store bought RO water

[drunknbass]

my question is what should i expect from store bought RO? I have been using a store locally that sells it at .25 a gallon and i could have sworn when i sampled it, the meter he had read 3 ppm(i know it might have been calibrated wrong to seem 'cleaner')

That same source water i have tested myself and reads ~40ppm

I read some reviews online about walmart RO water (they have a machine by culligan) and people saying it tests very close to 0 ppm.

Just bought a bunch and got home only to find it is reading ~120 ppm.
My local tap water is ~150ppm so other than the chemicals it 'might' have removed, im not sure this is much better than tap water.

My question is, #1 are these ppm #'s good or even normal? I feel kind of ripped off.


BTW the walmart machine had a maintenance tab saying it was inspected on the 6th, which is almost 3 weeks ago.

 

[deacon1503]

My local kroger has an RO that puts out about 220ppm.

 

[nebulius]

I used to buy RO water from the grocery store. Usually they list somewhere on the machine the different filters. The one I used to buy had 4 stages of filtration and a UV filter to kill bacteria. Mine always tested under 20ppm. If you get anything above that I wouldn't pay for it. Buy an RO filter or use your tap water but be sure to de-clorinize your tap water.

 

[MakinGoo]

120 ppm seems a bit high 2 b paying 4.. I'm thinking ur tap water would work juss as good as that RO water at 120 ur paying 4.. Juss leave ur tap water out for 24 hrs.. Ur tap ppm don't seem 2 high.. Or find a different source of RO water that tests closer to 0 ppm.. Buying a RO system is a great investment.. I would start 2 save up 4 one..

 

[drunknbass]

The original place had 40-50 ppm and i thought that was high, but if its not im fine buying it.

I was told our local tap water is actually arrowhead so its not AS bad as some other places. Thats what i find odd. Unless the culligan water machines pull water from their own source the ppm difference seems pretty minimal compared to what goes in.

I have actually given my plants straight tap water and they seem to do fine. I dont even bother letting them sit because i was told the water doesnt have Chlorine, but Chlorite instead and that doesnt dissipate the same so leaving open for a day makes no difference.
If thats wrong im happy to do that.

 

[MakinGoo]

Sounds like u got good water I wouldn't worry 1 bit.. Juss use ur tap water if it's workin 4 u.. My tap water is 350-450 ppm so I badly need 2 use RO Water.. I would love 2 have ur water it would make it so much eazier..

 

[fuzzy]

If your in the states, look for Ozarka Natural Spring Water.Its ph is usually 6.0, but its has to be the natural with nothing added. peace,fuzzy

 

[fishwhistle]

DB,what did you mean by arrowhead water?

 

[Schwoop]

if your tap is 250 ppms or better its good to go, just bubble that stuff over nite and your good!

 

[LittleAmsterdam]

RO water is over hyped, over sold, and NOT environmentally friendly ! RO filters create waste water while creating filtered water. 3-4 gallons of waste water for every gallon of filtered water. Filling large reservoirs on a weekly basis would create a water bill larger than your power bill.

 

[drunknbass]

RO water is over hyped, over sold, and NOT environmentally friendly ! RO filters create waste water while creating filtered water. 3-4 gallons of waste water for every gallon of filtered water. Filling large reservoirs on a weekly basis would create a water bill larger than your power bill.

yea i had no idea about that till i looked into buy a system. thats why i went with the store RO.
My main concern was just not knowing what was int he water, but so far as long as i add a bit of calmag it seems no different to the plants.
TBH the plants seem to NOT like this RO water as much and i cant really figure out why. The ph does seem to be a little bit higher(.5-1.0+) than tap which seems odd.
Thanks for the suggestions. People speak about RO like its the gospel and I felt like i was playing with fire messing with tap water, but feel better now.

 

[ruscom]

It's great if you have hard water, but like others stated, having your own RO filter is the best way to go. I used to run one when I was breeding fish, and it worked great , like everything if you want quality, it costs a bit more. At least you know the quality of your water doing it yourself.

 

[SodaLicious]

i buy RO from crappy tire, and it's ppm never reads higher than 3.

 

[Cort]

Cheap RO filter will pay for itself in one grow. Is it the best? no. Fast? nope.

Will it save you money in the long run, YUP.

FYI, if you are so inclined, you can use the "waste" water from the RO in your outside garden or a stand of nearby trees.

 

[MakinGoo]

Yea that's what I do my RO waste water ain't wasted 1 bit b'cuz it waters my outside plants.. & they like it..

 

[LittleAmsterdam]

Waste water is called waste because that's all it's good for. Funny people wont use it inside, but use it outside... its extremely high in PPM of unusable minerals with a high PH. If my plants inside dont like it; then my plants outside wouldn't either.

Store bought RO water produces the same amount of waste water & my conscious wouldnt like that.

I use a 3 stage carbon / sediment filter. It reduces the tap water ppms by half & produces no waste water.

 

[oscar169]

I have a 5" well, I make up words of 100 gallons of RO Water a day, if you have a well then theres no way in hell I would wast all that money at the store, just by a Ro System & be done with it...:p