Is RODI water safe to drink?

[Aqua Man]

We too have well water here in Montana. A 400 ft well at that. Our water has tons of calcium in it so I thought my corals would love it, and they did.

Sorry about your fish. Our well water is loaded with CO2 so I’ve not used it for my Reef tanks. Just run it through the RO into a brute so it can off gas. No DI, our TDS is around 50. 1 TDS after the RO.

There’s literally a mass marketed product called zerowater that uses ion exchange resin to make zero tds water for you to drink. If it was unsafe the fda would have stepped in or we would be seeing millions of people with issues.

Lol… that thing made our water taste like plastic!! Even at 0 TDS i would not drink it and would definitely not use it for my reef.

So can I keeping using my RODI water to make coffee in the morning or not?

My RO system is in the garage with open ends on the out put. So any kind of contamination can get in. If the system was hooked up to the house and for drinking I would not hesitate to drink it.

Zero water is different than an RO/DI.

Thought I read something about water that’s truly just H20 can strip out elements. Teeth especially.

 

[Lyss]

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.

Not to be contrary b/c I do think ppl shouldn’t be drinking it, but I have thriving carnivorous plants that need to be watered w/it. Much of the time I add a bit of fertilizer, other times I use straight ro/di.

 

[a.t.t.r]

Ions are not any sort of risk.

Bacteria are the risk.

those bacteria would have nothing to do with ro/di and only the fact that carbon removed the sanitizer. On that note does bacteria grow easily in di water?

 

[Aqua Man]

but I have thriving carnivorous plants that need to be watered

Luckily my TDS is below 50 so just use the hose! RO for reefs only.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

those bacteria would have nothing to do with ro/di and only the fact that carbon removed the sanitizer. On that note does bacteria grow easily in di water?

Did you read my post #145 above?

It is established fact that bacteria grow on the downstream side of an RO membrane before the DI where there are plenty of ions and nutrients for them. They can break loose and pass over the DI. There is no requirement for them to "grow" in the DI, just survive it long enough to get to you.

 

[N.Sreefer]

Not to be contrary b/c I do think ppl shouldn’t be drinking it, but I have thriving carnivorous plants that need to be watered w/it. Much of the time I add a bit of fertilizer, other times I use straight ro/di.

I understand using ro water but why in the world would you use rodi? The fertilizer would partially remineralize the water for you but I don't see why anyone would use the di portion for any plant. Think about how much minerals are tied up in the average peat bog. Carnivorous plants may live in low N-P-K environments but they still have access to micronutrients in the wild. The greenhouse I work at uses ro then softener but it still contains most of the micronutrients that di would strip away.

 

[a.t.t.r]

Did you read my post #145 above?

It is established fact that bacteria grow on the downstream side of an RO membrane before the DI where there are plenty of ions and nutrients for them. They can break loose and pass over the DI. There is no requirement for them to "grow" in the DI, just survive it long enough to get to you.

But these are used for drinking water all the time and sold as such. Additionally you seem to be forgetting about the many houses that have well water whose conditions pre and post RO contain the same amount of chlorine (0) unless I am missing something and somehow post RO is more favorable to bacteria? In a correctly maintained system taking the water pre or post DI should be perfectly safe especially if you are using it in heated coffee.

 

[Lyss]

I understand using ro water but why in the world would you use rodi? The fertilizer would partially remineralize the water for you but I don't see why anyone would use the di portion for any plant. Think about how much minerals are tied up in the average peat bog. Carnivorous plants may live in low N-P-K environments but they still have access to micronutrients in the wild. The greenhouse I work at uses ro then softener but it still contains most of the micronutrients that di would strip away.

I mean, I'm not going to argue -- that's what I do and it works very well for me. I have an RO/DI unit that I use as it is hooked up because it's easiest for me in my particular situation rather than take the DI resin out every time. I add a specific fertilizer to this water more than half the time, and the plants are also in a specialized soil. I suppose I could trust my tap water which is also below 50 TDS, but I don't. I could buy distilled water but I don't prefer to spend the $ when I can use the RO/DI I have. Now if I'd tried it and saw negative results I'd have stopped, but that was never the case.

I also use RO/DI for my planted FW tank -- and remineralize it. I do this b/c my Ph was dangerously unstable out of the tap, and making my own water/knowing exactly what I'm putting into it solved that. What exactly is the big deal about using RO/DI outside of a reef?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

But these are used for drinking water all the time and sold as such. Additionally you seem to be forgetting about the many houses that have well water whose conditions pre and post RO contain the same amount of chlorine (0) unless I am missing something and somehow post RO is more favorable to bacteria? In a correctly maintained system taking the water pre or post DI should be perfectly safe especially if you are using it in heated coffee.

Yes, folks do drink RO at home, and they are advised to frequently sanitize the system or pass the water through a UV.

Drinking Water Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | Drinking Water | Healthy Water | CDC

Get answers to frequently asked questions about public and private water systems.

www.cdc.gov

" Researchers at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) conducted extensive investigations on the bacterial contamination of RO systems used in producing purified water for dialysis (15). They reported: 1. certain naturally occurring Gram- negative bacteria can multiply in relatively pure RO water; 2. thorough periodic disinfection of the entire RO system is essential in producing water with acceptable bacterial counts; 3. stagnant water in pipes down stream of the membrane is the major source of bacteria and endotoxin in the product water;"

How to Clean and Sanitize an RO System

Step-by-step instructions to clean and sanitize a reverse osmosis drinking water filter system to keep your RO system operating in peak condition

www.espwaterproducts.com

"A reverse osmosis system should be sanitized once each year. It’s a good idea to thoroughly sanitize your Reverse Osmosis system while replacing the reverse osmosis water filters, and most filters are replaced every 12 months."

 

[N.Sreefer]

I mean, I'm not going to argue -- that's what I do and it works very well for me. I have an RO/DI unit that I use as it is hooked up because it's easiest for me in my particular situation rather than take the DI resin out every time. I add a specific fertilizer to this water more than half the time, and the plants are also in a specialized soil. I suppose I could trust my tap water which is also below 50 TDS, but I don't. I could buy distilled water but I don't prefer to spend the $ when I can use the RO/DI I have. Now if I'd tried it and saw negative results I'd have stopped, but that was never the case.

I also use RO/DI for my planted FW tank -- and remineralize it. I do this b/c my Ph was dangerously unstable out of the tap, and making my own water/knowing exactly what I'm putting into it solved that. What exactly is the big deal about using RO/DI outside of a reef?

In theory I would've expected a deficiency of an important micronutrients like copper iron manganese etc and I was surprised that it works for you. No intent to argue I was just surprised and interested. I love Carnivorous plants, they can be so durable and fragile at the same time. Living where no other vascular plants dare. The fertilizer you use, again out of curiosity what are the numbers? I'm assuming low N and moderate P and K? You may have changed the advice I give customers at my work. I always assume it best to mimic the natural environment but sometimes plants do better in situations that are far from natural.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

i've drank it, still alive. Probably my wife set it up...

 

[Lyss]

In theory I would've expected a deficiency of an important micronutrients like copper iron manganese etc and I was surprised that it works for you. No intent to argue I was just surprised and interested. I love Carnivorous plants, they can be so durable and fragile at the same time. Living where no other vascular plants dare. The fertilizer you use, again out of curiosity what are the numbers? I'm assuming low N and moderate P and K? You may have changed the advice I give customers at my work. I always assume it best to mimic the natural environment but sometimes plants do better in situations that are far from natural.

It's a 2-7-7- cactus fertilizer. They love Shultz Cactus Plus, which also has small amounts of Iron, Manganese, and Zinc. My butterworts love to be misted w/this water/fert mix in particular. That said, I was given the advice to use distilled or RO, not RO/DI -- I took my own risk using my RO/DI when I ran out of distilled water one day, and specifically made sure to add the fertilizer. I would think RO/DI would be tough for most consumers -- was easier for me b/c I already had it for the reef.

In my FW tank it has been a godsend b/c I really was struggling with tap water Ph instability that killed the whole tank initially -- the Ph would drop rapidly and I couldn't get it buffered properly. So I began making my own water w/Ro/DI and Seachem Equilibrium + buffer -- haven't lost a fish since as my Ph stays consistently at 7.4.

 

[dhanking]

Hold on, my family has been drinking from an RO sink filter for the past three years.

 

[robbyg]

Not to be contrary b/c I do think ppl shouldn’t be drinking it, but I have thriving carnivorous plants that need to be watered w/it. Much of the time I add a bit of fertilizer, other times I use straight ro/di.

It's not a problem if your adding something to it like fertilizer. It's when you water the plants with straight RODI water that they die. That was at least what happened to me. I had assumed the soil would prevent the stripping but that did not happen. Drinking RO is fine so long as you keep the system clean and change the cartridges regularly, follow Randy's advice.
RODI water is not something I would ever drink.

 

[Reef and Dive]

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

Yes.

Am I sure? Yes.

Realy sure? Yes forget about this idea.

Can you cite any articles that support this claim?

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientsbegin.pdf

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrconsensusrep.pdf

http://www.accomplishmoretoday.com/public/images/WHO Nutrients in Drinking Water.pdf#page=157

 

[W0terMoist]

I'm late to the party, but I would assume that once you add stuff to RO DI water that it may become safe to drink. Like with the coffee, it is no longer pure H2O so it's probably at the minimum safer to drink.

I assume that the best people to ask about this are chemists and or people who know how H2O works when you reintroduce impurities to it and if there is the right kind/proper amount of impurities to make it safe to drink.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm late to the party, but I would assume that once you add stuff to RO DI water that it may become safe to drink. Like with the coffee, it is no longer pure H2O so it's probably at the minimum safer to drink.

I assume that the best people to ask about this are chemists and or people who know how H2O works when you reintroduce impurities to it and if there is the right kind/proper amount of impurities to make it safe to drink.

I'm a chemist, but I'm not sure what you are asking.

RO/DI and RO water are ok to drink if you sanitize it somehow (such as with a UV). Otherwise you risk bacterial contamination.

Lack of minerals is not a concern, and adding minerals won't make it safe.

 

[Perthegallon]

I'm a chemist, but I'm not sure what you are asking.

RO/DI and RO water are ok to drink if you sanitize it somehow (such as with a UV). Otherwise you risk bacterial contamination.

Lack of minerals is not a concern, and adding minerals won't make it safe.

I think he’s concerned about pure RODI water with 0 tds won’t give him the micro nutrients To survive. So his question is if he adds coffee to does this add enough nutrition to survive

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think he’s concerned about pure RODI water with 0 tds won’t give him the micro nutrients To survive. So his question is if he adds coffee to does this add enough nutrition to survive

As I said, lack of minerals (micronutrients) in drinking water is not any concern for normal people. That is easily demonstrated in lots of ways, not least of which are:

1. Foods and other beverages have loads of minerals, drinking water is not their main source
2. Many municipal water supplies and bottled waters have quite low mineral levels, and no one is concerned that people living there or drinking those products do not get enough micronutrients for that reason. on tejh contrary, those places generally tout how great their water is.

Adding anything other than a sanitizing agent will not help if bacterial contamination is the issue.

 

[Pod_01]

I would assume that once you add stuff to RO DI water that it may become safe to drink.

Maybe chlorine lol (kidding).

You add minerals to RO or RODI water to improve flavour of the coffee and this is what you can use:

Otherwise the taste will be off/flat.

Heating up the coffee water should kill all the bacteria. If you do cold brew you should consider UV or something else.

I am sure Randy can provide recipe that duplicates this at fraction of the cost.