Glad I don’t fill my pool with this water …

[JoyfulNoise]

Ok, that title was totally click bait but I just tested my RO kitchen sink tap since I’m changing out the carbon and sediment filters today. The membrane is good for 5+ years but the sediment and GAC filters (pre- and post- polishing filters) are important for keeping the membrane clean. Anyway, after a year of service (daily drinking water use), here are the numbers (measurements from Apera pH probe and Taylor tests)

pH - 6.94
TA - 20ppm
CH < 10ppm
TH < 10ppm
Conductivity = 45.7 μS

Wow! That is some super soft and corrosive water. Good think I take a multi-vitamin with lots of calcium and magnesium Fine for drinking but I’d never fill my pool with it …

 

[HermanTX]

This reminds me to change out the filters for our RO system. I checked just the water softener output the other day with following
TA was 140
pH was 7.4 (Apera probe)
CH was less than 25. The sample was blue before adding any drops)
I need to test the water after the RO filters.

My pool water has creeped up on TA as I am adding water weekly due to the evaporation

 

[JJ_Tex]

Any chance you want to take a sample to Leslie's just for fun? I would love to see the $ of chemicals they would recommend.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Any chance you want to take a sample to Leslie's just for fun? I would love to see the $ of chemicals they would recommend.

Nah. I’d need an exorcist with me for that trip -

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Filters were not as bad as I thought they’d be -



The one at the top is the polypropylene sediment trap. It was brown all the way through but I half-expected it to be black. The rest of the filters are the fine and carbon filters. All in all, the system worked well over this last year. After it re-pressurizes in a few hours I’ll let it run out for a bit and then test the water again. I expect the pH and conductivity will be higher until the system has had a few days to run through a couple of changeovers.

 

[cledee]

I recently had a company over to test the tap water since there's currently a government program that will get you a full rebate on a filter here in New Hampshire and here are their numbers.

pH: 8 (basic)
Iron: Cast iron from aging distribution system
Hardness: 1 gpg (soft water)
Chlorine: 3 ppm (more than a swimming pool)

I compared it with my TF100 kit, and I got

PH: 7.8
I don't have an Iron test, but I always suspected the city water had iron, due to my battles with staining
CH: 50
FC: 1

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I recently had a company over to test the tap water since there's currently a government program that will get you a full rebate on a filter here in New Hampshire and here are their numbers.

pH: 8 (basic)
Iron: Cast iron from aging distribution system
Hardness: 1 gpg (soft water)
Chlorine: 3 ppm (more than a swimming pool)

I compared it with my TF100 kit, and I got

PH: 7.8
I don't have an Iron test, but I always suspected the city water had iron, due to my battles with staining
CH: 50
FC: 1

Your water might also be high in phosphates if the municipal supplier is using them for corrosion control. It’s pretty common back East, especially in the 13 original Colonies, to have ancient water distribution system with cast iron pipes and pumps. There’s probably even lead joints used between pipe segments because one used to use lead in the old days to join cast iron pipes.

Point-of-use water filtration is probably the best way to deal with potable water quality. You really can’t trust municipal suppliers to fix it.

 

[cledee]

Your water might also be high in phosphates if the municipal supplier is using them for corrosion control. It’s pretty common back East, especially in the 13 original Colonies, to have ancient water distribution system with cast iron pipes and pumps. There’s probably even lead joints used between pipe segments because one used to use lead in the old days to join cast iron pipes.

Point-of-use water filtration is probably the best way to deal with potable water quality. You really can’t trust municipal suppliers to fix it.

I'm drinking metal sequestrant? Do you know if a Refrigerator water filter, filters out phosphates?

 

[jesse-99]

TA of 20 ? How does it get that low?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

TA of 20 ? How does it get that low?

It’s an RO filter in the final stage so all dissolved components are reduced.

 

[proavia]

Are you supplying the RO system with soft water from your softener or hard water?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Are you supplying the RO system with soft water from your softener or hard water?

Hard water. Most cold kitchen faucet lines are plumbed before the softener to avoid wasting soft water. Hot water is soft.

 

[proavia]

Yeah, my cold water to kitchen sink is hard water too. That's the usual way they are plumbed here if you have a preinstalled soft water loop.

I tapped my RO off a soft water cold feed located elsewhere in the house.
Supposedly the filters and membrane will last a bit longer using a soft water feed.
I still change the filters out yearly.

What are your thoughts on adding an alkalinity filter cartridge after the final "polishing" filter?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

What are your thoughts on adding an alkalinity filter cartridge after the final "polishing" filter?

If you’re talking about adding alkalinity back after filtration, then I don’t really think it’s necessary. The only time you really need to worry about adding alkalinity or remineralization is if you are feeding your entire house with RO processed water. In that case, the water is so “corrosive” that it’s really not good to have it sitting pipes. Even with alkaline/mineral additions, the amounts are tiny to make the water more balanced.

For point of use drinking water, there’s no need to add alkalinity. There is no proven benefit to drinking water at any reasonable pH (6.5-9.0) as the human body has significant pH buffers built into our physiology and biochemistry. pH is highly regulated and cannot be easily changed under normal conditions of exertion and nutrition. Yes, people who run/exercise like crazy and overexert their bodies probably need to be more careful, but that’s only a small segment of the psychologically imbalanced people out there. Your average, ordinary, fat, lazy American is in no danger in that sense …

 

[proavia]

If you’re talking about adding alkalinity back after filtration, then I don’t really think it’s necessary. The only time you really need to worry about adding alkalinity or remineralization is if you are feeding your entire house with RO processed water. In that case, the water is so “corrosive” that it’s really not good to have it sitting pipes. Even with alkaline/mineral additions, the amounts are tiny to make the water more balanced.

For point of use drinking water, there’s no need to add alkalinity. There is no proven benefit to drinking water at any reasonable pH (6.5-9.0) as the human body has significant pH buffers built into our physiology and biochemistry. pH is highly regulated and cannot be easily changed under normal conditions of exertion and nutrition. Yes, people who run/exercise like crazy and overexert their bodies probably need to be more careful, but that’s only a small segment of the psychologically imbalanced people out there. Your average, ordinary, fat, lazy American is in no danger in that sense …

Thanks!

 

[Mdragger88]

Instead of buying acid just pour some of your sink water in the pool! Seems like a win. Now you make your own chlorine & acid.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Sadly, kitchen sink RO faucets are not know for their production volumes….