Arizona water, in general, is pretty terrible. I am not sure about the water in Flagstaff, but in the Phoenix area and southern Arizona, it is not even advised to drink it. I often see my water have 700+ TDS out of the tap (south of Phoenix), which is why I have an dedicated RO system under the kitchen sink that also feeds the refrigerator.After some further digging (including trying to run down an alleged ZeroWater scam) I'm inclined to agree that if ZeroWater truly does what it claims, it should be OK for use in a MK mister, depending on the starting level of TDS, and provided the system is... (How did Data phrase it...?) "operating within normal parameters."
There are still some things that concern me: the complete omission of calcium on the performance results, the TDS Comparison that says 99% of TDS removed = 000 (Shouldn't 000 equate to more like 99.99%?), all the reviews & tests I found used ZeroWater's own meter to test samples (instead of independent 3rd party meters), and claims that ZeroWater has a fishy smell (If everything is removed, why is there something left to give it a fishy smell, and why doesn't that chemical register on the meter?)
Chalk all that up to my innate skepticism.
Actually, after looking up some of the contaminants in the water around Flagstaff (been there— nice town), I'm glad Beman is using something to filter drinking water. There are at least 8 different water utilities in the Flagstaff area, so to get a better handle (If she so desires), go to https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ and input her zipcode, and then select her specific water provider (some of which may be well water districts).
Ultimately, time will tell. I hope it works out—those filters are pricey. Let's see... @ $50 for 4 replacement filters= $12.50 ea., and should filter... (hard to estimate local pre-filtered TDS...) ~25 gal.(?) So roughly $.50 per gallon. Really depends on the TDS of the local water.
Then you might want to bookmark this site: EWG's Tap Water Database (Environmental Working Group) or it's homepage, which has other useful information.
Thanks I grew up in AZ but at 4500 feet. Then we went to Cali on the coast 3 years ago. I feel like I am 90 years old every time I have to go upstairs. lol I did not expect to have such a hard time acclimating since I have moved away and back home to 4500 ft multiple times. But dangggg 7000 ft is no joke lol
Thanks.. A friend actually just contacted me offering to gift me with hers so I think I am going to take her up on it since I do have a faucet outside I can hook it up to that never gets direct sun.
I have that filter @Beman. Great water but takes FOREVER to get maybe a half gallon.
). Still means you have to physically go out for water, though.
You can buy adapters for sinks!
then I still have to haul it upstairs the only sink it would work on is my kitchen sink and that would be a waste of great water lol.
The issue here is not whether unfiltered (plain) water is ok for the cham or not. The issue is that unfiltered water (and a lot of filtered water) has a lot of minerals and stuff in it that will quickly clog the misting nozzles. Using RO or distilled water, will eliminate the need to regularly replace misting nozzles due to clogging.
I'm not concerned as much about nozzles (~$12 ea) that can be cleaned as I am about having to replace a pump ($90-$135).
Can you define "barely"? I'm not disputing/doubting; I'm trying to get a handle on real world vs. marketing claims.
Not to mention that regular water leaves spots all over the cage and plants (and is bad for them over time as well)
With every Zero Water container you get this TDS (total dissolved solids) meter which usually measures around 250 PPM (parts per million) when I measure my tap water and it drops to 000 after that tap water is filtered, hence the name. This is supposed to remove dissolved solids including lead, chlorine, calcium, etc. When I say my tap water leaves white chalky material caked on the heating element I mean it! It’s caked on and I can chip away at it with a screw driver or just fill the basin with vinegar to dissolve it slowly and wipe it away. It’s really gross looking and makes me wonder what the heck is in my tap water. When I use Zero water in that same humidifier, even after many gallons, there is barely a thin membrane of chalk which isn’t even enough to justify cleaning. I would send before and after photos but I’m not cleaning that thing again!
