Well Water/City Water...

[toyota44]

I have just purchased a house that has the luxary of having well and city water. One for watering your lawn, and the other for the household necessities. The city water comes into the house at a very low PSI rate. My question is, is it o.k. to use the well water with my 3 stage RO unit, or do I have to use the city water? It would be great if I could use the well water, because I could have a dedicated line, and not ever interupt my wifes kitchen sink I'm even thinking about rigging a holding tank with a float switch so it could operate and be ready for when I need it :roll: Any input guys ?

TIA
F

 

[Anonymous]

i would guess your well water would be higher in minerals. epsecially since you aren't drinking it.
this would shorten the lifespan of each component in your RODI.

 

[_ShotgunShrimp_]

yes but well water will have far less chlorine in it wich kills membranes... best suggestion would be have the well water tested for super nastys and go from there a bit of high calcium or silicates can be handeled with the ro...

 

[toyota44]

could you extrapolate on "Super Nastys" What else should I test for that the RO won't handle?

 

[imow]

Get your well water professionally tested before you use it. They will test for pesticides, bacteria, etc. Also, the well water will be naturally cooler than the tap, therefore your RO/DI will not be as efficient.

 

[craw]

Then theres people like me who only have the option of a well and its perfectly fine. I think the whole membrain degradation for ro/di units are over played. There is nor real evidence that they will diminish quicker. Its all theory. Podman I'm not try to slam you, but where did you see this information? I have never read it on anyones web site (i.e. spectra pure, culligan, water perfect, ect.).

 

[Anonymous]

Podman I'm not try to slam you, but where did you see this information?

good evening
first off, i said it would shorten the lifespan of each component, meaning a sediment filter would become loaded quicker, carbon would become inactive quicker, DI cartridge would become inert sooner, and RO membrane would clog easier. i am making no claims as to typical well water's destructive capability vs. city water as pertaining to an RO memebrane.

this shortening of the lifespan of components is symptomatic using water that is higher in minerals, i have no empirical evidence for you, but it is common sense.
would carbon stay active longer running RODI water over it or running coffee over it?

now i have no idea what type of water you have out of your well, it could be quite soft, but that is not the norm.

 

[Anonymous]

If it were me I would choose the city water. Pod made some good points, and I would like to add that a complete analysis of your city water should be available from the water district. Our city mails us a report each year. Saves a lot of guessing on things like pesticides and nitrates. If you send your well water out for testing, do it during different seasons. Well water composition can change from one season to the next.

Regards

 

[zooqi]

I have a friend outside the city and she uses the well water straight just one filter to remove the dirt and she doesn't use RO/DI. She tested the water and it just showed high in Calcium but since she got the tank loaded with corals everything was fine. The filter to remove the dirt gets dirty fast and she replaces them more often but they don't cost much. She could get the water from RO/DI at the LFS that she worked then but she choiced not to because everything was doing fine.

 

[64Ivy]

I've been using well water (my only option) for several years now. Currently, I'm sending it through the four-stage Spectrapure RO/DI unit and aside from going through components a bit faster than I'd like, I've never had a problem. TDS going in was 211 ppm, 0 coming out when last I checked. I did have my well water tested, by the way, and it was shown to be hard (high in minerals) and acidic (pH around 6.2 or so). We therefore have a water softening system and neutralizer on the house.