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Post by lloyd on May 22, 2013 22:27:19 GMT -5
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Post by 31drew31 on May 25, 2013 20:23:19 GMT -5
I saw these a little while ago but it never clicked to think about using it for CPs. Figured they would be way too expensive to use long term.
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Post by lloyd on May 25, 2013 21:30:16 GMT -5
Also you're supposed to replace the filters when the TDS hits 6. Now Toronto tap water has a TDS ~150, so you could use the old filters as prefilters until the prefiltered water had a TDS approaching that of tap water, say >100. Then the new filters would likely last much longer saving money.
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Post by shoggoths on May 26, 2013 9:02:00 GMT -5
It would be much more trouble for me.
Distilled water cost 20 cents per liter here and I use less than 20 liters per weeks so ...
However, I'll keep the idea in mind if I ever need bigger quantities.
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Post by Apoplast on May 26, 2013 10:15:08 GMT -5
Hi Lloyd - I'd heard about this from another post, but never really looked into it. If the advertising it accurate it might be a good option for some folks. Might be good for me too currently, but I'm moving soon and will have to install a whole house RO system because of the terrible well water I'll have. Plus side, I can soon water my plants from the tap!
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Post by lloyd on May 26, 2013 19:08:44 GMT -5
I looked at some on-line comments and there seems to be "issues" with these things. Who will try one out and let us know?
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Post by HaruShin on May 27, 2013 22:09:02 GMT -5
I'm probably going to try this out, as it's cheaper than buying bottled distilled water forever, and I can't install an RO system as I live in a rented house.
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Post by canuk1w1 on Jan 8, 2014 21:41:02 GMT -5
Short-term impressions:
I'm 10 days in with one of the large dispensers (from Amazon.ca) and so far so good. Assembles easily and ready for use straight out the box after a wash. I've been using it quite liberally and the TDS meter still tests under 2. I will, however, try to get a calibration kit at Grow it All this weekend to ensure it is reading correctly. Taste us fine - better than tap. It processes about the same rate as a Brita. I keep a pitcher handy for drinking and if the dispenser isn't full will chuck in a couple of litres when I'm passing by. But I'm thinking now to install an under-sink system. A side benefit - after using it a few days the element in my kettle was back to pristine chrome! No more lime deposits.
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Post by lloyd on Jan 8, 2014 23:06:22 GMT -5
If my distiller ever dies, I may buy one of these things. Let us know how it holds up. There were a lot of on-line complaints last I checked.
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Post by LucST on Jan 9, 2014 3:09:32 GMT -5
A side benefit - after using it a few days the element in my kettle was back to pristine chrome! No more lime deposits. Going from memory: drinking pure water can have negative heath effects in the term. This is because there are important elements in the water that you are removing such as calcium and magnesium, as seen by the removal of the lime deposits in the kettle.
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Post by Apoplast on Jan 9, 2014 9:12:23 GMT -5
Going from memory: drinking pure water can have negative heath effects in the term. This is because there are important elements in the water that you are removing such as calcium and magnesium, as seen by the removal of the lime deposits in the kettle. Hi Lucst - The concerns you voiced come up frequntly with very pure water. My current understanding of it is that, yes very pure water is a weak acid. This means it can pull minerals and metals off of surfaces, which is particularly bad for those of us in older homes with copper pipes that may have lead in the solder. That said, it doesn't take much to stop the acidic properties of very pure water because it has no buffering capacity. Drop some saliva into a glass of very pure water and the problem should be eliminated. You see where I am going with this, when you drink pure water, your body adds all sorts of compounds to it immediately and it is no longer chemically pure by the time it hits your very acidic stomach. Plus, if you use it for coffee or tea, that adds all sorts of stuff back into it. As far as the minerals in water go, if the calcium, magnesium and other metals were important to your health then using a traditional water softener, which swaps sodium ions for those other metals, should be just as detrimental to your health, because it is denying your body just as much calcium as a good filter would by creating very pure water. I hope I didn't sound argumentative or anything, the concerns you've expressed come up a lot on the internet. It makes sense when you first think about it too. It's only when you start to break down the chemistry of what's happening with really pure water interacting with your body that it becomes less concerning.
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Post by lloyd on Jan 9, 2014 12:11:58 GMT -5
I've heard about distilled water not being that great for you. However I have no idea of the evidence. People have adapted to such a variety of foods/water supplies that probably a wide variation of water supplies could be tolerable. That being said there is no reason to drink distilled water other than if you like the experience. Tap water is a lot cheaper.
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Post by LucST on Jan 9, 2014 13:38:36 GMT -5
No worries Apoplast, I have no issue with a healthy debate.
The difference between drinking pure water and softened water is that the softened water won't leach minerals from the body since it will already have ions in it, ie Na, and you do get minerals from your diet, ie Ca from milk. Plus as lloyd said there is nothing wrong with our tap water, unless you are on a well with hard water and don't like the taste or need the water for other uses.
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Post by Apoplast on Jan 9, 2014 16:25:31 GMT -5
Hi Lloyd and Lucst - I completely agree, there is typically nothing wrong with North American tap water. And I am glad I didn't offend, Lucst. I recently put in a home RO system (best purchase ever!) and it's just interesting for me to see some people freak out about it. The system came with a tap, and I put it in the kitchen sink. I've had a couple people do the "Why would you put that in your kitchen when pure water is so dangerous?!" So I guess recently I've gotten accustomed to responding to that common concern, even if in this case it was no where near the emphatic nature I've observed.
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Post by canuk1w1 on Jan 15, 2014 20:17:54 GMT -5
... I recently put in a home RO system (best purchase ever!) and it's just interesting for me to see some people freak out about it. The system came with a tap, and I put it in the kitchen sink... Thanks for the comments and discussion. These are all excellent points. Apoplast, what make/model do you have? The filter that shipped with the unit was good for 10 days heavy use. It was reading 5/6 Friday night (replacement time) and by Saturday morning was showing 12 - 15. The replacement filter is defective (flows around 1/3rd the rate and cannot empty the reservoir) and I think it's vapour locked. The unit itself is not very sturdily constructed (thin walls, the lid barely fits and is not snug) and if dropped from higher than a metre will shatter - empty. My initial impressions are it's a good solution for a small/medium sized collection of plants if that's all you're using it for. Otherwise, one of those units on Ebay for under $200 would be more economical in the medium term and much more convenient - I'm starting to research them now and will soon be purchasing and installing one.
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