Reverse Osmosis - for drinking water

[Iurie]

Good evening

thx for reading this off topic question !  

We ve been drinking purified water using my van RO unit for about 5 years  now ( without DI resin vessel )  however I recently came across a topic online where many mentioned  that RO units are  definitely not a good source for drinking water due to lack of minerals  once the water goes thro , which is obvious however I always thought that consuming more fruits and veg will compensate that ?  and if that's true then it should be safe enough to drink it isn't it ?  Also , I always thought that filters fitted under the kitchen sink are exactly what we use in our vans : )   

Apart from lack of minerals , what other cons I should be aware of ?  That's very important for us - as we are planning to move in a different part of the world and live off the grid ,  so filtering the water is something we should master .

The little ro unit I have is a standard small 10" membrane with a sediment , carbon then the membrane (150 gpd )  -  Do I need to swap / replace some of them or is there a special filtration system for drinking water ? 

Chemistry is not my strongest suit and if  you guys can give any advise that will be appreciated !   

Many thx 

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Good evening

thx for reading this off topic question !  

We ve been drinking purified water using my van RO unit for about 5 years  now ( without DI resin vessel )  however I recently came across a topic online where many mentioned  that RO units are  definitely not a good source for drinking water due to lack of minerals  once the water goes thro , which is obvious however I always thought that consuming more fruits and veg will compensate that ?  and if that's true then it should be safe enough to drink it isn't it ?  Also , I always thought that filters fitted under the kitchen sink are exactly what we use in our vans : )   

Apart from lack of minerals , what other cons I should be aware of ?  That's very important for us - as we are planning to move in a different part of the world and live off the grid ,  so filtering the water is something we should master .

The little ro unit I have is a standard small 10" membrane with a sediment , carbon then the membrane (150 gpd )  -  Do I need to swap / replace some of them or is there a special filtration system for drinking water ? 

Chemistry is not my strongest suit and if  you guys can give any advise that will be appreciated !   

Many thx 

RO units and desalination plants commonly found in the marine industry from cruise ships yachts are there for the purpose of drinking water processing but there are several topics I've read with regards to the listed warnings or drinking such water with the lack of minerals, electrolytes.

I'm unsure on the facts or exact equipment used but there was a university study on ultra pure water consumption dangers 

 

[Part Timer]

Firstly, if you've been doing it for 5 years, and had no side effects, why are you asking now. My only knowledge of this is memory of reading an article many years ago, that if I recall correctly,  stated that as there are no minerals in pure water you would need to find another source of much needed if this is all you drank.

 

[Iurie]

Firstly, if you've been doing it for 5 years, and had no side effects, why are you asking now. My only knowledge of this is memory of reading an article many years ago, that if I recall correctly,  stated that as there are no minerals in pure water you would need to find another source of much needed if this is all you drank.

Thank you !  

Well no side effects but even if there are any they might not be noticeable  ( not yet )  .  Ive notiiced others also ad another cartridge- an UV tube i think  , i assume there might be some benefits using a UV light but i ll stick with just a standard ro unit - adding anything extra sound too complicated  and gives me an impression the water which comes out of such a set up is kinda "dead" or empty 

Many thx 

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Thank you !  

Well no side effects but even if there are any they might not be noticeable  ( not yet )  .  Ive notiiced others also ad another cartridge- an UV tube i think  , i assume there might be some benefits using a UV light but i ll stick with just a standard ro unit - adding anything extra sound too complicated  and gives me an impression the water which comes out of such a set up is kinda "dead" or empty 

Many thx 

I don't know if the same equipment is universal but there is potable and non potable equipment 

I don't understand why you need to drink pure water as the quality regardless of calcium high tds won't kill you 

 

[Iurie]

I don't know if the same equipment is universal but there is potable and non potable equipment 

I don't understand why you need to drink pure water as the quality regardless of calcium high tds won't kill you 

True and Im not very concerned about calcium but I foolishly thought a RO set up will  also eliminates other impurities like pesticides,  chlorine   and other stuff used by water suppliers to treat the water and make it potable?  

The " clean " water we get in the taps these days go thro a quite a few chemical processes,  and treatments before gets the "safe to drink " status 

 

[Baldmonkey]

Where RO membranes and UV light units are used for drinking water is primarily where a biological threat would exist. RO membranes are a big sieve for water contaminants and UV is for chilling bugs and viruses. 

In Britain our tap water has already gone through a process to remove biological threats but not an RO membrane as this would remove vital vitamins and minerals etc. 

The human body isn't designed to consume pure water unless you are sure you will recieve your electrolytes from another source, but then why remove them if your body needs it! 

When you suffer from dehydration the most important thing to factor into rehydration is making sure your fluid includes electrolytes, things like smart water, lucoxade sport and some others are designed to give you a big influx of them to aid recovery. 

The upshot is, 

No you don't need to use and RO with British tap water. It's generally other things that make the horrible taste such as metals, chlorine and large debris contaminates that are caught by sediment and carbon filters. 

No Drinking the water you are isn't the "best" for you but it's not gonna kill you. 

Yes, if you are going to be living off grid I would recommend using an RO membrane and UV sterilisation unit dependant on where you are sourcing your water from. 

 

[Deleted member 7446]

True and Im not very concerned about calcium but I foolishly thought a RO set up will  also eliminates other impurities like pesticides,  chlorine   and other stuff used by water suppliers to treat the water and make it potable?  

The " clean " water we get in the taps these days go thro a quite a few chemical processes,  and treatments before gets the "safe to drink " status 

The chemicals are there for a reason. It's safe and the best quality in the world. 

 

[Iurie]

Where RO membranes and UV light units are used for drinking water is primarily where a biological threat would exist. RO membranes are a big sieve for water contaminants and UV is for chilling bugs and viruses. 

In Britain our tap water has already gone through a process to remove biological threats but not an RO membrane as this would remove vital vitamins and minerals etc. 

The human body isn't designed to consume pure water unless you are sure you will recieve your electrolytes from another source, but then why remove them if your body needs it! 

When you suffer from dehydration the most important thing to factor into rehydration is making sure your fluid includes electrolytes, things like smart water, lucoxade sport and some others are designed to give you a big influx of them to aid recovery. 

The upshot is, 

No you don't need to use and RO with British tap water. It's generally other things that make the horrible taste such as metals, chlorine and large debris contaminates that are caught by sediment and carbon filters. 

No Drinking the water you are isn't the "best" for you but it's not gonna kill you. 

Yes, if you are going to be living off grid I would recommend using an RO membrane and UV sterilisation unit dependant on where you are sourcing your water from. 

We are gonna have access to a tap -  but the source of water isn't exactly like in the UK , basically the water is pumped from deep wells into huge water tanks and mainly they add  chlorine and that's it .  My only concern  are the pesticides leaching into the fresh water from agricultural land  - over 60% of springs and wells  contain a high % of these chemicals,  way more then acceptable for drinking 

I will probably use just to cartridges - a 1 micron sediment filter and then the carbon filter.. thats better than nothing 

Thanks a lot 

 

[Pjj]

When we were in the Cayman Islands all there water comes through huge commercial RO set ups they just take mineral supplements and some have a devise in there houses that put minerals into their drinking tap water , uv sterilisation is good as it will kill any bugs that are present .  

 

[Martyn]

I don't think an R/O can remove pesticides and the like, maybe carbon can but I think you need professional advice, not a bunch of armchair experts on a window cleaning forum.

 

[DaveSalford]

You can put minerals back in RO water with a pinch of Himalayan salt.

 

[Iurie]

thanks very much for your replies 

we are planning to live on a farm so quite sure we can compensate the minerals eliminated from water by eating lots of fruit and veg  etc  

May I ask one more question  - is  water considered deionized once has passed thro the ro membrane ?  or after going thro the last cartridge ( DI Vessel / resin ) which we won't be using  .  I will definitely use only the sediment and carbon cartridge and will research further before adding the ro membrane 

I'm asking on this forum because  most of us have a ro unit and any advice is useful ! Finding an expert in this field is not an easy task and I already phoned up few companies who install filtration units in the kitchen for domestic use   -  and they only have good stories about how good and healthy is to drink water using their systems   -  I assume they are just salesmen 

edited :

my ro unit hasn't got the the cartridge with activated coconut shell carbon  like in this ad ( 2nd filter ) 
would it help if I add one ? 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151924921096?hash=item235f6e5308:g:UG0AAOSwcRNZqVfd

 

[DaveSalford]

It has to go through the final DI vessel to be dionized otherwise its just RO water.

 

[Pjj]

thanks very much for your replies 

we are planning to live on a farm so quite sure we can compensate the minerals eliminated from water by eating lots of fruit and veg  etc  

May I ask one more question  - is  water considered deionized once has passed thro the ro membrane ?  or after going thro the last cartridge ( DI Vessel / resin ) which we won't be using  .  I will definitely use only the sediment and carbon cartridge and will research further before adding the ro membrane 

I'm asking on this forum because  most of us have a ro unit and any advice is useful ! Finding an expert in this field is not an easy task and I already phoned up few companies who install filtration units in the kitchen for domestic use   -  and they only have good stories about how good and healthy is to drink water using their systems   -  I assume they are just salesmen 

edited :

my ro unit hasn't got the the cartridge with activated coconut shell carbon  like in this ad ( 2nd filter ) 
would it help if I add one ? 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151924921096?hash=item235f6e5308:g:UG0AAOSwcRNZqVfd

I think you would be better off speaking to a water company or a company that do bore holes we have several near me they always fit filtration with a bore hole , they would be in the best position to advise on drinking water 

 

[Deleted member 7446]

thanks very much for your replies 

we are planning to live on a farm so quite sure we can compensate the minerals eliminated from water by eating lots of fruit and veg  etc  

May I ask one more question  - is  water considered deionized once has passed thro the ro membrane ?  or after going thro the last cartridge ( DI Vessel / resin ) which we won't be using  .  I will definitely use only the sediment and carbon cartridge and will research further before adding the ro membrane 

I'm asking on this forum because  most of us have a ro unit and any advice is useful ! Finding an expert in this field is not an easy task and I already phoned up few companies who install filtration units in the kitchen for domestic use   -  and they only have good stories about how good and healthy is to drink water using their systems   -  I assume they are just salesmen 

edited :

my ro unit hasn't got the the cartridge with activated coconut shell carbon  like in this ad ( 2nd filter ) 
would it help if I add one ? 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151924921096?hash=item235f6e5308:g:UG0AAOSwcRNZqVfd

My best advice is speak to your doctor and nutrition expert not window cleaners

 

[brianbadonde]

I drink RO water and have done for years with no problems; a healthy diet will include all the minerals you need without having to drink regular tap water. Calcium, sodium etc are found in food foods.

Keeps your kettle nice and clean too!