What's the difference between RO water and Distilled Water?

[trickedoutbiker]

I did a bit of research (not a whole lot) and was trying to figure out the difference between Distilled water and Reverse Osmosis water. I know that with distilled, they boil it over and over to evaporate it over and over which separates the water from the minerals. Reverse osmosis uses a semi-permeable membrane that allows the fluid being purified to pass through while blocking the present contaminants.

So... this is what I'm wondering.... I know that distilled water doesn't leave any mineral traces AT ALL when you spray it on things over and over, but what about RO water? Does it leave any traces at all? I've seen so many things that say to use distilled water, from humidifiers to misters to diffusers, and lots of other things. But I haven't seen anything mention RO water. Typically, when something mentions to use distilled water, it is because distilled water won't clog up nozzles on misters and things of the such. What about RO water.... will it clog nozzles at all, even if it takes it 5 years to do so? And does it have ANY minerals in it at all, or is it TOO pure like DI water? I'm partially confused on how that one works...

Reason I am asking is because I buy distilled water, which is 86 cents a gallon at Kroger. They also sell purified water there (I'm pretty sure Purified and RO are the same thing.....) and I'm pretty sure that water is cheaper. So I was wondering if I could use it and still be good? From what I understand, lots of ppl use RO and have no problems but I wanted to be sure about it.

Another reason I'm asking is because the cage I planned to get in a couple months is the Large Clear Sided Cage from Dragon Strand.

http://dragonstrand.com/product/large-clear-side-enclosure/

"The clear PVC material may be cared for much like acrylic. Use RO or distilled water as mineral spots will block your clear view inside the cage. When cleaning the clear panel use RO or distilled water and a soft cloth towel. Do not use wood based products such as paper towels. Although the clear PVC is not as prone to scratch as acrylic, it is still not as resistant as glass."

I don't ANY mineral dust being built up in my cage. Would make it look not as good. My dripper is tap water, put through a filter, and with ReptiSafe added. But as for my mister I will be using..... I can't decide if RO or Distilled would be the cheaper/best option. I mean, aren't they like the EXACT same thing, with the only difference being, how it got made?

Someone chime in and let me know please. I mean I'm 99.9% sure I know the answer to my own question, I just need an opinion I guess.

 

[gotwqqd]

There are aft last two threads about this in the last week

 

[trickedoutbiker]

There are aft last two threads about this in the last week

I've never did a search-by-date..... till now. I did search the forums, but didn't see any newer threads until I manually searched by date. They should have all of the search results filtered by date by default.

But I am reading through those threads right now.... Thanks

 

[trickedoutbiker]

So after reading a bit, I don't think that it is RO water that Kroger sells in the self-fill stations. I believe that is spring water, because from what I've gathered about RO, you need a special unit and filters for that. So I'm thinking that Kroger sells SPRING WATER right next to the distilled water, and spring water will leave mineral traces.... So I'm thinking it's distilled water then. I'd get me an RO system, but living in apartment at the moment - that would be a hassle.

Thanks!

 

[gotwqqd]

Those water stations should have the process the water goes through on it.

 

[brownie64]

R.O. water has about 40ppm of solids, and I think distilled has zero, but that is still considerably less than the 500ppm that your faucet could have. I have used R.O. water for around three years now without any clogs. I believe the water at those fill stations are just filtered with carbon unless they specifically say R.O. If you are wanting to go with R.O. I would check with your pet store before I got my R.O. system I bought it at my pet store for 38 cents a gallon.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

Those water stations should have the process the water goes through on it.

I'm going to Kroger after work for some things.... I will check it there and verify what it is and go from there. Thanks.

If you are wanting to go with R.O. I would check with your pet store before I got my R.O. system I bought it at my pet store for 38 cents a gallon.

I buy my crickets from Petsmart - I will have to check with them and see if they sell the water. Didn't know pet stores sold water lol. Thanks.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

I believe the water at those fill stations are just filtered with carbon unless they specifically say R.O

Those water stations should have the process the water goes through on it.

I thought it was just regular spring water, but I checked today, and it IS RO water! So instead of 89 cents a gallon for distilled, I can pay 35 cents a gallon for the RO if I buy the refillable container.

Here is the process. I think it will be great for misting. Easier on the pocket ;-)

 

[gotwqqd]

I thought it was just regular spring water, but I checked today, and it IS RO water! So instead of 89 cents a gallon for distilled, I can pay 35 cents a gallon for the RO if I buy the refillable container.

Here is the process. I think it will be great for misting. Easier on the pocket ;-)

Get a five gallon water container and likely it's even cheaper

 

[brownie64]

I thought it was just regular spring water, but I checked today, and it IS RO water! So instead of 89 cents a gallon for distilled, I can pay 35 cents a gallon for the RO if I buy the refillable container.

Here is the process. I think it will be great for misting. Easier on the pocket ;-)

Looks like a winner to me.

 

[trickedoutbiker]

Get a five gallon water container and likely it's even cheaper

That IS what I'm do. That's why I said "I can pay 35 cents a gallon for the RO if I buy the refillable container." So I'd get the big 5 gallon. Otherwise it's 99 cents a gallon with the already-filled gallons.

Thanks everyone!

 

[gotwqqd]

That IS what I'm do. That's why I said "I can pay 35 cents a gallon for the RO if I buy the refillable container." So I'd get the big 5 gallon. Otherwise it's 99 cents a gallon with the already-filled gallons.

Thanks everyone!

Refillable containers need to be 5 gallon?
My fill station has price for 1 gal refill or 5 gal. With the five gallon almost half the cost

 

[Blang]

R.O. water has about 40ppm of solids, and I think distilled has zero, but that is still considerably less than the 500ppm that your faucet could have. I have used R.O. water for around three years now without any clogs. I believe the water at those fill stations are just filtered with carbon unless they specifically say R.O. If you are wanting to go with R.O. I would check with your pet store before I got my R.O. system I bought it at my pet store for 38 cents a gallon.

Ro water has 0 ppm after going through the RO unit! Straight out of my faucet its about 127 ppm! Ro and distilled water are the same but are collected by 2 different processes/ Ro is pushed at 55-65 psi through a membrane & distilled is produced by heating the water to boiling & recondensing the steam into water but leaving the contaminants behind! But you still end up with pure water from either process!

 

[trickedoutbiker]

Refillable containers need to be 5 gallon?

No, there are a few different sizes of refillable containers I can buy. No matter which size container I get though, the price of the water out of the refill station is still the same - 35 cents. They sell it already in gallon milk jugs on the shelf, but that way, costs 99 cents a gallon. That's why I'm get the large 5 gallon refill container, to minimize my trips to the store and save money.

 

[brownie64]

Ro water has 0 ppm after going through the RO unit! Straight out of my faucet its about 127 ppm! Ro and distilled water are the same but are collected by 2 different processes/ Ro is pushed at 55-65 psi through a membrane & distilled is produced by heating the water to boiling & recondensing the steam into water but leaving the contaminants behind! But you still end up with pure water from either process!

I haven't got my TDS meter yet, but I'm pretty sure R.O. isn't zero unless you are also running a DI filter with it. I was going by a video I watched telling when it needs to be replaced. It stated R.O. runs about 40ppm, and tap water is supposed to have a max of 500ppm per regulations. But like I said don't have my meter yet so maybe your right.

 

[Blang]

I haven't got my TDS meter yet, but I'm pretty sure R.O. isn't zero unless you are also running a DI filter with it. I was going by a video I watched telling when it needs to be replaced. It stated R.O. runs about 40ppm, and tap water is supposed to have a max of 500ppm per regulations. But like I said don't have my meter yet so maybe your right.

I run a TDs meter for in & out on mine & mine reads 0-1 ppm on the outline!

 

[Dino_]

I haven't got my TDS meter yet, but I'm pretty sure R.O. isn't zero unless you are also running a DI filter with it. I was going by a video I watched telling when it needs to be replaced. It stated R.O. runs about 40ppm, and tap water is supposed to have a max of 500ppm per regulations. But like I said don't have my meter yet so maybe your right.

Typically RO membranes are rated to 90-95% efficiency depending on the specific membrane (you should be able to look up specifications if it doesn't state it right on the membrane itself). Meaning that if the incoming water has a TDS of 158 post RO your TDS should be in the 15ppm or lower range. 40ppm is a little high though not out of possibility if you just happen to have really hard water. If you also have a DI stage your water exiting should always be 0TDS, anything else and its a sign its time for filter and resin changes.

 

[brownie64]

I run a TDs meter for in & out on mine & mine reads 0-1 ppm on the outline!

Got my TDS meter my water straight out of the tap is 290ppm, and coming out of the R.O. without the DI filter it is 9ppm. So not as high as I stated however not zero either. If I understand it correctly the filters are to changed at 40ppm

 

[Dino_]

Got my TDS meter my water straight out of the tap is 290ppm, and coming out of the R.O. without the DI filter it is 9ppm. So not as high as I stated however not zero either. If I understand it correctly the filters are to changed at 40ppm

Generally you should change your prefilters anywhere between every 6-12 months depending on how much water your filtering and how dirty your incoming tap water is. Obviously the more water your filtering and the dirtier it is the more often they need changed. Fortunately they're cheap , in fact many vendors online sell packaged bundles of sediment and carbon block filters (Example here).

As for the RO membrane provided good maintenance on the prefilters it should ideally be good for several years potentially. There isn't really a clear cut way to determine when its time to change the membrane, mainly its a matter of keeping an eye on things. If your efficiency rating starts drifting outside what the membrane should be rated for and changing the prefilters doesn't bring it back in line it could be a sign that its time to consider changing it. I've had an RO/DI filter for over a decade and I can only recall changing out the membrane once. If your RO filter doesn't have one consider adding a flush valve (LINK), so you can periodically flush the membrane which will extend its life .

 

[brownie64]

Generally you should change your prefilters anywhere between every 6-12 months depending on how much water your filtering and how dirty your incoming tap water is. Obviously the more water your filtering and the dirtier it is the more often they need changed. Fortunately they're cheap , in fact many vendors online sell packaged bundles of sediment and carbon block filters (Example here).

As for the RO membrane provided good maintenance on the prefilters it should ideally be good for several years potentially. There isn't really a clear cut way to determine when its time to change the membrane, mainly its a matter of keeping an eye on things. If your efficiency rating starts drifting outside what the membrane should be rated for and changing the prefilters doesn't bring it back in line it could be a sign that its time to consider changing it. I've had an RO/DI filter for over a decade and I can only recall changing out the membrane once. If your RO filter doesn't have one consider adding a flush valve (LINK), so you can periodically flush the membrane which will extend its life .

Flush valve? Can you give me an example of what it is, and how to hook it up?