Is RODI water safe to drink?

[thewalkingdad]

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dhmo.org

 

[maharsreef]

It’s not safe to drink. This has been bought up many times in the past. If you have doubts I suggest watering a potted plant with rodi water for a week and watch it die. It’s corrosive in nature just dying to bind onto something like your cell walls and start stripping them.
Away from your body, let us know how it turns out.

I've rooted many off plumeria plants with DI water with no problems. I dont believe this to be true. But I wouldn't drink it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Would it be unhealthy because it's filtered too much?

Last question...can you use this in an iron since all the metals are filtered out.

I wanna make coffee with it or use in baby bottles.

the lack of ions is no concern. The potential for bacteria to grow on the downstream side of the ro is a concern if you do not sterilize the water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, activated carbon in RO/DI does remove chlorine as the chlorine would damage the RO membrane.

However, most household systems are not stagnant long enough for bacterial growth to occur in any meaningful manner. Add to that the fact that there would be very few nutrients for the bacteria to consume (since dissolved organics are also removed), and you've got a situation where growth is slow if it happens at all.

RO systems can actually remove bacteria, viruses and cysts from the water since the pore diameters in the membrane are so small.

it had been shown that bacteria can grow on the downstream side of the ro membrane.

 

[vetteguy53081]

RO yes, DI no.
Safe for fish and coral as it is mixed with salts and elements

 

[William Mumford]

I have drank it before. I dont drink it regularly but I have drank a few cups in my life. Still alive and reefing.

 

[Reefahholic]

DI is not safe

Thank you!

 

[Reefahholic]

+1 ^ Exactly

Appreciate your reply. Thanks!

 

[Reefahholic]

I wouldn't drink the DI water, but I will tell you that RO water is safe to drink and is delicious.

 

[robbyg]

This sums up all the other things I have read on the subject (see link below).

Why It's Unsafe

Aside from its unpleasant taste and sensation in your mouth, there are good reasons to avoid drinking deionized water:

1. Deionized water lacks minerals normally found in water which provide beneficial health effects. Calcium and magnesium, in particular, are desirable minerals in the water.
2. Deionized water aggressively attacks pipes and storage container materials, leaching metals and other chemicals into the water.
3. Drinking DI may lead to increased risk of metal toxicity, both because deionized water leaches metals from pipes and containers and because hard or mineral water protects against absorption of other metals by the body.
4. Use of DI for cooking can lead to loss of minerals in food into the cooking water.
5. At least one study found ingestion of deionized water directly damaged the intestinal mucosae. Other studies did not observe this effect.
6. There is substantial evidence drinking DI disrupts mineral homeostasis. Long-term use of deionized water as drinking water may cause organ damage, even if additional minerals are present elsewhere in the diet.
7. There is evidence that distilled and DI water are less likely to quench thirst.
8. Deionized water may contain contamination in the form of bits of ion exchange resin.
9. While deionized water made from distilled or reverse osmosis purified water may be pure, deionizing nonpotable water will not make it safe to drink.

https://www.thoughtco.com/is-it-safe-to-drink-deionized-water-609428

A good paper on the subject from WHO.
World Health Organization paper on DI Water

 

[Butuz]

Whether safe or not, RODI water tastes bad. So if you want to use the unit for some drinking water, just install a t-ee with a ball valve between RO and DI and use that to satisfy your filtered water needs. That way you will collect RO water without the harm or taste of DI.

 

[MT. Reefer]

Here's a question then. I have been using RO water for the past 6 years with no apparent problems. What is the benefit to going RODI?

 

[Greg P]

Then y the heck do our fish and corals use it lol funny how it’s good for them

Your salt mix replenishes what they like, without all the heavy metals and such from your tap

 

[Quietman]

We have very hard water....when my wife started using RODI on her Peace Lilly's and orchods they all responded fantastic. Even the 12 yo Lilly started blooming, recovered dark leaves and size of leaf is increased. She did keep up fertilizer routine because there's no nutrients in RODI.

Probably beside the point. But there are other uses. Would I drink it? Sure soon as the apocalypse comes and I'm sitting on a brute can full of it. That or barter it for food or one of those awesome Mad Max vehicles.

 

[Greg P]

Here's a question then. I have been using RO water for the past 6 years with no apparent problems. What is the benefit to going RODI?

I ran RODI for a few months to start with, until I looked into my Municipal Water Supply TDS test records and saw nothing to worry about.
My source water is 8-12 TDS throughout the year and my RO Membrane reduces it to 0, so I removed my DI canister.

The reason for using DI is to reduce to 0 TDS what your RO membrane cannot

 

[ScottR]

Here's a question then. I have been using RO water for the past 6 years with no apparent problems. What is the benefit to going RODI?

It totally depends on your tap water quality, TDS before it reaches the DI stage and DI isn’t necessary on all water. The DI stage cleans it further. For me, I can get 0-1 TDS from the RO stage alone so DI isn’t completely necessary.

 

[Greg P]

We have very hard water....when my wife started using RODI on her Peace Lilly's and orchods they all responded fantastic.

I'm sure your plants appreciated the lack of heavy metals that come from most municipal water supplies

 

[Rjramos]

Something I learned years ago from a leading filtration company, in there filter maintenance procedure literature, was to sterilize the tank when changing filters. I have never seen this again with newer systems, although I have kept doing it for years.They basically stated before restarting to push 1mL of household bleach or peroxide into the line going to the tank, then reconnecting the line and starting up until the tank is full. Then I close the pressurized tanks valve, disconnect the line again, and dump it down the drain. I don’t allow it to pass through the final post filter before the spigot. Once I connect everything back up, I dump the tank again through the spigot.

 

[Dom]

So what about the waste water that comes out? Can you drink that?

 

[Phildago]

Would it be unhealthy because it's filtered too much?

Last question...can you use this in an iron since all the metals are filtered out.

I wanna make coffee with it or use in baby bottles.

A little is fine, but you don't want to drink it daily. You need electrolytes and although you get the majority of your electrolytes from food, so unless you're severely dehydrated and drink a ton of di water without eating you will be fine.

I'm a pinch it's better than nothing... Say after a natural disaster and you don't have bottled water on hand and can't trust the tap.