Use my water, add a RO system or just buy distilled water? Need help.

[Austinjs0102]

Hey everyone,

im going about planning a 10 to 15G eBIAB system. I have the ability to install a water line right above the pot and need some help.

I have 2 links to my water information. I live out in rural North Dakota so we only get Rural water.

Is it worth getting a RO system and using the water or should i look into just doing distilled. I would have to plan ahead with the distilled water as its a 35 minute drive each way.

http://www.traillruralwater.com/?i=WaterAnalysis
http://www.traillruralwater.com/inc/TRWD_CCR_2015.pdf

Also, i already have though about getting the water profile done so i can get a true idea of what mine looks like. Any idea on the time it might take for that to be completed?

Thanks everyone!

 

[McKnuckle]

First of all, that water report in the first link is 17 years old! Look at the analysis dates... So to me it is totally irrelevant. But even if we give it some credence, it lists Ca at 160 ppm and bicarbonate as 278. Both are way too high for use without significant dilution. So you'll need distilled or RO water no matter what. Might as well just go with it 100% and adjust it. You'll find that it's a far more rewarding and predictable way to brew.

Since you want a large volume setup, RO is probably the only way to go. I distill my tap water with an inexpensive water distiller ($75) at home; it does about a gallon at at time and I run it a couple times a day. I also use the distilled water for a room humidifier to avoid scale buildup. And I brew no more than 5 gallons at a time, usually only 2 or 3. Such a unit wouldn't be practical for 10-15 gallon batches.

 

[IslandLizard]

An RO system will run you now under $200-300, IIRC, and you can install it yourself. You do need to set up a collection vessel with a float switch so you can accumulate your 20-30 gallons ahead of time, over a day or two.

The cost to operate an RO system is fairly low too (replacing pre-filters and eventually the membrane) and it doesn't take energy, unless your domestic water pressure is very low, in which case a small booster pump is needed. I'd say your break-even point lies within 1 or 2 years compared to buying water.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Am I correct in assuming that RO units need to be fed water that has first gone through a water softener?

 

[Austinjs0102]

Thanks Everyone!

Thankfully, i do already have a newer water softener so we are good there.

If i go the RM route, the plan was to put in a 50-75 gallon drum with a float switch. Then, i will use a pump or gravity to pump the water over to the brew kettle.

The other option, for now is to just use distilled water for the time being and purchase a RO system later this year. personally, i want to get an RO system eventually so that i wont need to constantly get water and use more and more plastic.

Thanks a bunch for all that. I'm going to actually get a water sample done from ward labs to better understand the water we have in our house. Those reports are old and the one from 2015 is missing a large amount of values.

 

[mabrungard]

Am I correct in assuming that RO units need to be fed water that has first gone through a water softener?

NO. Most home RO units are configured to operate with hard water. They typically employ a very high wastewater flow rate so that the membrane doesn't develop hard water scale.

However to get the best life out of your membrane and allow you to run a RO unit at a lower wastewater flow rate, pretreating the raw water through a water softener is helpful. Its just not a requirement.

 

[ajdelange]

Am I correct in assuming that RO units need to be fed water that has first gone through a water softener?

The specifications for the unit should tell you what the maximum allowable hardness for that unit is.

It is not a bad idea to go through a softener and if you have one in your house definitely connect behind it. Would I buy a softener just for an RO unit? Yes, I have done, but it is for a much larger unit than the under-the-sink ones I think we are talking about here and I want to operate at a much better recovery than what the under-the-sink ones are usually set up for. You may wish to do that too and it is achieved by restricting the concentrate (brine) outflow (and, often, pressurizing the inflow with an auxilliary pump for greater throughput). If you do that (there are guys on the forum here that sell systems and add-ons especially for this kind of enhancement) then you will need to feed with softened water.