Budget friendly way to filter misting system water

[AMK0729]

Hey everyone! I'm ISO advice regarding water filtration for use in misting systems. Please read entire post before commenting so you know where my head is at in this process lol. Thank you!!

What water do you use in your misting system?
I know it has to be distilled, purified or undergo reverse osmosis.. But I'm wondering what the best budget friendly but good quality option is?

I don't want to pay hundreds for a good distiller or RO system if I don't have to but I've heard people doing many things and I'll list them below:

*Home distiller
*Home RO system
*Purchasing RO from a pet store
*Using a larger capacity Brita or PUR purification jug to filter their water then dumping that water in their misting resorvoir.

Of note, I have a mistking system with a 10L resorvoir.

I've found large countertop Brita filters that would hold enough water for me to fill up most of my misting system resorvoir. Then I'd just repeat the process every time I need to fill it. The problem is, despite extensive research, I'm still not sure if this is adequate enough to filter all the hard minerals that would cause buildup in the misting system. The breeder / exotic pet store owner I'm buying my cham from says it's fine.. But I want to double check because I don't want to ruin my $150 misting system.

So, the Brita purifier would be my first choice if it's adequate, since it's budget friendly.
If not, I could look into buying RO water from my nearby exotic pet store (if they sell it), but that sounds like a lot of work to lug water weekly or so. I'd rather avoid that if I can.
My third choice would be a RO system but I'm renting my home and really don't want to install something in the sink here, nor go through the hassle of doing so.
My last choice would be a distiller, because I've read that RO water is consistently better and the distillers I've read reviews on have such mixed ratings. It seems like a hit or miss.

Thoughts?! Thanks so much.

Disclaimer: I'm aware that filtered water lacks minerals for cham drinking.. So I have a dripper that I'll be putting reptisafe drops in and using that for his drinking water

 

[jamest0o0]

You're best bet will be about a $100 ro unit. Purified water(Brita, bottled, etc) still has minerals in it for human consumption so it makes it no better than tap water. Only other option would be buying jugs of water at the store.

Many chameleons won't touch drippers, especially if they're being adequately misted/fogged. Reptisafe(I thought this just dechlorinated the water?) Isn't of much use. You don't need to add minerals to their water when you'll be dusting their food. In the wild their water sources would be extremely low in mineral content.

 

[JacksJill]

I haven't done the math lately but if you are only misting one cage buying water is more economical than a R/O system because the R/O cartridges have to be replaced and are not cheap. If you have multiple cages or a chameleon that needs extensive misting then R/O is worth considering.
I was just reading that while distilled is fine for misting drippers should use drinking water.

 

[jamest0o0]

I haven't done the math lately but if you are only misting one cage buying water is more economical than a R/O system because the R/O cartridges have to be replaced and are not cheap. If you have multiple cages or a chameleon that needs extensive misting then R/O is worth considering.
I was just reading that while distilled is fine for misting drippers should use drinking water.

Yes but she was speaking of convenience, which buying water isn't that convenient. And depending on how long someone wants to mist, it's not a bad investment. I agree though that if money is an issue just buying it for 1 chameleon is probably better. Also, the replacements aren't that expensive if I remember right, like $25 a year for mine.

 

[JacksJill]

My friends canisters are about a !00$ each set and need replacement yearly. They run more than 20 cages so it's worth it.
If you are going to use R/O for other things in your house then that adds to the value.

 

[jamest0o0]

My friends canisters are about a !00$ each set and need replacement yearly. They run more than 20 cages so it's worth it.
If you are going to use R/O for other things in your house then that adds to the value.

Oh wow, it might be a larger unit? Or maybe I'm forgetting, but I could have sworn mine is just $25.

 

[AMK0729]

Yeah, the only reason I'm using the reptisafe is to remove the chlorine, per the breeders advice. Thanks for the tips!

 

[JacksJill]

His takes 3 cartridges at ~30$ each yearly.
The water out here is very hard.

 

[Monties1982]

I haven't done the math lately but if you are only misting one cage buying water is more economical than a R/O system because the R/O cartridges have to be replaced and are not cheap. If you have multiple cages or a chameleon that needs extensive misting then R/O is worth considering.
I was just reading that while distilled is fine for misting drippers should use drinking water.

The number of cages you are misting doesn't really have an impact on how economical it is since you replace the filters based on how much water they've filtered. The less water you use, the less often the filters need replaced. I have this filter and the whole kit is $60. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00204CQF6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
You can also get this float valve kit to put in the reservoir so you don't have to lug the water from the filter to the reservoir as long as there's a water line you can tap into that you don't mind running the tubing to the reservoir from. https://www.amazon.com/Malida-Rever...&qid=1602956123&sprefix=ro+filter+floa&sr=8-3
Plus, ro filters are pretty slow and the kit I have would take around 4 hours to get 10L. You'd also need something like this to tap into a water line. https://www.amazon.com/EZ-FLO-65801...ords=1/4+water+line+tap&qid=1602957130&sr=8-3
You can usually find them at hardware stores.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

We ran the numbers, and the most convenient and economical for us is to pick up a couple/few gallons of distilled water on our regular bi-weekly grocery runs. We also use distilled for CPAPs, iron, etc.

R.O. may be less expensive in some areas, but we'd have to make a special separate or detour trip, and the additional mileage eats up any savings. You can't deduct it, but it's still an expense that shouldn't be overlooked, specially if you're budget-conscious.

Anyhow, I think it's worth working mileage into your calculation.

Need I add... YMMV. ?

 

[AMK0729]

We ran the numbers, and the most convenient and economical for us is to pick up a couple/few gallons of distilled water on our regular bi-weekly grocery runs. We also use distilled for CPAPs, iron, etc.

R.O. may be less expensive in some areas, but we'd have to make a special separate or detour trip, and the additional mileage eats up any savings. You can't deduct it, but it's still an expense that shouldn't be overlooked, specially if you're budget-conscious.

Anyhow, I think it's worth working mileage into your calculation.

Need I add... YMMV. ?

Awesome. Thank you for the advice! I'm thinking this will be the route I take for a while too. We already dropped 1.5k on all the supplies & the chameleon himself so I'll just get jugs right now and maybe get a RO system in the future.