RO/DI water and drinking

[Bob Escher]

i figured I would post it in here since it's more about chemicals than anything
I haven't found anything on here so I'm asking
Got in a disagreement with the stepson yesterday about drinking RO/DI water
He says it fine to drink RO but not DI I had not heard that it was bad.
I did a little bit of research and found four articles and it was split two for and two do not drink

Randy what do you say?
Thanks everyone and MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

RO/DI generally does not taste good. It's "flat". There is nothing wrong with the water itself from your bodies perspective. The tiny amount of minerals that you take out is meanlingless if you are eating any normal diet. It won't burst the cells in your mouth, if that's the concern. Too many salts and such in saliva.

But one concern is bacteria. If the system is not routinely cleaned and/or has a UV sterilizer on the effluent, bacteria might be a concern because they can grow in the system.

 

[Bob Escher]

RO/DI generally does not taste good. It's "flat". There is nothing wrong with the water itself from your bodies perspective. The tiny amount of minerals that you take out is meanlingless if you are eating any normal diet. It won't burst the cells in your mouth, if that's the concern. Too many salts and such in saliva.

But one concern is bacteria. If the system is not routinely cleaned and/or has a UV sterilizer on the effluent, bacteria might be a concern because they can grow in the system.

Is this bacteria in the DI part or the whole filter system, how would this affect fish the same I presume?
Thanks Randy

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Is this bacteria in the DI part or the whole filter system, how would this affect fish the same I presume?
Thanks Randy

I suspect it would mostly grow on the downstream side of the RO membrane and just past it before the DI where there are still nutrients and such available. It's not a concern for fish, since the likelihood of a pathogenic bacteria thriving in very, very low salt and then also thriving in seawater,a nd then also being a fish pathogen, is quite unlikely.

Here's some data on bacteria:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20512722

"In spite of the low nutrient contents and few cells in the RO permeates, monitoring of the model distribution systems receiving the RO permeates showed that remarkable biofilm accumulation and bulk cell growth occurred in the RO permeate water."


"These observations can be indicative of possibilities for bacterial growth in the RO permeate water with easily assimilable organic carbon concentrations below values proposed for biostability. RO permeate water does not appear to be biologically stable water. Therefore, efforts to minimize bacterial growth in the RO permeate water and in the distribution system must consider post-disinfection."

 

[Bob Escher]

Thanks Randy much appreciative
I trust you much more than almost anyone else for such issues

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks and happy reefing.

 

[Bob Escher]

Thanks and happy reefing.

You as well Randy and Happy New Year

 

[Scott.h]

RO/DI generally does not taste good. It's "flat". There is nothing wrong with the water itself from your bodies perspective. The tiny amount of minerals that you take out is meanlingless if you are eating any normal diet. It won't burst the cells in your mouth, if that's the concern. Too many salts and such in saliva.

But one concern is bacteria. If the system is not routinely cleaned and/or has a UV sterilizer on the effluent, bacteria might be a concern because they can grow in the system.

Wouldn't that hold true for the pipes going to your house faucets also? Those are never cleaned. I would assume your body is use to dealing with bacteria of all sorts. Wouldn't totally pure water after a membrane have less of a chance of growing bacteria then regular well water at the faucet? Shoot ..a few hundred years ago they drank from lakes and streams. With less pollution back then too I guess.

On another note I've read zero TDS water will pull minerals from your body. It's suggested one should drink water with a TDS between 50 and 150, and anything above 250 is harder on your organs. This is all just internet reading, and Im not sure the truth to it. I'm 15 minutes from flint. (Detroit water). but most people in the country have heard about our lead water crisis here last year. I tried to educate myself on the topic.

Personally I drink RO without DI only because I'm getting a TDS about 2 without using DI. I also have a whole house particle filter, 106 TDS pre filter, carbon filter, and water softener before it gets to the fish tank RO unit.

 

[jason2459]

Wouldn't that hold true for the pipes going to your house faucets also? Those are never cleaned. I would assume your body is use to dealing with bacteria of all sorts. Wouldn't totally pure water after a membrane have less of a chance of growing bacteria then regular well water at the faucet? Shoot ..a few hundred years ago they drank from lakes and streams. With less pollution back then too I guess.

On another note I've read zero TDS water will pull minerals from your body. It's suggested one should drink water with a TDS between 50 and 150, and anything above 250 is harder on your organs. This is all just internet reading, and Im not sure the truth to it. I'm 15 minutes from flint. (Detroit water). but most people in the country have heard about our lead water crisis here last year. I tried to educate myself on the topic.

Personally I drink RO without DI only because I'm getting a TDS about 2 without using DI. I also have a whole house particle filter, 106 TDS pre filter, carbon filter, and water softener before it gets to the fish tank RO unit.

The city puts in chemicals of some type to reduce the chance of bacteria in your water. Unfortunately, and so sorry to hear about all the water issues you've had, your city changed water sources but it's not a bacteria issue Flint is having.

A few hundred years ago people died from dysentery quite often.

If all you drank was RO/DI and ate nothing but rice cakes and ran a marathon I'd be worried. Otherwise as noted by Randy a normal diet and normal person doesn't have much of a concern other then bad taste.

RO drinking kits are quite common and doesn't taste to bad. I like like natural spring water myself.