be way better off just finding some other dirty water to filter that doesn't have as much crap in it that most urine does.

As to the reality show types, I'm of the firm believer that people who drink their own urine in bad situations somehow manage to survive despite that, rather that because of it.

Drinking piss is doing nothing to quench a thirst. You are imbibing the very compounds your body meticulously processed with the only means of excreting them; by mixing them with water. Now you have to excrete formed compounds which takes more water, so you use the water you just drank to do that. On top of this, you are still making urine to process the new filtrates. It’s a zero sum.

Conclusion...if you’re reeeeeallly thirsty, don’t drink your own piss

 

[Threadcutter308]

Did you guys know urine is sterile?

Yes, it's the kidney thing........I don't know much, but I learned that from the next door neighbor kid when I was in 4th grade, as I watched him drink his own piss, just to prove the point.

 

[mdmp5]

Did you guys know urine is sterile?

A lot of shit is sterile. Sterile is not a qualifier for drinking. (Yes I know you’re fucking around)

 

[thejeep]

we Have filters at home. Sometimes I drink from the hose.

I’ve lived in the woods mostly filterless for 3 mo, before ,walking 25 mi daily and peeing clear.

In almost all cases my water is watery.

 

[johnnycat]

+1 for the Berkey for drinking water. That's what I use. I probably don't need to use it now but it's habit. Our previous house was built in the 1920's and the neighborhood (as well as the house) had nasty pipes. The Berkey is the boss!

 

[Magnumitis]

Chlorine destroys RO Membranes so if you have a chlorine smell in your water, you have to remove that chlorine first before sending it through an RO system.

Chlorine is easily removed by using a Charcoal filter first and I'd bet that if you installed one, it would not only remove the chlorine smell you don't like, but probably polish your city water to a point where you don't feel the need for an RO system.

RO systems also create acidic water so it can be hard on some of the infrastructure in your home. Over time, the slightly acidic water can chew away at copper piping, fixtures and valves.

chlorine destroying RO membranes depends on the residual value in ppm and more importantly if it is free cl2 or total cl2. Same goes for if it is easily removed with a charcoal filter. RO systems dont create acidic water, they strip the water of its properties, hardness and alkalinity, resulting in low pH water which is more harsh on the body system than the infrastructure of the house.

 

[Alphatreedog]

Have you tried this ?

 

[pmclaine]

Yes, it's the kidney thing........I don't know much, but I learned that from the next door neighbor kid when I was in 4th grade, as I watched him drink his own piss, just to prove the point.

Kidney is kind of like a reverse osmosis membrane I tried to point out.

Only problem being is your in taking at the out take.

 

[Mwalex]

chlorine destroying RO membranes depends on the residual value in ppm and more importantly if it is free cl2 or total cl2. Same goes for if it is easily removed with a charcoal filter. RO systems dont create acidic water, they strip the water of its properties, hardness and alkalinity, resulting in low pH water which is more harsh on the body system than the infrastructure of the house.

Your comments about the pH of water and the body system are off. The pH of RO water typically ranges from 5.0 - 5.5 which is much higher than the pH of stomach acid, so no harm there. The buffer capacity of RO water is not high enough to have an effect on stomach pH, so no harm there. The only real concern could be the effect on teeth after an extended period of time.

 

[powdahound76]

Did you guys know urine is sterile?

Not always. Once got pee splashed in my eye cleaning up a lazy fat lady who peed herself on the gurney in the ER. Got pink eye her urine was so infected. Hospital had to oay for abx and days off.

Be sure if your source!

 

[BR7.62]

I don't mind our tap water really but once in a while the chlorine is noticeable.
We bought a 2? Gallon berkey a few years ago seems great.
A climber buddy of mine who lived here and there depending on season in a van also totes a berkey around.

 

[Maser]

Did you guys know urine is sterile?

So are some of the posters here.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

A lot of shit is sterile. Sterile is not a qualifier for drinking. (Yes I know you’re fucking around)

A brand-new, unopened bottle of bleach is sterile, too.

We were given a 5 stage RO system with a 2 gallon pressure tank. The intention of it, was to make water for a saltwater aquarium that we'd planned on setting up for a few years. We WERE in the process of amassing infrastructure, but this past year has REALLY kicked the shit out of us. So my point is, the system is mounted on the wall in the basement, but NOT hooked up to water yet. Still need a few more fittings.

So to clarify, I'm not a Waterologist, but what I have learned so far is that the first 4 stages are for filtering ALL the shit/crap/corruption out of the water, to make it 'pure' to then add "Sea salts and stuff" that one purchases to replicate seawater for fish and corals to survive. (including feeding them and monitoring water 'things 'n stuffs' often.)

But, the 5th stage of the system is a 'polishing' cartridge, which then feeds to the pressure tank, which then feeds to the faucet. That polishing cartridge is a use-uppable device that puts 'human body necessities' back into the water, for consumption. It then sits in the tank (identical to a hydraulic receiver) and is plumbed up to a separate tap at the sink to be filling glasses or what-have-you and is pressured by the bladder in the tank.

I'm led to understand that there is the possibility of adding a pump for the purpose of "back-flushing" the filters, to reduce the cost of replacing them. I don't know yet what the costs of said filters are, as we haven't used any yet. Balance that with the cost of water to do so. As it is, the whole process is run by the city water pressure, and our system is rated for 75 gallons per day. (it is a VERY small system, about the size of two shoe-boxes stacked side-by-each--pressure tank not included)

Now, that's it for the home system AS I KNOW IT, but that don't mean at all that I don't have learning to do, when I actually hook it up. Everything I've just said is "as I understand it" and my memory is for-shit, so it's up to all you waterologists to bonk me upside the head where I'm wrong.

I'm always up for learning, but I got to have it written down, otherwise it never happened to begin with.

 

[Diablo]

Did you guys know urine is sterile?

Yeah, but damnit Mclaine, it is so salty.......how's your blood pressure?

 

[Diablo]

Not always. Once got pee splashed in my eye cleaning up a lazy fat lady who peed herself on the gurney in the ER. Got pink eye her urine was so infected. Hospital had to oay for abx and days off.

Be sure if your source!

Skeptical about how you got that in your eye...........cleaning up her urine you say?

 

[ArmyJerry]

Holy fuck you retards, this is all you need, a bit of shine if available.

 

[mdmp5]

The worst smell I ever witnessed was infected piss. I changed a supra pubic cath on some bum one day and a geyser of cloudy piss shot all over the place. I got the new cath in and proceeded to puke my guts up.

 

[thejeep]

The worst smell I ever witnessed was infected piss. I changed a supra pubic cath on some bum one day and a geyser of cloudy piss shot all over the place. I got the new cath in and proceeded to puke my guts up.

Reverse peristalsis, where actual shit comes out of the mouth.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Holy fuck you retards, this is all you need, a bit of shine if available.

View attachment 6985798

Do those taste any better than just using a drop of bleach in your water cup?

Because a drop of bleach in each glass of water to disinfect it, will keep you from going to the hospital in Asia, but the taste sucks. I did it for years but it I dislike the shuddering sensation you get every once in awhile from the horrid taste.

The other problem is that in some countries (like my relatives found out in India), the water is so full of really bad chemical stuff that you can't use tablets to clean it, That's before you get into metals contaminating the water. It takes really specialized filtration and distillation systems to make it safe.

 

[powdahound76]

Nothing like feculent emesis...... Now that takes me back

I am guessing you boys never had a good round of gaseous gangrene or a bad empyema? Having seen just about all of it, those are my worst 2 smells on an alive body. even worse than a homeless drunk with a colostomy who had a penchant for cheap beer and Taco Bell..... Found a guy in an apartment once. Been dead for 3 weeks in august with no AC....... almost tossed my cookies on that one.

Makes me love my current job, though I miss it here and there.

what was this thread about?

 

[ArmyJerry]

no its highly concentrated and taste like highly chlorinated pool water, your teeth turn florescent white after a few weeks in the boonies.

Do those taste any better than just using a drop of bleach in your water cup?

Because a drop of bleach in each glass of water to disinfect it, will keep you from going to the hospital in Asia, but the taste sucks. I did it for years but it I dislike the shuddering sensation you get every once in awhile from the horrid taste.

The other problem is that in some countries (like my relatives found out in India), the water is so full of really bad chemical stuff that you can't use tablets to clean it, That's before you get into metals contaminating the water. It takes really specialized filtration and distillation systems to make it safe.

 

[Graywolf.260]

Nice reading about all your interesting fluids. I've got a 200 ft well in the Bitterroots and sweet clear cold Water.

 

[Mike Casselton]

Here's what we do in Tampa Bay at the desalination plant.
The plant can process and make more than 25 million gallons of drinking water per day.

I worked with the Discovery Channel folks to make the video.
You will see me three times and a fella named Eddie. Eddie is installing one of the many RO filters in the tube.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Here's what we do in Tampa Bay at the desalination plant.
The plant can process and make more than 25 million gallons of drinking water per day.

I worked with the Discovery Channel folks to make the video.
You will see me three times and a fella named Eddie. Eddie is installing one of the many RO filters in the tube.

And that right there is the answer to all the idiot SJWs claiming there is not enough fresh drinking water to go around.

 

[Mike Casselton]

And that right there is the answer to all the idiot SJWs claiming there is not enough fresh drinking water to go around.

But it's not bottled...

 

[shootist2004]

I thought the astronauts drank their own piss....................

 

[W54/XM-388]

I thought the astronauts drank their own piss....................

Most likely whatever water you are drinking once went through some human, animal, bird or fish.

In our area, the sewers go to the waste water treatment plants for treatment and then the "treated" water gets returned to the reservoirs where where it then gets pumped back into the fresh water treatment plants which then go back to our houses.

 

[MarinePMI]

So, can someone tell me the difference between water softeners that use salt, and those that use potassium? We have some pretty hard water here, and the wife and I were talking about replacing an old water softener systems in the garage (that we don't use, and is in by pass at the moment). I didn't realize we had some many "waterologists" on this forum....

 

[Greg Langelius *]

If the UTI's I get every year are a sign, my urine, at least, is not sterile.

And then there's the 18 some-odd meds I have to take daily. Damn straight there's some of that in there, too.

My urine ends up in the sewer, lots of others' too; so sewer water is not a good intake source.

My fridge has a filter for the ice/ice water, and what comes out of it tastes OK. I figure if I give the bottle a shake every time before I drink, some oxygen will get into it and might even improve the taste.

Who knows?

I sure don't.

Here in the Southwest, the aquifers often take centuries to release the trapped water. I'd hate to be drinking from them a century from now...

Greg

 

[TheGerman]

Have you tried this ?

View attachment 6984763

Go be poor somewhere else.

 

[MarinePMI]

Go be poor somewhere else.

LOL! I'm thinking this saying is going to be as common as AJ's "Buy more ammo" saying...

 

[Lowlight]

Filtered Water cost me a bunch

I got a Zero Water Filter and then my coffee maker stopped working, I bought a new one only to find out the Coffee Makers need stuff in the water to know there is water in them.

So when I filtered out everything, my Coffee Maker thought my reservoir was empty, so I am back to drinking dirty water and not the good kind Absinthe kind

 

[Maser]

 

[hermosabeach]

I had a commercial RO system at work years back- It could make 200 gallons per day-
We had no need for 200 gallons so I only paid for 6 of the 3 gallon holding tanks. The 3 gallon tanks have a bladder in them and hold 2 gallons of water.

This kept 90 people happy with Drinking Water, Water for Coffee and Ice.

RO water is mineral hungry. If you have old skunky Ice trays that are covered with hard water deposits, making 8 batches of ice will leave the trays spotless. The RO Water will strip the hard water deposits off of them quickly.



A friend is going to buy the Carbon filter that is used by many restaurants in my area as their filter on their soda machine.

Still looking - any brands/ models your like? Berkley is fine for camping but I am done with the britta counter top models

 

[ArmyJerry]

I like it.

LOL! I'm thinking this saying is going to be as common as AJ's "Buy more ammo" saying...

 

[Marinevet1]

I operate a small RO for a pharmaceutical company........we make a little over 2500 gallons a day, USP water........not a big deal. The PH of the water you are running thru your system makes a big difference in the quality of the end product.

The PH of my incoming water is between 9.0-10.0........we inject muriatic acid to lower the PH to 7.2-7.5.......I am making water that is 1.09 micro siemens conductivity, 1.5 KO resistivity.......pretty sweet water.

less than 7 ph.......greater than 8 ph.....your stuff is going down hill in a hurry...............

I'm not sure you would call this a high pressure system........ I'm hitting the membranes at 350 psi.........

 

[ArmyJerry]

Franks coffee water filter

 

[Mahdisonne]

It's that time of the year where we look for Christmas items..... Anywho

I am looking at Reverse Osmosis and other water filer choices. Relatively hard water in Socal... lots of Chlorine taste....


What do you have? Any Suggestions? We have been using a basic charcoal filter that helps.... but it does not make the water delicious....

Ideas?

Hi, a year ago I installed a linear filter at home. I can say that the result I was very pleased. I did water tests and they showed Ph = 0.5, which is a very good indicator. The taste of the water is also great after this filter.

Here's a great article about this ecolifemaster.com/best-inline-water-filter.

 

[timesublime]

Ph=0.5? Do you have any teeth/internal organs left?